2015 250F MOTOCROSS SHOOTOUT
P50
SHOOTOUT
S
o why did the KTM finish two
spots ahead of the Husky?
Simple: It has more power
across the board, plus its sus-
pension comes set up out of
the crate a little better than the
Husky's. Yes, they are very simi-
lar machines on paper, and yes,
they feel very similar on the track,
but they do have their differences
and own personalities.
The KTM's standout feature
is its motor—it's strong from top
to bottom, but most of the meat
and potatoes are up top. Bot-
tom-end, however, is improved
over last year's. If there's a true
"pro" motor in the group, it's the
KTM's. Less experienced riders
might find it a little intimidating
and not as forgiving as the YZ's
or KX's motors (the two other
exceptionally strong mills in the
group), but the fast guys will love
it. Mapping can be altered via a
coupler but you must remove the
seat.
Our testers also love the
KTM's electric starting, hydrau-
lic clutch pull, ultra-strong (yet
controllable) front brake, clean-
working controls and neutral
ergos. The KTM is one of the
most comfortable bikes of the
group.
The KTM is a very good
handling bike but the suspen-
sion, although improved over
last year, isn't quite as refined as
some of the others, namely the
Yamaha and Honda's. As good
as it is, the WP 4CS fork doesn't
hold a candle to the Yamaha's
KYB SSS fork (nor do any of the
others for that matter) and it isn't
quite as supple as the Kawasaki
or Honda's fork. The WP fork re-
quires more fiddling with settings
from track to track.
SUMMARY
Overall, the KTM jumped up
a couple of notches in our
shootout rankings from last year
mainly because of its improved
suspension and better bottom-
end punch. We also like the bike
for its high-quality components,
though we would like to see an
easier way to adjust mapping.
COUNTDOWN
4
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PLACE
KTM 250 SX-F
