P98
Y
ou aren't seeing double, there
are indeed two second-place
finishers in the 2017 Cycle News
Shootout. The Husqvarna FC 250
and the KTM 250 SX-F are real-world
identical, more so than ever any year
prior. They come from the same fac-
tory in Austria and share virtually ev-
erything. The slight differences come
down to the rims, subframe material,
hydraulic clutch brand, bodywork,
brake rotors and handlebars, but they
don't make massive differences in per-
formance. The Husqvarna now even
comes with Dunlop MX3S tires like the
KTM. Last year we separated the KTM
in the rankings, but could've made it a
tie between the two, and that's when
there were more differences between
the two than in 2017. They are too
close now not to call it a tie.
Like the KTM, to use the Husqvarna
engine properly you must be willing to
let the engine rev, and we mean rev
way beyond any other 250F engine
(other than the KTM 250 SX-F, of
course). This engine best suits ad-
vanced riders who love to hear an
engine live right at the rev limiter at all
times. Even though the power delivery
is a wee bit mellower on the FC 250
2
nd
PLACE
HUSQVARNA
FC 250
