Trail Rider Magazine

The torquey motor on the XC-W makes the technical terrain an easy affair. leave out that the XC-W also comes fitted with lights, a spark arrestor and a speedometer. The Test Track Our test track on this day was a new location in the leaf covered suburbs of western Massachusetts. The trails wove up, down, and around an unnamed mountain alternating between slow, twisty single track and gear-grabbing cart roads. Some areas were rocky and laced with roots while others were remarkably devoid of New England gnarl. This new venue really revealed the differences in each bike. The only modification to each bike prior to the test was mounting Dunlop AT 81 tires front and rear. Finally we set the sag at 108mm on the XC and 115 on the XC-W and turned the high speed shock compression out two full turns. The Motors XC 250 The motor on the 2014 XC is more linear than last year's version, courtesy of the new ignition curve, cylinder head and jetting specs. The resultant effect is a bike that's a little better mannered, at least off the showroom floor and prior to you personalizing it with your preferred jetting, gearing and power valve spring settings. The pull off the bottom is snappy, as expected, with very little in the way of a midrange mid-hit. In the tricky, leaf-covered terrain, the more linear motor kept wheel spin within reason and certainly less than last year's model. For serious racing, many will likely install the red power valve spring and lean things out a bit. 10 Trail Rider But for today the set up worked well. The XC may be more linear than past editions but it is still racier and quicker than all of the other 2 stroke off road bikes out there. XC-W 250 The XC-W by contrast produces a completely different feel. The softer ignition curve, 13/52 gearing (compared to 13/50 on the XC) and different cylinder head create a power plant that is extremely well mannered and well suited for technical enduro terrain. The power is significantly more torquey feeling when compared to the XC and better suited for chugging through the gnarl. First and second gear is shorter than the XC and can crawl along at insanely slow revs. The drawback is that it requires to be shifted sooner than the XC and the jump to third gear can bother some people. Regardless, it is an improvement over past years and will still allow for losing a tooth or two off the back sprocket. The transmission ratios are about the same as the XC from third gear on with the exception of a slightly taller 6th gear. The smoother power delivery of the XC-W allows for better tractability when bouncing through the rocks and roots. Coupled with the PDS shock, the W does a better job keeping the rear wheel planted and moving forward in the slower conditions (we'll explain shortly). Where the XC may spin the wheel in the technical terrain, the XC-W does a better job of moving forward. www.TrailRider.com

• Cover