UPGRADES The KR bike has been fitted out with a Guts Racing gripper seat cover and a Mitas XT754 Yellow Stripe. The standard seat is good, but the Guts cover really locks you in position. The upgraded rear tyre is a huge improvement for me. The standard tyre is too thin for slippery conditions and skates around. However, in the deep sand the extra wide rear tyre with its huge knobs did sap a little of the bottom end power away. I found I had to flick the clutch quite aggressively to keep the revs up in 3rd gear. A 250F should probably be dropping down a gear in those corners anyway but the TF250-X inspires confidence, and encourages and rewards pushing harder and trying things you might not normally try. It’ s a trade-off I would happily make as the increased drive everywhere is much more beneficial than not, plus the ultra-smooth feeling Brembo clutch eats it up. The Triumph TF250-X remains feeling consistently good for me and has displayed the same strengths across several different terrains now. I am confident to say this bike will be a strong performer all over the country. If you are in the market for a new 250F I would highly recommend the TF250-X. JONO HILL
I BOUGHT ONE After a very long six weeks of staring at my very new and very shiny bike in the shed, I felt like it was never going to happen. It just sat there, waiting, due to an unfortunate incident involving my last good knee. I was benched for a period of time. Loading up the van the morning before an event is a sign of a very excited person, and I was. Bright and ridiculously early, I jumped in the van and headed off to the Endless Dirt biking trail ride at Woodhill to run in my new best mate and get some seat time in. After the usual lie telling and general chit chat, I got geared up and into it. The bike at that point was bone stock, apart from some lovely Acerbis X ultimate hand guards. The Triumph fired into life and away we went, my initial thoughts were that it felt like a bike that wanted to GO; very much a race bred machine. The KYB suspension holds up great in the deep sand and tree roots with minimal dive or deflection. The faster it’ s ridden, the better it feels. Even though I was riding gingerly on my knee, the bike felt like it had my back.. Now, I must admit I’ m getting older and with
44 KIWI RIDER