2015 KTM FREERIDE 250 R
FIRST RIDE
P52
15 inches of ground clearance.
A bolt-on forged aluminum
midsection and a lightweight
polyamide/ABS plastic com-
posite subframe also make up
much of the Freeride's chassis.
The extra-wide footpegs have
mounting brackets that can be
flipped, which repositions the
pegs back 8mm if so desired.
Wheels consist of Giant silver
aluminum rims (1.60x21-inch
front and 2.15x18-inch rear),
machined hubs, black spokes,
aluminum nipples with soft
compound Maxxis TrialMaxx
2.75x21 (front) and 4.00x18
(rear) tires made specifically for
the Freeride. They look a lot like
trials tires but with wider spac-
ing of the knobs for better self-
cleaning.
KTM didn't skimp when it
came to the Freeride's suspen-
sion. Forks are fully adjustable
43mm closed-chamber units
divvying up 9.8 inches worth
of wheel travel. You'll find in
the back KTM's single-shock
non-linkage, PDS system. Rear
wheel travel is 10.2 inches.
The Freeride features CNC-
machined triple clamps with
20mm of offset and four-po-
sition adjustable aluminum
bar mounts. In the back, the
swingarm might look familiar to
someāit's based off the KTM
85 SX and is super light but
very strong.
Brakes are also based after
the 85 SX. It uses Formula mas-
ter cylinders but have radially
mounted front and rear calipers
with 260mm (front) and 210mm
(rear) pedal-type brake rotors.
The Freeride has a headlight
and taillight, so the fun doesn't
have to stop after the sun goes
down. There's also a TrailTech
speedometer unit that also
functions as an enduro time-
keeper, with mph, trip and time
features.
(Left) Only 500
units will be
brought into the
U.S. with a price
tag of $7899.
(Right) The
Freeride works
well in both open
and close spaces.