SECOND OPINION
When I first sat on the XC-F I noticed how slim
it was, and how the standard 9.5 litre tank was
pretty much flush with the top of the seat. My
KX250F has an aftermarket Acerbis tank that
makes the bike significantly wider and sticks
above the seat by about five inches.
Compared to my KX the KTM doesn’t seem
to have the same hard pulling power from the
bottom end. That said, XC-F has great power
that’s smooth throughout the entire rev-range,
and I’m a fan of the electric start. The KTM’s
hydraulic clutch didn’t feel much different to
my KX’s cable clutch.
I found the XC-F has a very light feeling in
the trees. It’s nimble and it feels easy to flow
through the trees, but I think it’s because the
tank on the XC-F keeps the weight lower in the
bike compared to my KX, which means the
centre of gravity is lower – and the big range
tank on my KX was nearly filled with fuel.
I wasn’t a fan of the WP fork, it felt quite
unusual and didn’t give the same feel as the
Showa fork on my bike – it was quite a bit
softer. This set-up was good when hitting roots
and pine cones as the bike didn’t deflect like my
stiffer KX. If the fork was set up for how I like to
ride I think it could be real good.
LIAM CALLEY
It’s nimble and feels easy to flow
through the trees, but I think
that’s because the tank on the
keeps the weight lower in the bike
compared to my KX, which means
the centre of gravity is lower
KIWI RIDER 47