VOL. 51 ISSUE 42 OCTOBER 21, 2014 P73
just wasn't as exciting to ride as
it used to be, even though it was
still a pretty competitive bike with
its still-strong motor. Problem
was, since all of the KTM's power
was found near the bike's peak
14,000 rpm, you pretty much had
to be a pro to make it go fast. Un-
fortunately, not all of us are pros.
Since 2013, the 250 SX-F
has trimmed down a bit, but not
enough to offset its peaky, hard-
to-manage motor. Throw in aver-
age suspension (i.e. fork) and you
have a bike that just hasn't wowed
us all that much since 2010.
That is, however, no longer the
case with the arrival of the 2015
250 SX-F.
The 2015 is a much-improved
bike even though KTM didn't
make a whole lot of changes to it.
But the changes they did make—
on top of the ones it received last
year and the year before that—
have made the KTM 250 SX-F a
up to 220.4 pounds in 2011 and
peaked at 229.7 pounds in 2013.
Since then, the SX-F has shed
a few of those pounds with the
2015 having a claimed dry weight
of 225.3 pounds.) However, we
did like the electric starting, the
snappier throttle response and
the improved rear suspension
of the 2011 model, so we were
able to excuse the KTM for put-
ting on the pounds. Still, the 250
SX-F just wasn't the same bike—it
The KTM still
has a "pro"
motor but is
more forgiving
than before.
