Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126758
·- • band LO the LOp. But the top counts for a lot in the competitive world of motocross, and the KTM shines even more brightly in that department. Call itquickorcall itfast-thcKTM can easily wear both hats. And it's not an uncontrollable type of power, but can be C'lasily metered with the right hand. A nice touch which serves to quiel the bark of the motor is an effective aluminum silencer, and it is easily rebwldable to boot. Simply remove three 6mm fasteners and the entire unit comes apart. We were hard pre sed to find any real fault in the handling. The light weight makes for nimble, spot-on maneuvering. Tires are by Metzeler, which enhance the handlingqualities. Overall, the bike is extremely narrow and the exhaust system is tucked in very well for a liquid-cooled machine, making it easy for the rider to move around when on the gas. The shortened gas tank and safety seat combination allow the rider LO plant his weight far forward when needed, a nice feature for tall bikes such as the KTM when throttling'through tighler corners. We left all the su pension settings on the rear end in the middle positions, just as they came from the factory, and also left the front end alone. Those seLlings worked great under nearly all condition. We never felt a need LO change anything - basically a ride-it-and-forget-itsetup. We'd like LO see KTM equip the250MX with the inverted fork. It's not that the standard fork doesn'l work well enough, because it does; the problem is that we've had a chance LO sample tbe inverted uniton another KTM, and it appear to function even better. Bringi ng the bike to a stop couldn't be easier thanks LO the potent brakes on both ends. The performance of the front unit is on nearly the same level as a disc, and is much less vulnerable to damage. Compared to the frolll brake on '84 H u qvarnas, another double-leading-shoe design, the KTM version is superior yet lighter due to the smaller diameter. The rear bni.ke has a strong, predictable feel, and the toothed pedal allows for a positive stab under most condition. Keep both brakes clean and you should have no problem in this area. While everything seemed to work well in our test sessions, we thought it might be meaningful to get the opinion of a racer who had spent niuch more time aboard a 250 MX. Barry Higgins, mOLOcrosser, hare scrambler and owner of H & H KTM in Mableton, Georgia, logged many hours of heavy competition on his personal machine. "!l's a fast machine, and from whal J've seen it's every bit as fast or faster around an MX co.urse than any other bike in the class-including the Honda CR. The brakes are good, and the front is good enough to send you over the bars if you're not careful," said Higgins. As far as reliability, I've yet LO have even the slightest problem, and all I've done is routine maintenance 'between races. The suspension is right in there, but [ noticed a stiff spot in the middle of the om pression stroke in the rear. With a valving change, that problem might go away." Taken as a complete package. it's hard to find a single major problem on the 250 MX. You're not giving up anything by choosing the KTM over the currenL crop of Oriental machi nery - it's that good. The overall quality of components on the machine lend to offset the additional $300 you'll have LO shell out over the Japanese bikes before you can call it your own. Better shop early if you decide on one, before your KTM dealer's showroom floor becomes void of this most 9"si~a.btC:·~I1l-,o;macker. • U the light weight - 217 pounds dry inLO the weight range of the Honda, -whkh made the bike very simple to Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha commaneuver through the corners. You petition. (The Honda CR is the lightcan easjly shave off a few pounds by est of tbe bunch at 2J I.) removing the kickstand ~\l4 j~,haT(;I-. , The be t way t~peSCTibe theperformwaJe,..wb~c wjJ ing th'llik~.!i'gb ~ anc~ tJ{ "ttii'motoT'-or in thjs ca'se:.;;....:.....:;:::. ~ . ".- -. power plant-is LO call it extremely effective. Even with the slightest throttle openings, you can tell this thing is ready for anything you can throw at it. The byword is strong, all the way from ttie bo.~~~bf the power