Trail Rider Magazine

2013 Ktm XC 250 W hen I first looked at the "Benefits and Features" for the 2013 KTM XC 250, I wasn't all that excited. The list of new improvements seemed fairly typical for a third year effort in refining KTM's latest generation chassis. Yes, I know that the linkage on the XC is only in its second year but oddly, the linkage wasn't identified as an area that was refined. In short, I was expecting something analogous to comparing the 2009 and 2010 versions of the XC's - nice refinements but not enough to make me drop my '09 for a '10. What I wasn't prepared for was to leave thinking that this was the best XC I have ever ridden, but that's exactly what happened. After riding it I went home and re-checked the Benefits and Features and confirmed that there was nothing that should have distinguished the 2012 from the 2013 to the degree that it did. Here's the caveat though: I only spent a day on the bike. Sure, a day's worth of riding is acceptable for developing a fair first impression but it's the longer term testing that is often the most useful. If you remember, I opted for the XC-W over XC last year after doing a side by side. I wasn't alone in choosing the XC-W, either as Brooks Hamilton (3x NETRA Champ), Jim Senecal (2x NETRA Champ), Jeff Staples (current # 2 NETRA enduro rider) and Billy Burns (current # 3 NETRA Enduro rider) all opted for the W. I won't opt for the W this year. So what was it that is so impressive about the 2013? The first characteristic is the suspension. The new XC-specific settings for the forks worked brilliantly. The action was supple in the initial part of the stroke allowing the bike to soak up the root-lined trails. The fork action then transitioned smoothly without any mid-stroke deflection as it entered the more resistant bottom portion. The action was was very consistent throughout, with just enough bottoming resistance for the harder hits. Once we made a few sag adjustments, the rear shock was equally impressive - plush initially, smooth action throughout with sound bottoming resistance when needed. Though there was no mention of changes to the linkage, this year's shock did not ride low like last year's model. The result was a balanced-feeling machine, and when you have a well-balanced bike, it will generally corner well, which Story and Photos by Kevin Novello 30 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com

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