.

KTM 250 EXC

.  

Make Model

KTM 250 EX/C Enduro

Year

2001 - 02

Engine

Two stroke, single cylinder

Capacity

249 cc / 15.2 cu in
Bore x Stroke 67.5 x 69.5 mm
Cooling System Liquid cooled
Compression Ratio 6.0:1
Lubrication Two stroke oil, mix: 1:50 - 1:60

Induction

Keihin PWK 36 S AG Carburettor

Ignition

Kokusan digital 2K-3

Starting

Kick

Clutch

Wet, multiplate, hydraulically operated

Transmission

5 Speed

Primary Drive Ratio

25:72

Gear Ratios

1 st 15:29 / 2nd 18:26 / 3rd 19:22 / 4th 21:20 / 5th 23:18

Final Drive Ratio

14:50

Final Drive

Chain, 5/8" x 1/4"

Frame

Central chrome-moly-steel frame

Front Suspension

WP Extreme Ø 50 mm upsidedown fork

Front Wheel Travel

280 mm / 11.0 in

Rear Suspension

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.