Reliable Source says Kawasaki is making a 2T bike soon

[soup-n-sandwich]

Two days ago I was talking with a reliable source that has a long history with Kawasaki and was a well known pro offroad racer for a very long time.
Anyway I was having a conversation with him about my project KDX200. We talked about how sad it is that Kawi stopped making the KDX line of bikes and I had said that Yamaha was smart to start making the offroad two-stroke line of bikes to compete with KTM. I had also mentioned that if Kawi started making the KDX line up again I don't think they would be able to keep them in stock.

He hesitated for a bit in his response but said..."well that might not be the case for too much longer". I asked "what do you mean...is this going to change!!?? Is Kawi considering starting up the two-stroke offroad bike again?" He said "I can't say how I know this but it looks like it may be happen within a year"!!

[Slick_Nick]

I’ll believe it when I see it.

[kdxdazz]

Lol. We heard it here first on kdxrider

[MoonStomper]

Is it April 1st ALREADY?!?!? …
I’ll be checking with my ‘Kawi source’ Monday AM and see what he says. Would be awesome, long live the KDX!

[KDXGarage]

Unfortunately, as someone who has been on forums for over 20 years, I have seen this kind of post several times when people get told this.

[soup-n-sandwich]

Is it April 1st ALREADY?!?!? …
I’ll be checking with my ‘Kawi source’ Monday AM and see what he says. Would be awesome, long live the KDX!

Yeah let us know when you get some input from your source. I would really like to mention his name but I think he'd be pissed off at me. This guy is a no-nonsense type of person. I really don't feel that he would have told me this information had I not expressed my disappointment for Kawi discontinuing the KDX. I'll be talking with this person again in the next week. I'll ask his permission to use his name in this forum. Hopefully he'll let me but he did seem apprehensive to mention this to me.

[soup-n-sandwich]

Unfortunately, as someone who has been on forums for over 20 years, I have seen this kind of post several times when people get told this.

I understand. I assure you that I wouldn't have said anything had it not come for a well know ex pro rider with Kawi ties. But I would imagine that you've heard this before.

[lucy]

Its hard to believe.

I've heard from a reliable source that Suzuki has stopped putting money into off-road development while they are working on electric bikes

[MoonStomper]

Confirmed. Using the new KX 250/450 frame, Kawi is developing a new 300, 2t off-road bike. No other details yet.

[Slick_Nick]

Confirmed. Using the new KX 250/450 frame, Kawi is developing a new 300, 2t off-road bike. No other details yet.

Source please.

[Molly's 70]

We need pictures.

[SS109]

We all have been wanting it for years, we've heard "rumors" almost every year since the Kawi 2T's went away, and had our hopes dashed every time. Like Nick said earlier... I'll believe it when I see it. I want sources, pics, and a Kawi official announcement!

[rungrandpa]

I think a 300 is great, but part of the KDX advantage is how easy it is to ride, from little sister to moving out fast. I have a 300 2T and I don't let the grandkids ride it (except the 18 year old). The KDX 200 is very popular among the grandkids, and it can be ridden fast too.

[Kawibunga]

I'd have to see it to believe it. But if they could make one California Green Sticker approved......... might be worth return on investment. It can be done, as per below....... They'd still sell a crap tonne of non CARB approved bikes, but the California Market is so huge it would be tough to ignore. Here's hoping!

https://www.bikesrepublic.com/featured/ ... ke-engine/

[Slick_Nick]

Its not California that's the problem its the EURO 5 (or whatever revision they're on now) standards. Without being compliant in the EU, that's a big chunk of sales they would miss out on.

[SS109]

What's funny is the Euro 5 emission standard isn't that hard to make. Rieju has already done it with a carb engine. So has Sherco, TM, and Beta. EFI is not needed to pass Euro 5 standards.

Now, about that Minarelli engine, it's super trick. Most don't know that they are partially owned by Yamaha and in partnership with Fantic which Yamaha also has part ownership of. I expect that engine to end up in an actual Yamaha branded bike at some point and hopefully they come to North America.

So, the big question is whether Kawasaki is willing to make the $$$ investment like Yamaha and the Euro brands have? Personally, I don't think they will as motorcycles, and especially dirt bikes, are such a tiny portion of their sales overall. I wish they would and bring it back as the new KDX. Just take the KX250F platform but make it 2T in 200cc and 300cc sizes, 18" rear wheel, and a kickstand. It would sell well I'm sure but would it do well enough for Kawasaki to actually consider doing it?

[TwistedRoot]

Would like to see this like everyone else. I remember Mitch Payton told me once when I met him: "It takes them years to do anything".
And that is a guy with big connections. Theres no way they haven't seen all the 2S market sales last ten years..

Keep ur fingers crossed, you never know.

[Chuck78]

Wow this is some very exciting news!
I'm sure the Euro 5 emissions standard 2 stroke engines out there already from other manufacturers have had a positive sway in this interest for Kawasaki, as well as all the sales they're missing out on with the massive 2-stroke woods bike market in the past 5+ years. I read that the woods bike / enduro bike market (which is completely DOMINATED BY 2-STROKES) has far surpassed the Motocross bike market in recent years, and I fully believe it... I remember when I first started riding, 2-stroke woods bikes were continually on the upswing, but nowadays the 2-strokes exponentially outnumber the 4 strokes at all the proper trails we ride all over the Appalachian regions...
I for one was swearing off 2-smokers before buying my first dirtbike, UNTIL I learned of the drastic power to weight ratio differences between 2-strokes and 4-strokes. Nowadays I cringe at the sound of loud obnoxious 4 stroke aftermarket "silencer" cans, and am very delighted at the ring-ding-ding sound of nearly any 2-stroke woods or MX bike that I hear...
Also I should note that most of the 2-stroke MX bikes I see these days are being ridden in the woods. 4-strokes really still dominate the motocross world, but 2-strokes have their place as being far superior in the woods.

Emissions-compliant and e-start would push Kawasaki ahead of Yamaha's YZ250X & YZ125X woods bike efforts rather quickly, especially if they offered a 300cc balance shaft engine.

Immediately upon seeing this thread, my first hopes were that they'd make a KX250F-chassis-based KDX300R & KDX150R.... Then I'd forget about my pipedream of building a purple 96 (95-98 w/2002 cylinder modded to fit) KX125 into a KX144 or "KDX150" with Eric Gorr low end woods porting and overbored nikasil plated cylinder...

[ssrlewis]

Dear Mr. Kawasaki,
Please read this post along with the ones above. I for one will purchase the first one delivered to the US if you make this come true.

Thank you
Steve

[Chuck78]

I'm really eagerly awaiting any sort of updates, official or unofficial leaks, on the development of this rumored project by Team Green...

Basically all Kawasaki has to do is develop a Euro-5 Emissions Compliant 300cc balance shaft 2-stroke engine that fits into their current KX250X/KX250F/KX450F chassis...

The KX250X has a very slender width advanced aluminum perimeter frame, narrowest in it's class which test riders and reviewers definitely praise, X model has an 18" rear wheel already (like the 2-stroke YZ250X and 4 stroke CRF250X, the KX250X is the off-road version of their motocross offerings), a really nice swingarm and some excellent KYB 48mm Twin Chamber forks and KYB shock with independent high and low speed compression.
The only thing they really need to do beyond the engine/pipe design, would be to add a lower deeper first gear that the KX250X also desperately needs for technical woods riding, add good DC charging system with very ample LED lighting output capability & also capable of powering radiator fans (& 12V accessory add-ons - charger), and perhaps add a larger capacity fuel tank and I assume oil injection tank and system.

This would certainly get my interest, and my buddy who I told this news to made a joke about most certainly going broke if Kawasaki releases one of these in the near future, as he couldn't resist buying one