BROD KTM 250 EXC-F
THIS MONTH I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN… “Washing sand from every orifice.”
Y ou might have read about the enduro Bruce did a few weeks ago aboard the EXC-F, and if you have bumped into him in the meantime then I’m sure he has told you all about it. Because he has told everyone about it. I’ve lost count of how many times he has reminded me of his off-road heroics and life threatening palm blisters, so I thought I would do us all a favour and confiscate the KTM. Even if only for a weekend.
Skegness Beach Race is the ultimate test for a bike, so I thought it would be the perfect event to try the KTM out on. I’ve raced on sand before but when we arrived this looked really deep. It did cross my mind that a 250 may well be the tool for the job as big heavy 450s can sometimes murder you in sand if you’re not bike fit.
The first thing that you notice on the EXC-F is just how soft the thing is. Really soft. But really comfortable, which is a good thing if you’re doing a big long enduro or are out for a full day’s worth of green-laning with your mates. You might find though, if you’re doing an enduro with some big jumps, or you want to take the bike out on a motocross track, the suspension will struggle to cope. That said, I did take it for a spin at Thorsway MX track a few weeks prior to the beach race and it wasn’t bad with compression adjusters wound fully in on the standard fitment front and rear WP pogos.
You never know quite which way to go with setup in really soft sand so we didn’t go mad with it either way and to be honest I’m glad. Setup-wise it really was about perfect for the conditions. Although I haven’t always been a massive fan of KTMs I can’t knock the way the EXC-F handled, even a couple of hours in when the going started to get really tough when the track resembled a war zone. One thing which did help, I think, was the fact that we borrowed a 19in rear wheel for the bike, because this meant we could run Bridgestone Battlecross X10 sand tyres front and rear (the standard fitment rear on the EXC-F is 18in). The taller tyre just seems to help offer more stability, and
roll over obstacles better than its smaller alternate. Maybe that’s just me being fussy though, as every man and their dog’s buying enduro bikes these days and they all seem to be getting on fine with 18in rear wheels.
The KTM’s soft power delivery also made the bike really easy to ride. I’m used to riding a Husqvarna 450 which really does have a lot more bite to its bark, especially on that initial crack of the throttle. The KTM, on the other hand, doesn’t snap you forward in the same way but once it’s pulling, it seems to pull cleanly and smoothly all through the rev range. It’s got such linear power and that doesn’t half make it easy on the arms compared to an out and out ‘crosser. It makes the ride so much more forgiving and you can usually get away with being in a gear or two too high. That surprised me, as with quite a bit less power than my Husky, I didn’t think you would be able to get away with that; it just feels like a completely different type of engine.
Everything about the EXC-F seemed to be focused on making it an easy bike to ride and to be honest I think KTM have got it about right with this one. It was all just so manageable. I’ve ridden 250cc two-stroke MX bikes before and they are an animal, you’ll be out of control and hanging on for dear life before you know it. The smooth KTM engine, though, gives you the confidence to use all of its power, safe in the knowledge that you would have to get something seriously wrong for it to throw you off unexpectedly.
One thing I would maybe change if I could would be to throw on a kick start. All you get is a button on the EXC-F which is tempting fate a little. When we wheeled the bike out of the van at Skeggy on a cold Sunday morning after it had been sat in the garage for two or three weeks I wasn’t sure if I would be able to cross my fingers tightly enough for the little starter motor to spin the bike into life. As luck would have it, after a few sluggish tries the motor sparked up, but I’m still not convinced the absence of a kickstart is for the best. I know there is the option of bumping the bike off if, heaven forbid, the battery runs flat or the starter gets damaged, but imagine trying to get enough speed up in thick forest or deep sand to get the thing going. No thanks.
Other than that I can’t speak highly enough of the KTM. After two pit stops and three hours’ racing, I was able to bring the KTM home in 42nd place out of a field of just short of 200 riders. It was a tough national level event, and with every lap the track got rougher and my arms got weaker; I’ll admit I was ready to see the chequered flag when it was finally displayed. Comfortable though the KTM is, a three hour beach race is tough on the body so I had a day or two with tender arms and legs but I’m right as rain now and ready to have another go… if Bruce will let me.