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Current model yz250f shifter
I saw one Friday at the dealer for the first time, beautiful bike.
However the clutch pull is heavy, compared to the Orange, Red, Green and Blue 250,s in the same showroom.
I got to ride a Triumph 250 yesterday for the first time and here are my thoughts. A little about me first I am a local Colorado pro that does some AX and a few pro nationals every year. I currently ride 2023 Honda 250s.
First impression of the Triumph 250 was highly positive. Coming into the test, I was very skeptical since it is a first-year motorcycle, and there often seems to be a stigma surrounding first-year models. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this bike. The first thing I noticed was how playful it felt, which I attribute to the comfortable frame and KYB suspension. The frame responded predictably to pressure applied by my feet, inviting me to stand up more in corners while maintaining a stable front-end feel as I entered the turns.
In longer ruts, where I had to sit, the bike maintained its lean angle very easily. The engine was also impressive for a first-year bike in stock form, feeling very free and encouraging revving. Often, at elevation, a bike, especially a 250, feels choked up, almost like a rag is obstructing the airbox; however, I did not experience that sensation with the TF 250-X. The bike felt as though each gear was long and preferred high RPMs, producing most of its power at the top of the range.
When comparing it to the Honda CRF 250R, equipped with a vortex ignition and minor engine modifications, I felt that the Triumph TF 250X actually produced more power overall. While the initial hit of the Honda was superior, the pulling power of the Triumph compensated for this. Additionally, while the Honda easily tips into turns, it tends to stand up in longer ruts during the middle to end of the turn, whereas the Triumph remains very planted.
In conclusion, I would say the Triumph is a highly competitive bike right out of the box, and I am thrilled to see another manufacturer producing a solid dirt bike with a softer, more comfortable frame.
Just talked to my Triumph dealer yesterday. They've had my bike a couple weeks but Triumph agreed to fix my bike including the stator cover, new chain and sprockets that were all damaged when the master link went MIA. I happened to have photos of the bike before it had even touched dirt. They hadn't heard anything about the 2025 updates yet though.
The Shop
Local dealer here called the rep and he knew of map updates for 24 but nothing about clutch yet.
Anyone else have trouble working on their 250s? My KTMs in the past I could disassemble that whole bike and reassemble it easily not problems. My triumph though I struggle to get it apart, such as pulling the rear shock and what not and even the simplest of things as installing the airbox cover can be a chore. Just seeing if I suck that bad with this thing.
I agree on the shock - that top shock bolt is stupid !!
We did an extensive test ride on the Triumph today at our track. Conditions were almost perfect so you could really push hard. At least 6 fast guys rode it. By fast I mean 2 pros and several LL qualifiers C and B class. Almost all the feedback was positive. One very fast guy said it went flat on top but it was on the stock maps not the Akro map. I’ll post some vids and more detailed feedback later.
Vids please!
I'll see what I can collect. I was busy doing track prep and mechanic duties and I didn't take a single photo even!
My son set up the demo day with Dave from Cascade Moto. Dave brought out a shop van with a 5-hour demo bike and a mechanic/photog. My son rode it twice and really pushed it the second session. Said it felt a bit like a Yamaha chassis with a KTM motor in it - not a bad combination. He said rear shock felt a little off and it affected the bike when leaving jump faces. He also said he couldn't pick between the Triumph and the 25 Yamaha - he'd need to ride them back-to-back. Everyone who rode it liked the light weight and the power, with only one pro-level rider saying it needed more over-rev. He actually got the bike into 5th on the fast section of our track, and said it needed to be shifted a lot. Handling was good on our sx-style layout. Lots of bowl turns and jumpy technical stuff, with one section of 3 turns and 3 straights that is open and fast. Dirt yesterday was a little slick to start (28f when I got there, heavy frost and cold!!!) but it prepped up great and by 1 PM with the sun out it became super tacky and fun.
Interesting....did he try the crf or kx ?
No we haven’t tried those at least in the 24/25 versions. Since we are going to try for the 250 limited class this year we want the best power we can get. We always tweak suspension anyway since he’s only 125 lbs and most stock setups are too stiff. The triumph was pretty good at the OEM spring rates which was a bit surprising. Needs an XTrig spring collar day 1 though!
I'm guessing that bike won't have had the MY25 Engine map update.
The update adds a good amount of power across the RPM range.
Triumph had the 250 on demo last week at Mini-Os.....there may be some riders on this topic who could share some further thoughts....
I find the bike super easy to work on, nothing is in the way, you can remove the shock super easy, just have the use two fingers to grab the top shock bolt when pulling it out, although I just remove the three subframe bolts and put the subframe to the left and pull the shock right out. Instead of removing the from linkage bolt and dropping. But wiring harness is easy to run, everything had its marks where they should line up in certain places and it’s all fairly simple. But I also Work on them every day soooo 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah, finally figured it out to do it the way you said. So much easier to just pull the subframe bolts and move it out of the way. Just a new bike to me still learning it as I go.
I use a a magnet pen on the top shock mount bolt......as it is a tight fit....
Has anyone sent their suspension out? Mine is about due for service and was thinking about getting everything valved ect. Racetech did my Honda, but tempted to try Enzo.
Just got mine back from Enzo and it is amazing. They did a great job. I also had them put the new YZ style toolless compression adjuster caps on so I don't have to mess with a screwdriver anymore.
Pit Row
Hey 👋
I had a test day on a few and my friend races one and he agrees with me on my opinion but take what i say how you will 😅 its my honest review.
I don't rate them whatsoever. I think they feel super slow and rigid. They are a great bike for cornering but lack any power down straights I would even go as far as to say I wouldn't trust one to pull me out of any trouble if I ever got in to any. The bike is light for jumping and throwing around but lacks any power.
The bike sound isn't that great either, so much weird electrical sounding engine noise, kinda put me off too
The gear box also seems soft, I doubt it will last any amount of time at all.
Overall I don't think triumph is worth the money they are charging. The bike is basically a frankenstein bike with all it's parts coming from other bikes. I really didn't like it or the feel of it and the level of racing I compete at i honestly think this bike just wouldn't keep up with the top riders.
I think im going to get chewed up for saying this but it is what it is. My opinion is my own, so you might jump on one and think its the best thing since sliced bread and that's OK. Every rider has a preference. I do suggest going to a test day before purchasing one as I was just about to buy one and I've never been happier that I didn't.
Hope this helps.
Gillian #154
Yeah it was on the stock maps. We asked for the Akro Heavy (?) map I'd heard about, but with it being a demo and only 5 hours old they wanted the rider's feedback on a bone stock platform. We had 10 or so guys at the track, lots of Austrian platforms from 125-350, Kawis, Hondas, a Yamaha, both 2 and 4 strokes so a wide range to compare against. My boy gave me more feedback on handling - said he wheel-tapped through the whoops, was carrying way more speed than normal and thought he was going to blow over the bowl turn at the end. Got forward on the seat, grabbed a LOT of front brake, and it just dove into the rut and turned. We all noticed the "whirring" sound that seems to be the valve train working, and that the bike isn't obnoxiously loud, but has a nice aggressive bark to it. In session 2 with it he was on the limiter quite a bit and you could hear that for sure. He also said when he got back on his FC250 that he felt he was riding it faster due to the confidence he brought from the Triumph. I think with the new map, a twin air cage/filter, a YZ shift lever, and Enzo or Ride JBI doing the suspension for his weight that this could be a very competitive platform for the Limited class. Reliability is still to be determined of course. I will say the boys weren't gentle with the demo and it never blinked.
I've got about 13hrs on one. What I did that helped > Akrapovic map, 110 rear tire, added one tooth to rear sprocket and dropped the forks down to about 2mm. After a couple oil changes the shifting smoothed out (was a bit notchy new). Everything else is stock. Great bike, a lot of fun to ride.
Going up a tooth on the rear is pretty much essential on these, makes the gear spacing make a bit more sense and 3rd feels great once it’s done. YZ shifter plus breaking in the trans makes shifting a lot better as well.
Do you know if KTM hubs (22 year model) will move over or will I have to strip down the wheelset I built and move the A60 rims over to the Triumph hubs? I want to run a 110 as well and have a 2.15 I could use. We have extra sprockets so +1 will be easy to do as will new maps.
Not sure if the hubs are compatible? They do use the same sprocket. A 110 tire fits the stock 1.85 rim fine.
The 22 wheels will bolt right on.
That would be excellent! I built a new set of wheels last year for our FC250, and I'd like to get my $1200 worth out of them!!!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDK5KCZSz86/?igsh=MXYycms3OWJmOXoy
You are doing God's work with that info. I have been wondering if KTM wheels would bolt up or not.
https://www.dirtrider.com/story/tests/best-250f-four-stroke-motocross-b…
Anyone out there have the 25 maps updated on their bike yet? Called the dealer and they found an email from triumph about the upcoming remaps but haven’t received the actual remap technical order to do the update. If you’ve had it done is there anything specific that service department had to look for? Thanks!
Post a reply to: New Triumph TF250X - Any new owners out there? Initial thoughts?