Words: Guy Streeter

Quarter-litre enduro bikes are becoming increasingly more powerful and even sharper in the current era of off-road motorcycle development, opening the division up to a broader amount of recreational riders, not to mention racers.

We’re recognised here in Australia for our usual preference of more powerful bikes, but that doesn’t mean you should look past KTM’s 250 EXC-F, especially this, the latest new-generation 2017 model.

MotoOnline.com.au was lucky enough to be invited by KTM to Spain for the world launch of the Austrian brand’s latest-gen of EXC-F and EXC off-road bikes last week..

We headed out for a quick tour around Barcelona chaperoned by our tour guide, KTM Australia’s Greg Chambers, before ultimately being shuttled out to the rocky hills of Les Comes to ride the entire range of new enduro contenders.

KTM had prepared a rocky, fast and flowy 12-kilometre trail loop alongside a 1.5km special test track for us media representatives to experience the 2017s.

For MY17 KTM has redesigned the entire EXC range from the ground up – chassis, engine and suspension. All that was old has been pushed out to make room for the new.

KTM’s motivation for the new generation of off-road racers can be summed up in three words, being lighter, stronger and faster. Sounds promising, right?

The 2017 KTM 250 EXC-F has shed in total 2.5kgs, the chassis has been made stiffer and the power output has increased. Mission complete.

Looking at the 2017 250 EXC-F, it’s clear there have been changes made. The headlight and surrounds have returned to the orange colourway, which almost seems a little retro from a few years back, as well as the front and rear guards have been modified for rigidity and usability.

As well, a grab handle has been integrated into the rear fender, allowing riders to grab the rear of the bike just under the seat without grabbing a whole heap of dirt at the same time while maneuvering around in the bush.

ODI lock-on grips have been fitted to the bike, which means you can throw out the old tubes of glue, taking out some of the hassle of changing grips.

The airbox has been redesigned allowing better airflow and, more or less, idiot-proofing the installation of the air filters with a multi-direction filter cage.

Jumping on the bike for the first time everything feels in its place and comfortable, as with the previous models, however KTM has introduced advanced ‘No Dirt’ footpegs (which prevent the pegs from filling up with dirt).

The EXC-F footpegs sit 6mm higher than the SX models to raise the ride height of the bike, although this is something you don’t necessarily notice straight up.

You are able to swap out the footpegs if you are a taller rider and prefer a lower type, while in addition to the footpegs KTM has developed a ‘No Dirt’ shifter also, which prevents dirt building up and or blocking the shift lever joint.

Something I have always enjoyed on the KTMs over the years has been the Brembo brakes and hydraulic clutch. The quality is second to none.

Although it’s a small change and doesn’t really have much to do with the performance of the bike, the front brake line has been integrated with the speedo cable. It gives a little extra protection, but really just helps tidy up the front end of the bike.

The engine is fed by a white/opaque 8.5-litre fuel tank, which seems in this day and age something that should be standard on all bikes, allowing you to see how much fuel you have on board at a glance. The tank is also fitted with a fuel level sensor.

Firing up the engine is an electric starter, which is powered by a super-light and compact Lithium ion, battery which is night and day lighter than the previous year’s battery, further reducing the overall weight of the bike.

The 250 EXC-F DOHC engine has been made more compact as well as shedding weight (1.5kgs), while still delivering the power and torque that the bike has been known for in the past. The engine has been made 20mm shorter, bringing the weight of the it slightly closer to the centre of the bike.

Part of the reason the 250 EXC-F is so easy to ride is the great throttle response off the bottom and right through the rev-range, thanks to the advanced fuel injection system.

It uses an all-new state of the art Keihin engine management system with a 42mm throttle body, allowing the injectors to be placed differently, resulting in a more responsive and snappier power delivery.

KTM has released an optional engine map switch for MY17 as well, which gives the rider a total of four different maps and use of KTM’s intriguing new traction control system.

The power of the 2017 250EXC-F is delivered through a six-speed transmission, shifting gears is made easy with low friction coating on the shift forks and a gear sensor syncs up the engine’s power curve to the selected gear, as well as the track surface conditions.

Upon checking out the exhaust of the 2017 KTMs you will notice the silencers have been made slightly shorter and the header pipes have been moved down to sit closer to the engine, to help keep the weight more centralised to the bike.

The chassis and swing-arm have been redesigned to allow the bike’s mass to be brought down lower to centralise the mass and it’s as sharp as anything you’ll ride right now.

The torsional rigidity of the frame has been increased by 20 percent, enhancing the stability and corning characteristics of the bike, while the longitudinal stiffness has been reduced to allow the bike to absorb more impacts through the suspension.

For the regular rider this is probably not something that you will recognise immediately, but the idea behind these changes is for rider comfort and helping the rider with fatigue over long rides.

WP has worked in conjunction with KTM to develop the all-new WP XPlor 48mm fork and WP XPlor PDS rear shock. Just as KTM’s done with the rest of the motorcycle, WP uses the latest technology and saved weight.

The forks feature a new ‘user-friendly’ clicker dial system and they provide the KTM range with 300mm of travel. The forks have shed weight in the vicinity of 200g over the previous generation of forks.

The most notable change for the forks you will notice on the top caps, adjuster dials on both sides with compression on the left and rebound on the right, with 30 clicks on both sides.

The performance of the forks is outstanding, coupled with the ease of changing your settings on the fly without the need for any tools, will make your ride that much better from track to track. Unless you’re one to make endless adjustments… in that case you may need to source a good psychiatrist.

An optional pre-load adjuster, which can be purchased through KTM’s PowerParts catalogue, allows the rider to choose one of three different pre-load settings without the need of any tools. Innovative stuff!

WP didn’t stop with new forks for the 2017 EXC range and engineers redesigned the function of the well-known KTM PDS shock. The shock has been specifically changed to suit the 2017 KTM frame and swing-arm geometry.

The width and length of the shock piston has been decreased from 50mm diameter to 46mm and the length’s reduced by 2.5mm, as well as the shock stroke by 4mm.

On previous models of the EXC the PDS suspension has been 5mm further away from the centre line of the swing-arm and frame. The new design of both chassis and shock have allowed the mount to be closer to the centre of the bike, which in turn forces the loads from the suspension to be more symmetrical to the rest of the bike, increasing rider feedback.

The internals of the shock have also been revised, introducing a second piston to the existing shock piston, pushing the second into an internal cup (instead of the traditional needle) towards the end of the stroke to help reduce the shock from bottoming out.

I don’t usually enjoy riding the smaller-bore four-strokes, but the 2017 KTM 250EXC-F is one of the most enjoyable bikes I have had the opportunity to ride in a long time.

The bike really feels light and easy to push around the tight trails, while having plenty of usable power from the bottom up. The motor is responsive and strong, which makes it really easy to ride as a result.

Suspension-wise it has great feeling front and back. More specifically, the feeling of the forks are plush and give you enough confidence to push the bike to your limit.

The suspension really absorbs the harsh, rocky surfaces well and took the bigger hits on the special test track without hassle as well.

The forks and shock work well together, with no major flaws obvious at both ends. This latest technology has allowed WP to produce a suspension package that has saved near 800g, helping KTM reduce the overall weight across the board.

Overall the 250 EXC-F is a fantastic bike for any level of rider – weekend trail warrior to race-winning professional – and it’s clear that it is more than capable of competing in and winning enduro championships around the world.

The 2017 KTM 250 EXC-F will be hitting Australian shores at the end of July/early August this year with a price tag to be announced. Further information on KTM’s complete range and specifications can be found on its official website at www.ktm.com.au.