| My KTM is Cool |
bike, a 2002 300MXC, was unfortunately not one of KTM's better
efforts. I raced it for a year, then switched to Kawasaki KX250's for the
next 6 years. The 300MXC became primarily my enduro and general
purpose trail bike.
When the Japanese manufacturers abandoned the two-stroke
motocross and off-road market (save for Yamaha and its YZ250), by
then KTM had developed a lineup of off-road bikes very similar in
purpose as my KX250's. These XC models were designed to
accomplish what I had done with my woods-converted KX250's:
combine the handling and power delivery of a motocross bike, toned
down just enough to make nice for hare scrambles and GNCC-type
racing. Enduro racing and all-around trail riding were left to KTM's
XC-W models.
Compared to my old 300MXC, pretty much everything was new. There
may be a few parts interchangeable with the 300MXC, but not many.
Check out the photos below for some of the highlights.
efforts. I raced it for a year, then switched to Kawasaki KX250's for the
next 6 years. The 300MXC became primarily my enduro and general
purpose trail bike.
When the Japanese manufacturers abandoned the two-stroke
motocross and off-road market (save for Yamaha and its YZ250), by
then KTM had developed a lineup of off-road bikes very similar in
purpose as my KX250's. These XC models were designed to
accomplish what I had done with my woods-converted KX250's:
combine the handling and power delivery of a motocross bike, toned
down just enough to make nice for hare scrambles and GNCC-type
racing. Enduro racing and all-around trail riding were left to KTM's
XC-W models.
Compared to my old 300MXC, pretty much everything was new. There
may be a few parts interchangeable with the 300MXC, but not many.
Check out the photos below for some of the highlights.
| First Impressions |
| Hand it to the Austrians, they know how to make a bike look pretty...oh, so pretty. Of course, it did not stay pretty for very long! |
| I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical when KTM introduced electric start on 2-stroke dirt bikes. The extra weight seemed unnecessary on a motorcycle that is already very easy to start. But with advances in materials and design, the 250XC weighs no more than my old 300MXC. The E-start adds another handlebar-mounted button beside the throttle, resembling a kill switch. Push that button and the engine fires in about half a second. A kick-start lever is still in its usual place on the right side of the engine, just in case the battery fails to cooperate. The starter mechanism is placed in a location similar to the Hebo hydraulic clutch slave cylinder on my old KX250s, meaning it's tucked nicely out of the way and protected by both the left side of the exhaust pipe and my boot. The battery is located in the airbox. The battery was not the strongest in terms of amps, so I upgraded to a Yuasa YTZ7S 6-amp battery. It's a tighter fit under the seat, but gave me a little quicker cranking speed. |
| The best part about the tool-less air box cover is that is has no weird, expensive fasteners that come undone or fall off. This cover just pops on and off. I like it. The seat now has just one bolt for removal, under the fender. I'm not so sure about that...if you ever had to remove the seat when the bike is muddy, the bolt may be more difficult to access. |
| Back side of the airbox cover. Extremely easy to remove; no more difficult to install than the old style covers. |
| Here's a shot of the battery upgrade, with the seat removed. This replaced the stock 4-amp battery. The new battery is taller and barely fits under the seat, but it does fit perfectly inside the plastic battery case. The stock battery isn't powerful enough to fire the engine very well for dead-engine starts. |
| Here's the odd-looking fender/side panel that KTM has been using for several years now. Initially, I wasn't sold on it, but it's held up well. Custom number graphics usually come as two pieces - one part for the side panel and one for the airbox. The small-ish side panels don't cover the silencer, which does get a little scratched up. And if you loop out and destroy the fender, you're buying a fender and side panels. |
| Another KTM original - the quarter-turn gas cap. Push on the orange button, turn slightly and the gas cap pops off. The first generation caps leaked, but apparently these do not. |
| And while we're on the subject of gas, this is almost a foolproof petcock. Almost. If the lever is rubbing your leg, the fuel is probably off. |
| This hasn't changed: a heim bearing on the lower shock mount. KTM finally went back to linkage a couple years after this. But for 2009, after more than 10 years of refinement, the heim still lived. |
| Another part unchanged from previous KTM's: the quick release brake pin. The cotter pins on my previous KTM's never stayed put and I expect the same for this one. It will be replaced with a regular cotter pin. |
| Oversized, crossbar-less handlebars now come standard. Note the E-start button on the right. Hydraulic clutches are still standard on KTM's. |
| Finally, a strong front brake! This one holds its own against any Japanese bike I've ever owned. |
| Left: KTM now uses Brembo clutch master cylinders. Gone are the days of endless debate over Magura's definition of mineral oil. DOT4 brake fluid is pretty much self-explanatory. |
| Sometimes it's the details that matter. Along with the interesting spring anchor for the kickstand, just enough aluminum has been removed from the kickstand so it doesn't interfere with the upper torx-head bolt. Nice work. |
| Another nice touch is the cable guide. It integrates pretty well into the number plate and is attached with a single plastic screw. Once you try to squeeze an enduro computer wire through here, however, it gets a little too tight. I ditched the guide in favor of a zip tie. |
| True to its enduro roots, KTM still has its rotors stamped out with a magnet-sized hole for an enduro computer sensor pickup. |
| Check this out - a cap for the swingarm bolt, to keep out mud and crap from the hollow bolt. Wonder how long before it becomes trail junk.... |
| And how 'bout this: my favorite all-around front tire comes stock! The rear tire is a Bridgestone M404, another decent all-around tire that I used frequently back in my Missouri racing days. |
| Sweet rims. The black paint will begin chipping off about 10 minutes after your first ride. |
| ...and a fork compression adjuster that doesn't require tools. |
| But it wouldn't be a KTM without some quirks. Note the clearance between the spark plug cap and the center frame rail. Yep, it's tight. |
| Here we have a DCI box that doesn't interfere with the steering stops. First one of these I won't have to relocate under the frame. |
| Gotta love the KTM front number plate graphics. |
| Funky fork guards I dumped these silly things in favor of the previous style guards, because the OEM's interfered with SealSavers. I actually went without SealSavers for about the first 9 months I owned this machine, which was just enough time for the seals to begin leaking. Never again. |
| Click on the photo and check out the bolt heads. That's right, now I have a choice: will I use a standard socket, or will I grab a Torx driver? So now if I strip a bolt head, I'm not totally screwed! |
| So as always, KTM continues to implement new and innovative ideas with its dirt bikes. We'll see how well these changes translate to everyday riding and racing. However, after a short break-in ride at a friend's backyard motocross track, the 250XC feels more like a traditional Japanese MX'er than any Euro bike I've owned, which is a definite compliment to KTM and its engineering development. It's also the first Euro bike I've owned in which the jetting felt just right, with no adjustments. I'm excited....stay tuned for updates. |
When I brought home a new KTM
250XC in July 2009, seven years
had passed since my last purchase
of an Austrian woods machine. That
250XC in July 2009, seven years
had passed since my last purchase
of an Austrian woods machine. That
| July 2009 |