KTM 250 EXC

The 250 EXC is the 300 EXC's smaller brother, and for a lot of riders it is the better bike. It is snappier and more playful, it is a touch lighter, and it rewards a rider who likes to rev a two stroke. It has all the same kit: electric start, hydraulic clutch, registration, and TPI then TBI fuel injection from 2018.

It suits a lighter or more aggressive rider, an enduro racer in the E1 class, or a trail rider who finds the 300 too lazy. Against the 300 EXC it gives away torque in the steep, technical stuff and gains a livelier feel everywhere else. Against a Husqvarna TE 250 or GasGas EC 250 it is the same bike with different suspension and bodywork.

Gearbox oil every 10 to 15 hours (about 800 ml of a light gear oil or JASO MA 10W 40), air filter every ride in dust, and keep the oil injection tank full on the TPI and TBI bikes. A 250 revs harder than a 300, so top ends come a little sooner: rings around 50 to 70 hours and a piston around 100 for a trail bike, sooner if raced.

Clean the power valve at every top end. Grease the linkage and swingarm after wet rides and keep the coolant fresh.

On a carburetted bike ask about the jetting and the last top end. On a TPI bike make sure the oil injection has never run dry and it idles cleanly hot. Look for a dented pipe, bent radiators, a cracked sump guard and a worn clutch. Check the rego status and whether it has been de restricted.

Recent sold prices are on the Marketplace page linked below.