Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/833352
2018 KTM 250 XC-W TPI FIRST TEST P126 stroke fuel injection. Also, the TPI bikes idle down and lug incredibly low without a hiccup or cough, even better than a perfectly jetted carb. It took a little while to get used to letting the bike run lower in the rpms than we would with the old carb, even right near idle and heavily dragging the clutch, the TPI bikes are predictable with little chance of stalling. This new fuel injection crushes any four-stroke when it comes to low-speed torque, traction and resistance to stalling. Gone are the days of clean- ing out the engine after long descents or extended periods of riding right above idle. They don't load up or get burbly; they are ready to rev out or lug at any moment. We didn't experience huge elevation changes, only about 2500 feet total, but it didn't affect the performance at all and KTM promises it will compensate no matter what the altitude is. We are looking forward to experienc- ing this for ourselves in the future and this will be a huge selling point for riders who live and ride at very high altitudes. Since the TPI engine is basi- cally the new 2017 engine, there is nearly zero engine vibration thanks to the counter balancer. This contributes further to the ultra smooth feel of the power and it's delivery. With fuel injec- tion and more computer control, the TPI two-stroke now has a rev limiter, so once in a while, on a wide-open shift, there is a pop, which can be mistaken as a lean pop. It's not, we just aren't used to what a rev limiter on a fuel- injected two-stroke sounds like. There is a big difference in the feel between the 250 and the 300, just as there is with the current carbureted models. Since the TPI doesn't radically change the overall performance and power output in comparison to the carbureted bike, riders who preferred a 250 before will still choose the 250. Fuel injection doesn't redefine the bikes to the point of swaying a rider's prefer- ence. The 250 is very smooth and mellow through the bottom rpm's, then wakes up in the mid and pulls strong into the upper revs. Riders over 200 pounds will find the power to be a little on- and-off while lighter riders, who don't mind working the clutch a bit more, will appreciate the lively nature of the engine. The 250 is also just a little smoother than the 300 with slightly less vibration. We rode a lot of the same trails