Letter of the Week: Moto Goes Off-Road? - Dirt Rider Magazine

I recently was forced to sell my 06 KTM 250XC due to financial issues. I have seen many 2001 to 2005 YZ 250s (2 stroke) for fairly reasonable prices on Craigslist. Is it possible to make the YZ perform similar to the KTM XC on the trails? If so, is it a good idea or should I just hold out until I can purchase a later model XC? Last question, how do the 02 through 04 KTMs perform compared to the 06 KTM and older YZs.Mike Ferrara

Austin Texas_It is possible to get the YZ to perform very well off-road. Remember, though, when you are pricing a used MX bike, you need to factor (and these are my minimum recommendations for Texas off-road) a flywheel weight, suspension valving for off-road, an o-ring chain and a kickstand. Optional but nice would be an 18-inch rear wheel, skid plate, larger tank other bike protection. As a rule, every year a KTM gets newer the suspension gets better, but an '02 to '04 can work extremely well, and even better with suspension work. --Karel Kramer_