VOLUME ISSUE DECEMBER , P137
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The fight for the first-round
draft pick turned out to
be closer than we thought. The
all-new Triumph TF 250-X was a
hit among our riders and landed
third in our overall 250 shootout.
The new TF is the lightest bike
in the class, beating the Kawa-
saki by a full 10 pounds. All our
riders noticed this weight differ-
ence in their early laps. It makes
the engine feel less stressed
and more free-revving, and also
easier to maneuver on the track.
At first glance, the Triumph's
engine looks eerily like the
Austrian's. It rides like one,
too. The throttle feel is ultra-
connected, and the initial snap
of the engine is apparent. The
bike quickly revs up, which is
a good thing since most of the
power lives up top. There is a
solid hit at the very first twist
of the grip, but it's immediately
followed by a lull in power in the
low- to midrange. While that
sounds like a bad thing, right
after that comes—hold on tight,
please keep your hands, arms,
feet and legs inside the vehicle
at all times—power. The bike is
fast, and the Triumph can hang
with any of the Euros in terms of
overrev strength. However, this
comes with a lack of torque.
Suspension is a plus on the
Triumph. KYB handles the Tri-
umph's fork and shock, making
it the only other brand besides
Yamaha to do so. These parts
work well with the aluminum
chassis and are easy to adapt
to right out of the gate. Small-
bump comfort is a strong suit of
the KYB components, and the
Triumph eats up the rough stuff
for breakfast. With an engine
TRIUMPH TF 250X
M
