2021 250 Shootout - Dirt Bike Magazine

maintain the life look and value of your motorcycle for years to come learn more at slickproductsusa.com hi and welcome to dirt bike magazine's 2021 250 motocross shootout it's a good year for 254 strokes up front we have to tell you this is the best group of motocross bikes we've ever collected and the hardest shootout ever they all can win but they aren't all the same each is designed to appeal to a slightly different rider and each has its own strengths and weaknesses to explore this we took them to a number of different tracks including elsinore motorsports park after wearing out the stock tires we continued testing on dunlop mx33s on all seven bikes we weighed them all without fuel and ran them all in the pro circuit dyno eventually the differences began to reveal themselves here's what we found the newest addition to the class is the gas gas mc250 as you probably heard gas gas is now controlled by prayer mobility the parent company at ktm as a result the mc250 is built on the same platform as the ktm 250 sxf and the husqvarna fc 250. that doesn't mean it's the same by having three different makes under its control the company gets to send each in a different direction and aim for different buyers whereas a single line manufacturer is forced into a one-size-fits-all strategy the gas gas mc250 is softer milder and designed for a less hardcore rider than the ktm it has the same engine and chassis but different components making it less expensive and less focused on high-end racing it still has the same strong points as the other bikes in the group it's still very light and very fast on our scale the gas gas weighs pounds which is exactly the same as the husky but far lighter than any of the japanese 250s since it also shares the same motor with the ktm based bikes it's powerful the gas gas is a screamer it just has a slightly softer peak and doesn't overref quite as far peak output on the pro circuit dyno is 43.85 horsepower or about a half a horse less than the ktm it doesn't have a map switch so you don't have a second option for power delivery or traction control it also doesn't have launch control unless you pay extra for the switch the fork and shock are the same wp components as the ktms and huskies they're just a little softer suspension isn't the mc250 strongest point although it wouldn't feel right to call it a weakness it's just set up for a lighter less aggressive rider the main point of the gas gas is to provide a bike for those riders who are less focused on racing and more budget oriented the gas gas sells for eight thousand four hundred ninety nine dollars which is nine hundred dollars less than the husqvarna [Music] [Music] next we have the honda crf250r a bike that didn't get any attention for 2021. honda's r d team was entirely focused on the 450 for 2021. that bike came out of the oven slightly undercooked so we're happy that the 250 is unchanged this has the same chassis as the 2020 crf450r with a coil spring show a fork and a hammer head shaped show a shock it still has twin pipes and the titanium tank the left side of the handlebar is a switch that lets you choose from three different maps or access launch control the honda's strongest point is its overall handling it's hard to find anyone who doesn't love the way it turns fits and feels it's not especially light 227 pounds without fuel but you'd never know has light easy feeling handling and is surprisingly narrow as long as you don't obsess on the twin pipes which long-legged riders might occasionally notice the one area where the honda truly shines is overall comfort it's a bike that just feels right no matter who you are the levers the seat the bar bend everything is just right the honda is also very fast on top that might not mean as much this year because the ktm powered bikes are also so powerful but they're all screamers in the last four years the whole class has stepped up in the power department peak power was measured at 42.5 horsepower sadly most of these bikes have lost power down low especially the honda it doesn't even get serious until around 9000 rpm for some riders that's a big issue although most 2vdf riders have learned to rev it by now overall suspension is another strong point for the honda but once again it has competition in that area job one is taking hits and the crf 250r is great in that category although some riders might complain that it can be a little nervous at speed overall we still love the honda and at 79.99 it's one of the least expensive bikes [Music] here um [Music] this is an interesting year for the husqvarna fc 250 in the past it was difficult to separate the ktm and the husky there were differences like the bodywork the air box the rims and the bars but in the big picture they weren't enough to make the husky stand out for 2021 it's a different story husqvarna shortened the suspension on all of its 2021 motocross bikes it was a brilliant move the seat height is over an inch lower than it was last year and it gives virtually everyone more confidence young riders like it everywhere and even taller riders find the bike as more manageable on starts so does that result in a decrease in suspension performance not that we can tell the action of the wp air fork has actually greatly improved over last year just a welcome change overall the bike still has the same strengths as always it's light at 219 pounds without fuel so it turns well it is super easy to toss around and of course it's very very fast husky's peak is 44.04 horsepower way up at 13 790 rpm these days that's the norm in the 250 class at low rpm the husky still feels a little weak although the dyno insists that it's not the issue is that it's geared tall and doesn't respond well to half throttle efforts the husky likes to be held wide open even at low rpm a more legitimate shortcoming is the decrease in ground clearance which is noticeable in ruts then there's the price at 93.99 the husqvarna is the most expensive bike here [Music] um [Music] the kawasaki kx250 came into this comparison as one of the favorites it's all new for 2021 and has electric started last the motor is entirely new although it does use the finger follower valve train that was introduced last year it also got a hydraulically actuated clutch with a cone disc spring and the exact same frame and bodywork as the current kx450 unlike the 450 the kx250 uses kyb suspension components the first thing you notice about the new kx is that it's a screamer sound familiar this is a common theme among the 2021 250s in this case it was even more noticeable because it was a real tractor just two years ago now it makes a ton of power all on top on the pro circuit dyno it makes 43.9 horsepower the kx has an all or nothing personality we've always believed that the motor is a big factor in the bike's overall handling matters and the kx 250 proves that point the kx 450 is a calm polite machine whereas the 250 with the exact same frame feels a bit hyperactive and high strung it's all about that rev new 250 power plant with its amped up personality another factor might be the kyb suspension which is more active than the showa fork and shock on the 450. it still ranks well in the suspension department but the kx250 is a little on the soft spot for many riders oddly the kawasaki is the heaviest bike in the class at 228 pounds without fuel you wouldn't think that this year the price went up by 500 but is still in the middle of the class at 82.99 [Music] [Applause] [Music] ktm has been the driving force in the 250 class for a long time it was the first with electric start as the first with a finger follower valve train hydraulic clutch and on and on with that said the 250 sxf has very few changes for 2021 and in fact it hasn't had any major changes for a long time it remains the lightest bike in the class at 218 pounds without fuel the only significant change worthy of mentioned for this year is the wp exact air fork which now has a new mid valve and bottoming system suspension was the area that needed attention the most if you're familiar with the way the ktm ran in the past you already know what to expect here it's a fast high rpm screamer it won the dyno war by a very slight margin with 44.22 horsepower the motor is geared a little tall and it works best with a lot of throttle just like the other two bikes with the same motor if you had to pick one thing that still stands out about the ktm it's the way it turns the 250 sxf has excellent cornering matters it's lightweight is a big factor here but overall geometry and layout get some credit too the improved fork action is definitely welcome but we still can't list suspension among the ktm strongest points the air fork has a certain characteristic that can be noticeable in some turns after you think it's all settled and ready for power the front end sometimes rides up some riders complain others don't notice in the ktm strategy of offering three different bikes for three different riders the 250 sxf is the one made for the most serious racer the harder you try the better it works still with three bikes sharing so much we can't help but wonder if the other two will rob sales from the ktm it's the second most expensive at nine thousand two hundred ninety nine dollars [Music] the internet has had a field day with the suzuki rmz 250 by coming in late without any changes it's a magnet for scathing comments and snarky remarks for the record suzuki knows the rmz 250 hasn't had any big changes in a long time but for now that means it has a legitimate segment of the market all to itself it's a simple bike for the mx purist it has no electric start so it has no battery no regulator no complex wiring harness plus it's torquey and easy to ride one by one all the others have re-aimed their bikes at the top of the market with high revving motors that demand more effort and commitment suzuki doesn't have to be screamed and ringed out so novices and beginners will find it easier to ride still the fact remains that it peaks out at only 39.14 horsepower that's disaster for racing in the more advanced classes it's still a bike that handles exceptionally well back in the day suzuki was famous for cornering that hasn't changed but several of the other makers have cracked the code in that department the rmz 250 is no longer the best handling bike in the class it's just very good despite having no electric start it weighs 227 pounds without fuel the same as the honda and the yamaha the current generation of the rmz is also a little unbalanced with soft rear suspension we don't mind when a bike goes unchanged but as far as suspension is concerned suzuki should have stopped one generation earlier it is the least expensive of the group at seven thousand eight hundred ninety nine dollars [Music] [Music] um [Music] yamaha gave the yz250f a long list of small changes for 2021. most of them were previewed on the yz450f a year earlier that includes frame revisions new motor mounts a new airbox and a lot of small details the motor has its own changes including a straighter intake tract a new cam a new muffler and new ecu settings all this was done in hope of finding a little more peak power without sacrificing torque that was what kept the yamaha from winning the 2020 shootout it simply wasn't as fast as some of the others yamaha achieve its goal absolutely the 2021 yz-250f still isn't the fastest in the class but it's in the hunt with the peak of 42.6 horsepower the best part is that it didn't lose any low end response yama isn't one of those bikes that requires a huge handful of throttle before it reacts it starts moving from the first crack of the grip that doesn't really show up on a dyno curve but it's clear when you ride the bike as the revs climb the yz never has a big power surge and it doesn't quite rev as far as some of the others but it's easy to keep in the meat of the power band if you really want a little more top you can have it with the yamaha power tuner smartphone app virtually all our riders prefer yamaha's overrev map which you can find in the full test on dirtbikemagazine.com the powertuner is not a gimmick it's a legitimate tuning tool and so far there's nothing quite like it yamaha also seems to have everyone covered in the suspension department the yamaha fork and shock works so well that's a little boring year after year smaller riders might say it's a little on the stiff side but even they confess that it's still pretty good the yz does have a few sore points it feels like it's the heaviest in the group even though it's exactly the same as the honda and suzuki it's also a little cramped for taller riders but overall even the yamaha's hardest critics admit that the 2021 model has very little to complain about the yz250f sells for eight thousand two hundred ninety nine dollars [Music] we've done a lot of shootouts over the years at dirt bike but we have to confess coming up with a winner in this group was one of the toughest jobs we've ever faced not only are there seven bikes but three of them have the same motor and six of them make nearly the same peak power when we looked at it objectively though we had to admit that one bike has universal appeal to all riders of all skill levels the yamaha yz250f has the peak power and the suspension to satisfy most advanced riders and it has the manageability and the tune ability to appeal to young novices fresh from the mini rings that's pretty good trick [Music] hungry [Music] uh [Music] [Music] um ah for the full story including the rankings of all seven bikes go to dirtbike magazine.com and check out these bikes from the other models in the dirt bike 2021 video motocross series thanks for watching

Channel: Dirtbike Magazine

Views: 24,337

Rating: 4.8215008 out of 5

Keywords: moto, motocross, dirt, dirt bike, race, racing, amazing, incredible, shootout, versus, battle, competition, winner, champion, yamaha, honda, kawasaki, suzuki, gasgas, ktm, husqvarna, 250, 250cc, dirtbike, create, california, socal, course, track, jump, obstacle, professional, beginner, intermediate, double, triple, horsepower, engine, speed, fast, quick

Id: hExp_jg2HF8

Length: 18min 19sec (1099 seconds)

Published: Tue May 04 2021