power, a better bottom-end than I expected, and a strong middle that means you’ re not constantly searching for power. It doesn’ t feel like one of those 250s that only works if it’ s having the life revved out of it. That midrange is probably the best part of the engine. You can let the revs drop a little and it will recover without immediately demanding a heap of clutch. It still likes to be ridden like a 250, but it isn’ t weak or peaky. There’ s enough meat in the middle that you can ride it cleanly and smoothly, which is exactly what you want in trees. One thing I noticed early, and something I’ ve also found on the 450RC, was the shift feel. The gearbox action is a little tight and needs a deliberate boot. I didn’ t have false neutrals and it didn’ t miss gears, but it isn’ t the lightest shifter. This bike had very low hours, so there’ s every chance it would free up with more time, but it had that slightly firm, mechanical feel through the lever.
THE FIVE SPEED QUESTION The motor itself is strong. The thing that holds the overall package back slightly for this type of riding is the five-speed gearbox. In the actual special tests, it wasn’ t a problem. At race
pace, in the trees and on the trail, the ratios worked fine. But on the liaisons, especially where there was a bit of road or faster transfer riding, I found myself wanting a sixth gear. You end up sitting higher in the revs than you really want just to keep moving along. It’ s not that the bike lacks power – it just feels like, for a cross-country / enduro model, a six-speed box would make the package more complete.
TEST ONE: STRAIGHT INTO THINGS By the time I rolled into the first terrain test, I was amped to get going. New bike, limited setup time, a huge break from enduro racing, and no recent tree-racing rhythm, there was quite a bit of unknown there. The first section started relatively tight, weaving along a narrow ridge through the trees with a few tight turns and roots starting to show. Straight away the bike felt good. The chassis felt natural, the suspension worked, the power was smooth, and I could just ride the trail in front of me. The motor was excellent in that tighter going. It wasn’ t boggy, it wasn’ t too snappy, and it let me hold it nicely in the meat of the midrange. That’ s where the TF 250-C impressed me most
44 KIWI RIDER