most likely have seen you on a wee trip to A & E back in the day . No question , hugely better suspension action all-round . Both ends have WP XACT units with 48mm USD forks giving 310mm travel and the single shock delivering 300mm wheel travel . Interestingly , the old CR had 320mm travel out back and around 300mm at the front . Both old and new machines turn extraordinarily well . The KTM has a slightly steeper ( sharper turning ) 63.9 steering head angle than the CR , but the KTM balances that out with a lower rear end and longer forks . The overall result is they both turn superbly , but the KTM is more stable . There ’ s no question the 250 SX has a vastly superior front brake . The 260mm front disc on the KTM is 20mm larger , offering much greater stopping power and also better feel . It is excellent out of the box . The rear brakes are about equal in strength ,, but the old CR might have a very slight edge in feel if my memory bank serve me correctly . The small 220mm KTM rear disc brake has never been a stand out , but definitely gets the job done well enough .
POWER DELIVERY The KTM has a wonderful power delivery . The 250SX is strong everywhere , smooth and responsive , has excellent torque and is easy to ride . It pulls super well and surprisingly smoothly into the mid-range where it comes on the pipe very powerfully . It then has a very manageable progression to a decent top end . The top end is not comparable to a four-stroke revs wise but it ’ s still strong . For this type of engine , it ’ s very linear and easy to ride . It really is truly impressive .
CRACKING RACE BIKE Overall , this is a wonderful race bike . One that ’ s totally competitive even in the modern world on a cc basis and superior to four-strokes in some conditions . I must say here that the bike was not entirely standard ; it is Damon Neild ’ s personal race bike and has some modifications mainly aimed at bullet-proofing it for crosscountry racing . So , many thanks to Damon for the test ride , it was a genuine pleasure !
52 KIWI RIDER