TWO-STROKE TUESDAY: JAMES STEWART’S 2005 SR250

Back in 2005 the MXA wrecking crew tested James Stewart’s SR250. Here are a few things we had to say about it.

“SR stands for ‘Special Racer'” and James Stewart’s Kawasaki is very special. With the works engine, programmable ignition, trick carburetor, works Kayaba suspension, powerful brakes, exotic triple clamps and magnesium hubs, Stewart’s once-stock KX250 is transformed into an unobtainable SR250.”

“We’ve ridden works bikes with handlebar and lever setups that are so far away from the norm that we could never adjust to them (Ricky Carmichael’s low-rider bars and high rise levers are classic examples), but Bubba is a regular guy. We were pleasantly surprised to find that his Renthal 997 TwinWall bars were about even with the angle of the fork tubes.”

“The engine is flawless. One snap of the throttle and you feel how powerful the engine is. On a scale of one to ten, the throttle response is a 12.”

“The jetting is crisp, and thanks to the hot ignition, Bubba’s Kawasaki mill pulls cleanly from way down low all the way to the top.”

“Kawasaki uses a works five-speed transmission instead of the stocker. We’ve tried these factory gear ratios before. They are much more usable than the stock ratios because they take out the gap between second and third gear.”

“The personalized hub sticker is cool, but we’d much rather have the magnesium hub, brake hanger and caliper.”