KTM bolted on a spark arrestor, dialed the settings and chucked the 250 XC-F into the deep end. Pictured: Charles Jirsa, Tom Moen, Mike Lafferty, Kurt Caselli and Clint Castleberry.
#111 KTM
250 XC-F
Little Bike, Big Heart
Dirt Rider's Torture Test had to include a KTM 250F. The format called for bikes that were as mean as a junkyard dog for GNCC or WORCS racing but wouldn't chew off your arms on a trail excursion. you've paid any attention to the new-for-2007 GNCC XC2 class-for pro riders on 125cc two-strokes and 250cc four-strokes-you know that KTM often kicked the other dogs up onto the porch.
While prepping this bike KTM chose to add hand guards and a KTM FMF Q4 quiet spark arrestor to meet our requirements. Other than that it was box-stock and brand-new.
This '08 has amazingly usable bite in the basement, and even with the S/A it snarled into the mid and ran like greyhound on top. Rider comments were enthusiastic. Jimmy was in charge of the bike for the third-gear roll-on: "Without my looking at the sidepanel to see the engine size, this thing chugged like a 450. Then you grab the throttle and wonder why it takes so long to steam up. The torque at idle is surprising. Then it pulls long and consistently all the way till top."
KTM's little off-road thumper brought a lot of heart and eight-time enduro champ Mike Lafferty to the test.
We also flogged the bike up two types of hillclimbs. The 250 XC-F was up first on the technical 280-foot hillclimb test with pro tester Robie Peterson: "The KTM 250 XC-F doesn't have a whole lot of bottom, but it caught in the mid and really pulled well. I had no problem, and I very rarely ride a small bike."
Next Dension tackled the EnduroCross section: "Good pop and torque down low-pulls well through the bottom and didn't hesitate."
This bike has the best KTM 250 thumper engine we have sampled to date. #111 made a lot of friends. | 
Clint Castleberry | 
Mike Lafferty |