over the older engine, but if you shift
before you hit 14,000 rpm, you aren’t
getting its full horsepower.
Gearing. Don’t be shocked to
learn that KTM missed the gearing
mark once again. In stock trim, the
13/50 setup was middle of the road.
The gear ratios were tall enough
to pull second gear through most
corners and make the shift to third
with ease; however, the gearing
caused odd shift points and muted
bottom-end hit. MXA ran a gamut of
sprocket configurations in order to
liven up the powerband. We geared
it up, thinking that dropping a tooth
off the rear sprocket would lessen
shifting and still allow us to pull second gear through corners. We were
half right. Odd shift points were
eradicated at the expense of low-end
power. This was preferred only by
Intermediates and Experts.
Not satisfied, we decided to
gear the 250SXF down. Going to a
51-tooth rear sprocket resulted in
better performance from low- to mid-
range with the drawback that we
needed to shift constantly. We also
discovered that putting too much
load on the engine at low rpm put
excessive stress on the shock, result-
ing in wheel hop and inconsistent
traction out of corners. It appears
that finding the perfect 250SXF gear
combination is as realistic as saddling
up a unicorn. I can only imagine how
good the 250SXF-FE engine would
be if mated to a close-ratio, six-speed
transmission.
Suspension. Last year I hoped
that KTM’s switch to WP’s Four
Chamber System (4CS) fork on the
2015 250SXF would pay huge
dividends in the suspension and
handling departments. Wrong. Sure,
the forks were considerably better
than the old WP cartridge design,
but that’s not saying much. The
250SXF still suffered from mid-stroke
harshness caused by poor valving.
Oil could not flow efficiently. We
dropped the oil height to improve
the feel through the first half of the
stroke with the trade-off of losing
comfort at full travel. For years I’ve
forgiven KTM for producing a
dragster engine because there were
fixes; however, the fact that the
Austrians ignored the idiosyncratic
forks didn’t sit well with me, and the
inferior suspension did my wrists no
favors. If you’re a masochist, looking
for a thrill ride, then shift to fifth on
any older KTM 250SXF and hold the
throttle wide open around a rough
track. Suffice it to say that I never
truly felt comfortable with WP forks…
until now.
The Factory Edition is the first
250SXF to have decent forks—not
great forks, just forks that are
raceable in stock trim. They have
attributes that no previous WP fork
had—plushness through the initial
part of the stroke, less mid-stroke
harshness and better bottoming
control. Are they the best forks in
the class? No, not by a long shot.
That honor belongs to the Yamaha
YZ250F. However, I didn’t expect
WP to topple the Kayaba SSS
stranglehold in the 250 class; I just
prayed that they would build forks
that the average buyer could race
with. On this front, I am pleasantly
surprised that WP made progress,
because progress has not been its
strong suit. It appears that WP is
finally listening to the complaints of
its U.S. customers.
Ergonomics. Long live the
chromoly steel chassis! MXA
uncovered KTM’s quiet little secret
back in the Fall when we visited the
factory; the Austrians had
dabbled with twin-spar aluminum
frames. It’s exciting to see that while
KTM is exhausting all options, it is
still investing in steel. The 250SXF-
FE has a new frame, lower footpegs
and improved ergonomics. Gone is
the cramped feeling, especially for
taller riders. The ultimate compliment
I can pay the 250SXF-FE cockpit is
that it no longer feels European, but
instead has more in common with
a Japanese cockpit. The interaction
between the frame, suspension,
swingarm and shortened wheelbase
results in a better-handling machine.
Unlike the 450SXF-FE, which has
a stinkbug stance and shock that
doesn’t respond well to rebound
Thanks to improved WP 4CS fork settings and a redesigned frame, the 250SXF Factory Edition made us feel right at home.
KTM 250SXF
FACTORY
EDITION
