2019 K TM 250 SX-F
FIRST TEST
P90
ON-TRACK HIGHLIGHTS
Right away, the 2019 KTM 250 SX-F
feels familiar. The excellent Brembo
clutch feel and comfortable chassis
dimensions are ready to interact with
the rider. The e-start (powered by a
punchier battery) fires up cleanly and the tune
belting out of a redesigned exhaust system
sounds gritty but substantial and efficient.
Knocking it into gear, via the new Pankl trans-
mission, is clean and the new diaphragm spring
(DS) clutch system releases power in a nice,
controlled way. Basically, this bike falls directly
in line with KTM's tradition of high-end, well-
built and nicely finished motocross machines.
And the resulting ride experience follows
suit. The engine updates (optimized mapping of
the ECU, the new exhaust-cam profile, airbox
update, velocity stack change, etc.) don't dras-
tically shift the power delivery away from last
year's bike. Or the year before, for that matter.
But it sure does feel good.
KTM keeps creeping toward more
bottom-end power with these incremen-
tal changes to the proven power plant,
but they're not making a drastic shift
in engine character here. Many 250F
races are won at the end of the start
straight and by young guns leaving the throttle
wide-freaking-open. And this bike is engineered to
do just that anywhere from your local track, to Lo-
retta's, to the World MXGP series. It's a screamer.
It wants to turn the crank as fast as possible.
The KTM's power delivery makes it really fun
to ride. It rarely gets away from you or intimidates
you. Thanks to its linear progression, you can es-
sentially bury the throttle to the stop and enjoy the
ride. It doesn't surge or snap in the midrange and
the top-end pull is never-ending. It's not a torque
monster but shifting into the right gear makes it
extremely efficient at powering through corners.
There are faster bikes in the 250F class from
1000-5000 rpm, for sure, but they require an
upshift much sooner than this KTM. So, work on
The 2019 KTM 250 SX-F
gets many of the same
updates as the 2018 450
SX-F Factory Edition.
In other words, it is
significantly updated.
