KTM 250 SX-F
It all seems like a good idea going off-roading, doesn’t it? Well, that is until you get there, and realise you have absolutely bugger all in the way off proper skills – besides a whiskey throttle-happy hand and a tendency to not worry about lobbing it. This meant that when picking my weapon of choice, I had to think strategy. It’s a race, right? Well, I needed something fast. It’s on a beach, so apparently the trick is to have something light. And well, I’ve never really done much on two-dingers, so it has to be a four-stroke… so what can I get that’s easy to ride, have a lower seat height than the rest, and be lighter than what the other two are bringing to the table? Enter, the KTM 250 SX-F.
Yeah, the other two have gone down the Enduro route, but I think I’ve gone one up here; the SX-F is a proper crosser, so not only should mine feel a touch lighter, but also it’s got a proper bit of punch. It’s equipped with Traction Control and alternate engine maps as standard, and it even comes with an absolute godsend – electric start. Surely, it’s the perfect tool for the job?
Well, that’s what I thought anyway, before I jumped on for the first time. Having not ridden off-road in yonks I was rustier than a hippy’s shower, so for good measure I turned the traction control off and stuck it in the highest engine mode for some massive skids. And you know what? After a lap fighting with the soft and loose surface at Kirton, the orange monster was making me feel seriously inadequate. It took me a few minutes to stop, re-group and sort myself out – I stuck the TC on, put it in the softer mode and had a little think about how to ride, and after a couple of laps getting my eye in, I felt more comfortable than I ever have off-road. Still, to this day, I cannot believe how the SX-F hooked up; as a stock bike, the saucy combo of the WP suspension, cradle-type chassis and Dunlop OE tyres worked so well whether I was coming off a corner at lean or nailing it away from a landing, and everything in
between. Okay, I still felt like I was going to lob it on the way into corners, but that was more down to the lump of meat on top rather than the metal below, and with every slide, I was starting to really enjoy the ’crosser – and most importantly, go faster on track.
Thankfully, even when we tackled the Enduro trails, I couldn’t believe how well the 250 SX-F held its own. It may have different tyres and a slightly different stance to the other two, but it was absolutely awesome. The thing that really got me was the traction control and how good it was, doing its job with unbelievable precision whilst still allowing slides. Okay, it did stall easier and was slightly more aggressive than the full-blooded Enduro bikes, but it proved its worth, with ease. I reckon I’ve got the right weapon for the job – I just need to sharpen my skills a little more before the big day. Or maybe, just let Sam Sunderland wear my kit and razz around for me.
Either way, I just can’t wait to take the dirty Austrian to the beach race now. It’s going to be tight between the three of us, but I’m just hoping the other two run into fitness problems. Bring on Skeg Vegas…