VOLUME ISSUE OCTOBER , P81
events, like Supercross and Pro Moto-
cross, don't see it the same way, as the
250 two-stroke is forced to compete
against the larger-displacement 450cc
four-stroke machines. For reference,
KTM claims more than 63 horsepower
for their current 450 motocrosser.
That's 10 more than the stock 250
SX. Some agree with this ruling, oth
-
ers don't. We favor the straight-up 250
rule as each machine has benefits and
drawbacks.
ENGINES>
The two-stroke is faster. There, we said
it. It's no secret that the six extra horses
are apparent when you take to the
track. The 250's new TBI design is much
smoother and easier to ride than any
other two-stroke we can remember. It's
as four-stroke as a two-stroke can get.
Initial roll-on is consistent, and there's
no hesitation or bog upon the first crack
of the throttle. Like we said before, this
is not Dad's two-stroke. The exciting hit
that you'd find on a carbureted machine
is nearly gone, and some of our riders
said the 250 SX is less "exciting" to ride
than a classic carbed bike.
On the other hand, the vet riders
favored it for lug-ability and down-low
torque. It all but makes up for that in
overall versatility, as riders no longer
need to fiddle with jets or tuning for alti
-
tude. You can still scream it around like
the two-strokes of old, but the off-the-
bottom torque is undoubtedly a helping
hand.
The overall
performance gap
between the KTM
250 SX two-stroke
and KTM 250
SX-F four-stroke
has narrowed
considerably.
