VOLUME 56 ISSUE 49 DECEMBER 10, 2019 P87
250 SX-F
KTM
W
e are now into the podium fin-
ishers of our 250cc four-stroke
motocross shootout—enter
the Austrians. The Husqvarna managed
to edge out its orange counterpart this
time, with the KTM landing third in the
overall ranks, if only by a single point.
The KTM 250 SX-F came into the
shootout as the defending champion,
and for 2020 the SX-F received only
a few light changes—a new piston and
revised valving in the WP Xact air fork
and a vented airbox cover for improved
air intake.
As with the similar revisions made to
its bigger 450 sibling, the changes made
to the fork prompted some hot and cold
responses from test riders with some still
feeling a harshness in the initial action,
and even a lack of overall balance. As
one tester put it, "the fork and shock feel
like they don't go together. I could never
get that feeling of being stable."
Yet others praised the KTM suspen-
sion, commenting it felt "near perfect"
with supple action through whoops and
braking bumps yet never bottoming out.
It seems the busier the WP fork is, the
better it performs. Late in the day on a
rough track, the KTM slices through the
chop and delivers a smooth ride. On flat
landings or downhill jumps the subtle
harshness is still apparent, and while we
wouldn't go as far as calling it a perfor-
