Slime time Best bikes for beginners
Off-road action improves road riding, but which is the best bike for beginners?
If you’ve already mastered the muddy art of riding off-road, look away now. For this test of midcapacity, road legal, competition four-stroke enduro bikes, we’re not going to be discovering the nuances of their handling, bouncing them off berms, or pitching them each other against the clock. Unlike our tarmac road and track tests where we’re able to push machines to their limit, this is an off-road idiot’s opinion (mine) of which is the easiest and most fun to live with. I’d be lucky to get within 10% of what any of them can do in the mud. But that’s kind of the point. Few of us need a flashy enduro but it’s nice to know there’s a huge well of performance to splash around in as you improve.
It’s time for slime
The £6999 Honda CRF250RE, £7549 Yamaha WR250F and £7549 KTM 350 EXC-F are exactly the kind of off-roaders road riders like me fancy the idea of buying for the winter months, when slimy, salt-strewn roads stop us having fun on road bikes. Riding on the dirt with your mates is a laugh, keeps you sharp and fit. They’re off-road racers with lights, so you can do everything on them from pottering around green lanes to full-on enduro competitions. Alongside me with all the gear and no idea is fellow tester Chad and my brother Ben, who, I hate to admit is pretty handy off-road. We’ve also
‘The 350 is magic. It’s a brilliant package and hard to fault’
brought along off-road expert Simon Foster, who’s one of those people that makes dirt riding look annoyingly easy. While I’m just happy to stay upright, Simon looks for more in an enduro machine: “First and foremost you want something easy to ride with good ergonomics and supple suspension. Regardless of capacity you also need lowdown power, so you can dial in little blobs of power when you need it, not hunt around for gears and spend all the time slipping the clutch.” Road riders who go for big capacity, ego-massaging enduros quickly realise they’ve made the wrong choice after their first big ride out. Big 450 and 500cc thumpers are packed with so much arm-wrenching torque they tire you out when the going gets tough and in no time end up riding you. That’s why 250s like the Yamaha and Honda are such a friendly and popular choice. Their only downside is they’re too revvy on the road, even in top, when you’re riding between trails. But KTM have been clever and have been producing a 350 since 2010. Think of the 350 EXC-F as the enduro answer to the Suzuki GSX-R750, with the easy agility of a small bike and a dash more, but not too much, big-bike grunt. Our WR250F test bike comes straight from the highly-acclaimed Yamaha Off-Road Experience in Wales. It might be the heaviest and tallest here, but it’s friendly, stable and capable, which is why it’s such a hit with the school. Chad agrees: “The WR is the least intimidating. It feels the slowest, is looser in the corners and doesn’t leap over jumps as easily as the KTM and Honda, but for my level it’s fine.” “The Yamaha is more stable at speed, which is great for entry-level riders”, explains Simon. “But it’s slower- steering on the tighter stuff you’ll find green laning. The other two are so agile, they go where you look, but the WR needs more input. The power is all in the middle and top, so you have to keep the revs up and slip the clutch.” Without question the CRF250RE looks the part with its menacing twin exhausts and anything in HRC colours will always stir the soul. It has a tougher, more motocross-like feel about it than the softer, slower-steering Yamaha and is more direct and nimble
through tight turns, but unlike the KTM and Yamaha it doesn’t have an electric start. Ben says: “If you’ve got the knack to start it and don’t fall off a lot, the lack of electric start isn’t a problem, but if you don’t get it going it can tire you out before you even begin.” Simon adds: “I really like the Honda, but being a 250 it’s revvy, top-endy and easier to stall at low speed.” But it’s the KTM that stole our hearts. Granted, it’s not fair to pitch a 350 against smaller bikes, but the friendly 350EXC-F is aimed at 250 riders, so it is a genuine rival. It’s the lightest, easiest to ride, has longer legs for road work, comes with the most accurate steering and, thanks to its extra grunt, can glide through terrain a gear higher than the others. And where the Honda and Yamaha flail around in slippery, claggy conditions like Bambi after 10 pints, the KTM finds grip and carves through the mud like scalpel-sharp skis through powered snow. “That 350 is magic,” Simon beams. “It’s a brilliant package that does everything well and is hard to fault. It will satisfy intermediate and expert riders as well as beginners. It handles well and has great lowdown power. I usually ride bigger bikes, but I actually wouldn’t want anything bigger.” Chad looks far more comfortable on the KTM and says: “You can go faster with more confidence. It’s well-balanced, finds more grip and it doesn’t feel like you’re in a continuous crash.” Ben is in the market for an enduro and was going to plump for a 250… until today. He smiles: “I’d buy the 350. Thanks to the extra grunt it’s so much easier to carry momentum. It’s light, does better jumps and the suspension is great at soaking up the bumps.”