Latest Product Reviews

Sweet

mr.333 — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 04:30:01 +0000

Sweet

Member Review

Sweet

The Good

I love the colors 😍

The Bad

Nothin at all

Sweet

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Gaerne SG22

paulknowles — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 18:56:13 +0000

Gaerne SG22

Member Review

Gaerne SG22

The Good

Quality & fit

The Bad

They are quite a tall boot and not the lightest either in comparison to other brands

I bought these after wearing T10's for several years and I have to say I was very surprised on how much I like them.
I had tried SG12's but found the toe box too high, which caused shifting issues. This has been fully resolved with the SG22 and this is a better boots in every way. The memory foam around the ankle is still pretty tight but I have only used them for 1 day, so I expect this to loosen up after a few rides.
These are now officially my favourite ever MX boots....and I have literally tried all high end boots.

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Grand Prix Intermediate

YZed250 — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 22:31:46 +0000

Grand Prix Intermediate

Member Review

Grand Prix Intermediate

The Good

Hooks up on varied terrain with a window centered on intermediate terrain
Wide spaced knobs.
No chunking/cracking

Moderately tall knobs similar to MX34. Not as deep as M5B.
Nice corner blocks and carcass provide consistent side traction. Tested for more than 3 years on desert/sand/mud/rocks/mx/gp/desert. My go-to tire in 19 and 18in sizes.

Tested with bibs (18-in) and HD tubes (19 and 18-in).

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Is it really as bad as they say?

kdawg941 — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 15:49:03 +0000

Is it really as bad as they say?

Member Review

Is it really as bad as they say?

The Good

Good crack of throttle response
I can make 3rd gear work on a lot of the track
Chassis is more predictable
Body work easy to lock legs into
More open rider triangle

The Bad

Slightly more rigid feel
Air forks make me nervous on lean angle
Stock seat is hard
Rear shock is annoying to remove
Spokes can get loose (rim lock area)
Soft rims
White plastics not my thing

My review on my 2023 KTM 250 SXF after 40hrs

I have had a lot of experience on the Austrian bikes.

A brief resume:

2014 250sx, 2017 250sxf, 2018 450sxf, 2020 fc450, 2022 mc250f, 2022 mc450f

I've always loved the power delivery, reliability, and ease of maintenance on their bikes. Per usual, I went into Mt. Baker Moto-sports in Bellingham, WA and walked out with a freshy 2023 KTM 250 SXF. After all the negative reviews of the rigid feel and hate for the new chassis I'll admit I was a little nervous.

Chassis: Stiffer or less mushy? A lot of complaints about the harsh feeling in the chassis from other people. I however, didn't notice that as much as I noticed how much more stable and predictable this bike was. I'd say the old frame was a mushy wet noodle and this one is precise like a knife. Sure the old frame will handle some of that small chop and chatter for you, but once your bike gets upset or you hit some big bumps you'll suddenly be seeing your side number plates. The 23 chassis seems to let me get away with really throwing the bike into some bumps or an awkward shaped rut. The 22 might barley edge out the 23 on flat, hard packed tracks with little bumps, but the 23 blows the 22 out of the water on track with big bumps and sharper deep ruts. For me the 23 chassis has less surprises, and allows me to charge into bigger bumps and obstacles without the "snap back" of a flexing frame.

Suspension wise there does seem to be some improvement in the air fork, and the rear seems to squat less under acceleration. Me being a bigger 250 rider (6'1" 185lbs) I struggled with the 22 squatting coming out of corners. My back paid for it with any acceleration chop and I'd find myself "G'ing out" if I had to sit into jumps out of corners. The 23 has much more hold up and seems to ride higher in the rear. I'm less nervous to lean this bike over while turning on acceleration on flat bumpy corners as well which could be do to this rear end or the new chassis set up. Air forks... I have tried many times over the years to get happy on these things. Mark Johnson at REP has amazing settings for air, but for the first time I did a spring conversion and wow. Going back and forth from spring to air and back I learned a lot. These stock air forks perform ok to start. Straight line doesn't seem to bother me and as long as you're in the stroke they do well. My biggest complaint is that initial crust of the air fork. Whether it's slap down landings, or heading into some sharp chatter before you've loaded the front end, it is just harsh. This could also be the cause for the lack of trust leaning the bike over. Drop in the springs and all these problems seem to go away or at the least improve. I do give props for the tunable by handle adjusters on the front and rear of the stock set up.

This engine is great, It's the reason I always go back to/stay with the Austrian brands. First and foremost dependability. I've put HOURS on these bikes and I've never had any motor or clutch issues. I've taken 250s to 50 hrs and the piston looked great. I have friends at a respectable pace that have put 100hrs on their 450 clutches as well. The bike is just made well. Power wise the 23s definitely improved the crack of the throttle. I personally would say there feels to be a tad less mid than previous years, but that could be from the fact the bottom has already picked up so much the mid doesn't feel as crazy as 22 and prior. I'm a guy that likes to try and make 3rd gear work in corners and I'm able to get away with that with the occasional love of that clutch. Shoot, when I get tired I'll keep this thing in 3rd dang near around a whole track. It is very long yet usable. The bike just pulls. I've never felt underpowered on the straights. Only thing I'd modify is a little more low rpm grunt, but 250s these days are just built to rev out. I never tried the quick shift or traction control. Map 1 is smooth and 2 has some more hit which I preferred.

The body of the bike has improved. Rider triangle is better in my opinion. I feel like I can lock into this bike better with my legs and squeeze the bike. The 22 made me feel like I was too far forward and for some reason I just had a hard time gripping the body of the bike. The 23 is more open and even the shrouds I feel allow me to swing my leg straight forward vs out. I typically throw a 30mm taller seat on my 22s and a tall seat on this 23 I feel like was almost too tall. The foot pegs are awesome, feel very planted and they never seem to get stuck up which is an underrated feature. I'd definitely grease the wheel bearings, linkage, steering stem, etc once you bring it home. Factory grease job was not great. The spokes still come loose especially by the rim lock. I use my Faast Company spoke torque wrench ever 2-3 motos just to check and have not had any issues. The rims are soft and cheap. I warped and dented mine quickly. Sadly the days of just rotating your air filter on the 22s for another ride is over. The new 23 air filters are not symetrical. KTM not allowing other companies to make plastics is lame. I hated the white look, but orange plastics were so back ordered I had to just roll with it. If you're going to isolate the production of an entire product to be in house maybe make sure the "house" can handle the demand smh.

Things I did that helped the bike

6500 WP spring conversion set up by Mark Johnson at REP - Much more comfort overall and trust front end traction in corners

ECU remap by Twisted Development - Gave me more of that bottom I was looking for and took away some engine braking

Final say? I love this bike and it's a big improvement in my eyes. A lot of hate could've came from riding on hard pack tracks with little chop, but I'd say this bike beats out the previous. Now if they'd just put some SPRING FORKS in this bad boy.

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The best off road 2 stroke ever built?

Jeff_Brines — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 12:30:20 +0000

The best off road 2 stroke ever built?

Member Review

The best off road 2 stroke ever built?

The Good

*Incredible motor
*Intuitive handling
*Suspension shows lots of promise
*Strong reliability; cheap to keep running

The Bad

*Stator output is poor for anyone who is running a fan/lights & riding slower terrain
*Brake Tech brakes are not as high performing as Brembo/Magura
*Flywheel may be too light for some tastes
*Fuel tank pickups in the wrong spot

Those looking to skip my 20 minutes of rambling, my TL;DR conclusion is as follows...

If you are in need of a new bike (yours is clapped) any TBI bike is well worth the look. The motor really is brilliant. However, there are subtle but important differences between the enduro & XC models that were not present in prior model years (2023 vs 2024; XC-W/TE vs XC/TX)
If you don't need a new bike, but want a new bike, its still worth looking at any TBI bike (again, the motor is awesome), even at full retail, but make sure you buy the right bike for your use case.
1. Use case = the following: If you are a true XC rider with less focus on hard enduro, the XC bikes rip right out of the crate and will need very little love outside some suspension fiddling.
2. Alternatively, if you are hard enduro/technical trail purist, I'd wait for the 2024 XC-W (specifically; even over the TE). The reworked swingarm, axle size and shock mounting points mellowed out the chassis. To add, the stator outputs the right amount, suspension is likely one step above the 2023 stuff, it comes with Brembo stufff & the mapping/flywheel weight more in line with what the "hard enduro bros" will like from the motor package. I'm speculating heavily here - but if you watch the review you'll see why I am doing so.
If you currently have a 23 TX and want to make it into a 24 TE/XC-W - I feel a flywheel weight + upgraded battery + stator rewind + aftermarket pads are required to get it in the ballpark. Or just sell it and get what is built for your use case right from Austria.

YMMV - Thx for checking out my stuff everyone!

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Decal Works

dan_127 — Sun, 08 May 2022 04:56:19 +0000

Decal Works

Member Review

Decal Works

The Good

Grip for days
Custom color options
Great instructions
Speedy delivery

The Bad

None to mention

Decal MX custom seat covers come with a huge range of options. The gripper material on these covers is second to none. Originally quoted from Decal MX as having a 3 week lead time on shipping, these were at my door within 2 weeks. Grab a staple gun and some stainless steel staples and it was stretched on in no time. The seat cover comes with enough material to easily stretch it across your foam. This is a well thought out product that lends itself to an easy installation. Customize your side color, top color, rib color, and rib accent color and then decide if you want the Manufacturer logo on the sides. The team at Decal MX did a great job with ensuring the emblem was even matched to my bikes white out graphics. I can not say enough good about this product or this company, reach out to them and get one on your bike!

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THIS SEAT IS A KEEPER

Beeko56 — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 02:44:52 +0000

THIS SEAT IS A KEEPER

Member Review

THIS SEAT IS A KEEPER

The Good

Solid color foam, can't rip or tear wear and seams

The Bad

Yeah It is heavier than stock

I have been running this seat on my 17 TX 300 for three years about 120 hours, after using up the stock and a Seat Concepts cover. The soft seat is more firm than stock but it breaks in and the foam density stays consistent rather than packing. I will buy another one for my next bike.

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Versatile off road weapon (GasGas EX300)

Jeff_Brines — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 18:17:11 +0000

Versatile off road weapon (GasGas EX300)

Member Review

Versatile off road weapon (GasGas EX300)

The Good

Intuitive handling
Smooth power delivery
Suspension much better than the internet would lead you to believe
No jetting required.
Reliable motor package.
Price (GasGas)

The Bad

Plastics not designed for easy "grabbing".
No idle adjust (or real idle adjust) from the factory.
Motor tuning could be better, thankfully aftermarket has addressed this. Rear shock lacks rebound adjustment range.

https://youtu.be/WkKEJs4AI3k

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At least half as much rubbery cushion as the OG glue on style

queen of spodes — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 20:12:09 +0000

At least half as much rubbery cushion as the OG glue on style

Member Review

At least half as much rubbery cushion as the OG glue on style

The Good

Easy to install

The Bad

They are super thin. The bumps are at least half as high as the glue on Pillowtops.

I've used glue on Pillowtops for over ten years. They legit help with arm pump. The clamp on pillowtops are NOT the same grip. They have been shaved down a LOT to make up for the extra tube thickness beneath the grip.

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Bike Test: 2022 Yamaha YZ125 Two-Stroke Review

Klinger — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 18:49:19 +0000

Bike Test: 2022 Yamaha YZ125 Two-Stroke Review

Article

Bike Test: 2022 Yamaha YZ125 Two-Stroke Review

The day has finally come. We took the arrival of the all-new 2022 Yamaha #YZ125 #twostroke at Glen Helen Raceway last week. The YZ125 bLucRU has seen some major changes for 2022 and its first for quite some time, nearly every functional part of the engine is new from the cylinder, cylinder head, piston, piston pin, crankcase, exhaust, and much more. In addition to the full renovation of the engine, updates to the chassis and body were thrown at the 2022 model as well. After a full day of testing, we give our initial thoughts on the 2022 Yamaha YZ125 two-stroke. Click play, crank the volume and enjoy.

Latest Product Reviews

Sweet

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Gaerne SG22

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Grand Prix Intermediate

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Is it really as bad as they say?

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The best off road 2 stroke ever built?

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Decal Works

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THIS SEAT IS A KEEPER

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Post a reply to: THIS SEAT IS A KEEPER

Versatile off road weapon (GasGas EX300)

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Post a reply to: Versatile off road weapon (GasGas EX300)

At least half as much rubbery cushion as the OG glue on style

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Bike Test: 2022 Yamaha YZ125 Two-Stroke Review

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