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/1469992
QUICKSPIN I 2023 KTM Four-Stroke Motocrossers P106 A three-and-a-half-hour drive from KTM's Ohio warehouse, RedBud served as our honorary test site for the new SX, SX-F, and XC-F lineup. The Orange Brigade loaded up the haulers with over 60 bikes and practi- cally made RedBud look like the newest KTM dealership way out in the Michigan countryside. For this review, however, we'll be focusing only on the SX-F models, there are just too many bikes to talk about in just one sitting. When it comes to the SX- Fs, three new four-strokes serve as the flagship motocross bikes from the Austrian brand. Techncially, we previewed the 250 and 450 back in February when we rode the 2022 KTM Factory Editions. The Factory Edi- tions typically serve as a preview for the coming model year and low and behold, history repeated itself. These new 2023 SX-F's de- but the same structural changes we saw on the Factory Editions— most notably, a new frame and a new engine, wrapped entirely in new bodywork. For '23, think Factory Edition without the extra anodized bolt-ons. In typical KTM fashion, all three of these bikes, the 350 now included, share many of the same parts. Basically, anything but the actual engine is nearly interchangeable among the four- stroke motocrossers. In fact, the moto-specific bikes set the tone for the rest of the KTM lineup, as the XC-F models sport the same frame, electronics and bodywork designs. The new frame elimi- nates the previous "backbone" that ran from the shock tower up to the steering stem. Without that upper spar, energy loads are said to transfer down the sides of the frame instead of up through the handlebars. The powerplant is another big talking point as it's also been re- As expected, the 2023 KTM 450 SX-F is the "standard" version of the latest Factory Edition, same with the 250.