Chris Denison
5'10"/155 lb/Intermediate
To me, 250Fs are like candy for three reasons: 1) I'm fond of every color; 2) Everyone always tells me to go easy when I'm enjoying them; and 3) I can't ever seem to get enough. After riding the new lineup of 2008s back to back, the following reflects my taste test.
For me, the Honda wins. At every track we rode the bikes, the CRF250R seemed to suit my style the best. The spot-on, nimble handling and usable power provide a stock setup that's pretty tough to beat and even at race pace I never felt as though I was riding over my head. In addition to this, I really can't emphasize how comfortably this bike jumps-it's just begging to be backflipped! The stock jetting made me nervous-our updated setting was leaps and bounds better-fortunately that's an easy fix. While I'm complaining, I think that the lightness of handling is noticeable to the point that riders used to more stability may crave more than just a steering stabilizer to keep them grounded. But for me, this red dragon is the bomb (in a good way), and I think that once the carb has been tuned, it sits at the head of the class.
The runner-up machine to me is the Suzuki. I've been riding one all year as a Long Haul bike, so it follows that the ergos and handling of the new machine felt great to me. This motor is better, though, as seen in the tremendous pulling power when jamming through gears. In fact, it would have beaten the Honda in my ranking had it not been for some slight handling errors with the short-feeling rake, less-than-awesome bottoming resistance and still-slightly-haunted tranny. Don't get me wrong, the RM-Z is a rocket and I would race one in a second.
Third place is always a tough decision, but I have to give it to the Kawasaki. At one of the tracks where we tested, it was my personal favorite on the day-handling quirks and a noisy exhaust kept it just out of contention for the overall, though. If this were my personal bike, I have no doubt that I could get it working awesome with a little time, tuning and testing, and possibly some gearing and suspension changes to suit my riding style. My favorite point of the green bike was a toss up between the familiar-feeling ergos and the ever-ready snap of the motor.
I gave the Yamaha fourth place, but that isn't to say that it doesn't work well. Yet given the way I want a four-stroke to perform-usable mid with a tall ceiling on the revs-the YZ250F just wasn't quite up to spec. Once the revs reach a certain point, the power just kind of diffuses and doesn't really recover. I'm a huge fan of this frame, though, which is an excellent balance between stability and good, proper flex. An outstanding stock bar bend and great controls complement the setup, and the transmission may in fact be filled with I-can't-believe-it's-not-butter, judging by the smoothness of shifting.
As much as I hate to say it, I rank the KTM 250 SX-F in fifth. It's not for a lack of consonants, though-this bike has plenty of them. In all seriousness, I really do like a lot of things about the orange machine. Strong midrange, even stronger brakes, good traction and a fine attention to detail (I still love the black fork) make this bike a strong 250F. The suspension and handling, though, are just plain hard to get straight. My best settings varied based on the track, but I felt most comfortable running a lot of sag in the rear in order to make the bike turn properly. An awkward, somewhat rigid feel followed the front wheel through every corner, and a too-strong engine-braking made for a sense of drag on the back. I know that the Austrians are holding dearly to their linkageless technology, but maybe it's time to start playing with some alternatives. Nevertheless, I've seen plenty of guys ride at a decent speed aboard the KTM, and with the right setup and some time to adapt, I'd like to think that I could be one of them. So there you have it: five bikes, five rankings and one heck of a sweet tooth. Now, who the heck stole my 5-pound bag of Gummi Bears?