WP Progressive Damping System shock absorber, aluminium swingarm
Rear
Wheel Travel
320 mm / 12.6 in
Front Brakes
Single 260 mm disc, floating caliper
Rear Brakes
Single 220 mm disc, floating caliper
Front Tyre
90/90 - 21" 54R
Rear Tyre
140/80 - 18" 70R
Steering Head Angle
63.5o
Rake
26.6°
Trail
114 mm / 4.5 in
Wheelbase
1481 mm / 58.3 in
Ground Clearance
385 mm / 15 in
Seat Height
925 mm / 36.4 in
Dry Weight
108.2 kg / 238.5 lbs
Fuel Capacity
9.5 Litres or 12 L / 2.5 US gal or
3.2 US gal
.
No matter what year it is, count on KTM's
250 EXC being the best bike in its class. By 1999, the Japanese had
given up in the 250 enduro category, leaving the KTM to dominate.
The 1999 version actually was faster than the 2000 model that
followed..
hroughout the ’90s, Dirt Bike Magazine did a 250 two-stroke off-road
bike comparison every year. Back then, this was a big class, with as
many as seven or eight bikes. The KTM 250 won every single time.
Eventually, everyone else gave up, and by the early 2000s, it was
pretty much the only one left. By 1999, the KTM 250EXC (or MXC, as
the western version was called) reached a level that wasn’t far from
the current version. By then the PDS rear suspension was workable
and it was the first year for the hydraulic clutch. We’ll include
the KTM 300 and 380 in this same category, but jetting was still hit
and miss for the bigger KTMs. What worked on one 300 didn’t
necessarily work on another. The 380 wasn’t as nice on the trail,
but it was very, very fast. It would still be fast by today’s
standards. As the next decade unfolded, the 300 would steal the
limelight away from the 250, but both were excellent by any
standards.