VOL. 52 ISSUE 9 MARCH 3, 2015 P53
Yamaha.
Both bikes steer quickly and
are quick to respond to rider
input, but the Yamaha has a
somewhat more planted feel up
front—less twitchy—even though
it has an inch shorter wheel-
base.
Both bikes have strong disc
brakes, but nothing compares
to the precise stopping power of
the KTM's Brembos. Up front,
the KTM has better initial bite
than the Yamaha's Nissin brake
and is stronger when it comes to
heavy braking. For less expe-
rienced riders, the KTM's front
brake might be almost too much,
especially when it comes to deli-
cate situations on the trail, but
once you get used to it, there
is no going back. You'll love it,
especially on those long, nasty
downhills.
Both come fitted with Dunlop
Geomax AT81 tires that work well
on a variety of terrain, but, for
some reason, they seemed to
hook up and dig in a little better
on the Yamaha than they did on
S P E C I F I C A T I O N S
2015 YAMAHA YZ250FX 2015 KTM 250 XC-F
ENGINE TYPE: Liquid-cooled DOHC 4-stroke, single Liquid-cooled, DOHC 4-stroke, single
BORE X STROKE: 77.0 x 53.6mm 78mm X 52.3mm
FUEL DELIVERY: Yamaha Fuel Injection (YFI) Keihin 44mm Fuel injection, Keihin 44mm throttle body
IGNITION: Transistor Controlled Ignition Controlled electronic ignition w digital ignition timing
HORSEPOWER/TORQUE: 35.02 hp/17.90 lb.-ft. 40.07 hp/19.30 lbs.-ft.
TRANSMISSION: Wide-ratio 6speed; multi-plate wet clutch 6-speed, Wet multi-disc CSS, Brembo hydraulics
FINAL DRIVE: 520 O-ring chain, 13:51 gearing 520 X-ring chain, 13:50 gearing
FRAME: Aluminum Chromoly steel
FRONT SUSPENSION: KYB 48mm SSS telescopic fork, fully adj. WP 48mm 4CS telescopic fork, fully adj.
REAR SUSPENSION: KYB single shock, fully adj. WP single shock, fully adj.
FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: 12.2 in. 12.1 in.
REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: 12.5 in. 12.5 in.
FRONT BRAKE: Nissin single 250mm disc, dual-piston caliper Brembo single 260mm disc, dual-piston caliper
REAR BRAKE: Nissin single 245mm disc, single-piston caliper Brembo single 220mm disc, single-piston caliper
FRONT TIRE: 90/90-21 Dunlop Geomax AT81 90/90-21 in. Dunlop Geomax AT81
REAR TIRE: 110/100-18 Dunlop Geomax AT81 11/100-18 in. Dunlop Geomax AT81
SEAT HEIGHT: 38.0 in. 39.0 in.
WHEELBASE: 57.7 in. 58.8 in.
GROUND CLEARANCE: 12.8 in. 14.7 in.
FUEL CAPACITY: 2.0 gal. 2.4 gal.
WEIGHT (full fuel): 250 lbs. 248 lbs.
MSRP: $7,890 $8,599
