Dirt ad Trail Online Nov 2020

Flowing tracks and trails were the order
of the day as our riders used the excuse
to get out of the office for a few hours.
Thursday afternoon. What could possibly
be better?
This is Kyles first ride on the new gen
bikes – he was blown away at the changes.
Straws were drawn and he got the
first shot at the 300. He rides a 2014 Pre
TPI model so it was interesting to get his
feedback.
The 300XCW TPI – XCW= Cross
Country Wide Ratio Gearbox.
• Throttle response is quite simply
amazing. It feels almost as if
the bike is fly by wire with no lag. The
days
of bikes bogging are
basically over – the engine is crisp and
delivers power all over .
• Chassis. The 2021 is narrow,
light and flickable. My 300 is great, but
the new bikes are just – well better. It’s
quite amazing what the changes have
done.
• The standard suspension is
top-drawer. The rear suspension, especially
feels like it tracks better than previous
models. It helps the tyres find traction
and keeps the rear wheel well planted.
• The adjustable front clickers are
a very convenient addition – I just worry
that people fiddle too much and go backwards.
If you do fiddle make sure that you
know the base point from where you start
so that you can go back.
We had huge fun on this bike. It is fast,
nimble and the power is just so tractable
and predictable. Like we said at the start
– not having to pre-mix fuel is a wonderful
innovation…
The 250 EXC-F – EXC –F= Enduro
Cross Country Four Stroke
While KTM does exceptionally well with
their 2-stroke range, you should never
exclude the four strokes.
The new 250 EXC-F is light, nimble and
fast.
It is, absolutely built for enduro, with
plush suspension and power that is
manageable in all conditions. It is built for
clambering up and down mountain sides,
hopping over rocks and tackling tricky
terrain without tearing your arms out or
stalling.
The biggest improvement to the 2020
model in our opinion was the improved
the power delivery. This year see’s exactly
that. At low revs – the bike is not aggressive
at all – but when you hit trickier
terrain, you understand exactly why that
is. No unnecessary wheel spinning and
the bike keeps everything under control
and tracking true.
Open her up and she runs like the wind
– comparable with any 250 that we have
ridden. At speed, the bike feels small,
narrow, light and agile – and it turns
beautifully.