My Husky dealer is an hour from me but I have a close Honda/KTM dealer so I looked at a 250X and a 150XC during my lunch break today. I am still healing up from some broken feet and won’t be riding for another month or so but that gives me lots of time to think about bikes. I would like to get something new after this whole ordeal is over. I also have time to write out long post like this.
Bike 1: CRF 250X – They have a bunch of new 07 models for 4k. The price is right. This probably would have been the perfect bike for me to learn on a few years back but I do not know if it would make sense now. I can ride a 125 in steep technical terrain so maybe I would just be wasting these skills on a tame 250f? Or maybe it would let me focus more on my speed and actually be a good thing? I don’t know.
What I have always liked about this bike is how quiet it is. Unlike most of the thumpers I hear in the woods the X is very silent. And Honda engineers seem to have done a good job designing the bike to be quiet because all the dynos I have seen show that more fee flowing exhaust really do not make the bike any faster. If I remember right the X is also significantly quieter than most bikes even with the same silencer (for example an X is 93DB with a Q and the KTM is 96). As much as people like to bash Honda sound is important to me and I don’t have a problem rewarding a job well done with my money.
I am not worried about power. I rode a stock one once and there was lots of low end. The top was kind of weak but I am sure uncorked it would be enough. The bike felt very easy to ride as the power was mellow, focused on the bottom end, and tractable. I don’t really care if some other brand has a couple more horsepower, the X had plenty for where I ride. Maintenance worries me but I think the 06 and up ones do not have valve problems nearly as frequently as the early models. The bike looks like a nightmare to work on though. I would never consider a 2 stroke with a carb so buried but I imagine with the X I would just find the recommended jetting, set it once, and leave it. Maybe change once a year from winter to summer.
Ergos felt good but the bars need to come up and forward. A cheap set of big bar adaptors should do the trick. I would probably get a tall seat also. Clutch pull was excellent. The bike is heavy though. Picking it up from the silencer was a chore and just rocking the bike back and forth I could feel the weight. I think all the e-start thumpers are going to feel like this. I care a lot about weight which is why I am on a 125.
Husky Content: I started thinking about a 250f when the 2010 Huskies came out.
At first I thought a TC250 would be a great light woods bike. Everyone says they start easy. But the mags all say they suck to start and it appears the reason is because they tested them in the summer. Supposedly no amount of jetting will help. So I guess that bike it out. Summer is the main time of year when I can actually put more power to the ground then my 125 has.
Then there is the TXC250. I am not a technophobe but am now worried about the fuel injection. At first I was excited but then I found out how much Husky wants for a fuel pump. I am also disappointed that Husky chose Mikuni instead of Keihin (my bias comes from 2-stroke experience). I am also not sure I can deal with the little issues. For example Kelly recently had the temperature sensor go out. This may be a simple thing to fix but how am I going to diagnose that type of problem in my garage? The TXC would probably still be the best 250f choice for me but it is not exciting me enough to want to spend 7 grand on one. If it was quiet and had a big tank I would be much more interested
Bike 2: 150XC – This is the bike I wish Husky was making. I would be so excited that I would have to run out and buy one. But instead it is made by the company that would normally be my last choice. But it is really cool that the bike comes with a factory 144 (not just overbore but with an optimal stroke and a special pipe also) . The KTM tank is actually a bigger selling point to me then the extra displacement. The tank is big, it is clear, and it carries the weight low. Why can’t Husky do something so simple!
I am actually more scared of maintaining one of these then I am a 250X! Ktmtalk has tons of post about grenading 144s. But I am not sure that the newer ones have the problems since they mellowed out the ignition. I think if I did not try to run it on straight pump gas, and I made sure the jetting was on the rich side, it would live. But I imagine I would still be doing top ends two are three times more frequently then I would on a Husky. This is acceptable if it is a $100 job but if it is a ktm oem big $$$ piston every time then I would not get one of these. Also the XC is in a milder state of tune then the SX so it might not have issues and it could even come with a 2 ring piston.
Ergos felt good. Not as perfect as a Husky but with the bars all the way forward it would fit. The clutch sucks though. The KTM crowd loves to brag about there hydrollic cluthes but the fact is the clutch pull is about three times harder than my WR125. I know they are not built tougher either as exploding clutch baskets are not rare on KTM 125/144/150/200 models.
The bike feels like it is probably ten pounds lighter then my WR. One thing I never complain about is weight on a KTM.
The 7k price tag is also a big drawback to the bike. Of course a WR125 is not much cheaper by the time I buy a tank(if one is ever available). I think all the setup the 150 would need would be springs for my weight, a spark arrestor, guards, and plastics of any other color.
I really have a hard time imagining riding anything other than a Husky though. I like the ergos, the way they turn, the way the front end stays on the ground when climbing, and the way they lay down power.
Realistically I will probably end up getting another WR125 and dealing with the issues. Alternatively I might do some nice upgrades on my 06 and buy a new discounted second bike. This is where the 4k 250X might fit in. But I would really have to consider a discounted Husky WR250 also. I know they are great bikes and most of my parts would interchange. They are heavy but no more than the X. I also kind of like the YZ250, not that you can find a new one cheap anymore. I wonder if I had the compression lowered and retarded the timing a little if the power would be a little more woods friendly? I still would like to look at a Gasgas 125(due to the great gas tank) but I am afraid I am way too tall for one.
Anyway, this is what I have been thinking about lately while unable to ride.
Bike 1: CRF 250X – They have a bunch of new 07 models for 4k. The price is right. This probably would have been the perfect bike for me to learn on a few years back but I do not know if it would make sense now. I can ride a 125 in steep technical terrain so maybe I would just be wasting these skills on a tame 250f? Or maybe it would let me focus more on my speed and actually be a good thing? I don’t know.
What I have always liked about this bike is how quiet it is. Unlike most of the thumpers I hear in the woods the X is very silent. And Honda engineers seem to have done a good job designing the bike to be quiet because all the dynos I have seen show that more fee flowing exhaust really do not make the bike any faster. If I remember right the X is also significantly quieter than most bikes even with the same silencer (for example an X is 93DB with a Q and the KTM is 96). As much as people like to bash Honda sound is important to me and I don’t have a problem rewarding a job well done with my money.
I am not worried about power. I rode a stock one once and there was lots of low end. The top was kind of weak but I am sure uncorked it would be enough. The bike felt very easy to ride as the power was mellow, focused on the bottom end, and tractable. I don’t really care if some other brand has a couple more horsepower, the X had plenty for where I ride. Maintenance worries me but I think the 06 and up ones do not have valve problems nearly as frequently as the early models. The bike looks like a nightmare to work on though. I would never consider a 2 stroke with a carb so buried but I imagine with the X I would just find the recommended jetting, set it once, and leave it. Maybe change once a year from winter to summer.
Ergos felt good but the bars need to come up and forward. A cheap set of big bar adaptors should do the trick. I would probably get a tall seat also. Clutch pull was excellent. The bike is heavy though. Picking it up from the silencer was a chore and just rocking the bike back and forth I could feel the weight. I think all the e-start thumpers are going to feel like this. I care a lot about weight which is why I am on a 125.
Husky Content: I started thinking about a 250f when the 2010 Huskies came out.
At first I thought a TC250 would be a great light woods bike. Everyone says they start easy. But the mags all say they suck to start and it appears the reason is because they tested them in the summer. Supposedly no amount of jetting will help. So I guess that bike it out. Summer is the main time of year when I can actually put more power to the ground then my 125 has.
Then there is the TXC250. I am not a technophobe but am now worried about the fuel injection. At first I was excited but then I found out how much Husky wants for a fuel pump. I am also disappointed that Husky chose Mikuni instead of Keihin (my bias comes from 2-stroke experience). I am also not sure I can deal with the little issues. For example Kelly recently had the temperature sensor go out. This may be a simple thing to fix but how am I going to diagnose that type of problem in my garage? The TXC would probably still be the best 250f choice for me but it is not exciting me enough to want to spend 7 grand on one. If it was quiet and had a big tank I would be much more interested
Bike 2: 150XC – This is the bike I wish Husky was making. I would be so excited that I would have to run out and buy one. But instead it is made by the company that would normally be my last choice. But it is really cool that the bike comes with a factory 144 (not just overbore but with an optimal stroke and a special pipe also) . The KTM tank is actually a bigger selling point to me then the extra displacement. The tank is big, it is clear, and it carries the weight low. Why can’t Husky do something so simple!
I am actually more scared of maintaining one of these then I am a 250X! Ktmtalk has tons of post about grenading 144s. But I am not sure that the newer ones have the problems since they mellowed out the ignition. I think if I did not try to run it on straight pump gas, and I made sure the jetting was on the rich side, it would live. But I imagine I would still be doing top ends two are three times more frequently then I would on a Husky. This is acceptable if it is a $100 job but if it is a ktm oem big $$$ piston every time then I would not get one of these. Also the XC is in a milder state of tune then the SX so it might not have issues and it could even come with a 2 ring piston.
Ergos felt good. Not as perfect as a Husky but with the bars all the way forward it would fit. The clutch sucks though. The KTM crowd loves to brag about there hydrollic cluthes but the fact is the clutch pull is about three times harder than my WR125. I know they are not built tougher either as exploding clutch baskets are not rare on KTM 125/144/150/200 models.
The bike feels like it is probably ten pounds lighter then my WR. One thing I never complain about is weight on a KTM.
The 7k price tag is also a big drawback to the bike. Of course a WR125 is not much cheaper by the time I buy a tank(if one is ever available). I think all the setup the 150 would need would be springs for my weight, a spark arrestor, guards, and plastics of any other color.
I really have a hard time imagining riding anything other than a Husky though. I like the ergos, the way they turn, the way the front end stays on the ground when climbing, and the way they lay down power.
Realistically I will probably end up getting another WR125 and dealing with the issues. Alternatively I might do some nice upgrades on my 06 and buy a new discounted second bike. This is where the 4k 250X might fit in. But I would really have to consider a discounted Husky WR250 also. I know they are great bikes and most of my parts would interchange. They are heavy but no more than the X. I also kind of like the YZ250, not that you can find a new one cheap anymore. I wonder if I had the compression lowered and retarded the timing a little if the power would be a little more woods friendly? I still would like to look at a Gasgas 125(due to the great gas tank) but I am afraid I am way too tall for one.
Anyway, this is what I have been thinking about lately while unable to ride.
Thew iBeat showed the temp gauge pinned and an error message saying the temp sensor was not working. When i checked the wires they were find. Ordered the $8 temp sensor, screwed it in (super simple) and bam, back in biz. I found it all kinda cool that i could diagnose a electrical issue via software. I have the iBeat and we are close enough you can borrow it or whatever if you go that route.
