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Some motorcycles are tools; machines designed with simplicity of purpose to deliver a desired result. A motorcycle like the TM EN250Fi four-stroke is much more. It’s a product of passion and a statement of identity. If the people at TM viewed their products with nothing more than utility in mind, their company would have ceased […]
Some bikes defy being categorized. The 2021 KTM 450XC-F isn’t one of them. It’s actually a very specialized motorcycle. The confusing part is that it fits perfectly in so many categories. For one, it’s KTM’s most adept desert bike, one that has won more National Hare & Hounds than any other bike in recent history. […]
Let’s get the faint irony out of the way. The new KTM 125XC is not new. It’s actually the oldest bike in KTM’s line-up. Back in 1968, John Penton sold a 125 two-stroke off-road bike called the Six-Day in the U.S. It was manufactured by KTM and it was what got the company started in […]
GasGas officially launched its off-road line for 2021 today. Pierer Mobility Group, the parent company for KTM, acquired controlling interest in the Spanish company late last year and has moved to combine resources. The off-road bikes will closely resemble KTM motorcycles, while the trials line will based on previous GasGas models. Pricing will be lower […]
The TM 250EN 4T Fi is in the garage now, awaiting a race-test this weekend. This is one exotic motorcycle. Any TM is already exotic. This is a small Italian company that specializes in race bikes, with a number of world championships to its credit and even a few GP motocross wins. Even by TM […]
Fuel-injected two-strokes are here to stay. Now, there are three manufacturers offering transfer-port-injection two-strokes in the U.S., and there are more to come. Here’s the fun part: not all of them are owned by KTM’s parent company. TM is a small Italian company that has proven itself capable of matching any motorcycle company in the […]
Sherco has made a big push world wide in recent years and that’s being felt here in the U.S. We got a chance to see what all the buzz was about with the arrival of the 2020 250SEF Factory off-road four-stroke. One year ago most off-road riders in the U.S. thought that Sherco was a vintage […]
The Yamaha WR250F is an easy bike to ride but a difficult bike to understand. You could call it a high-end race bike aimed at beginners or a play bike designed by racers. It’s clearly a machine designed to adhere to the letter of the law, but it’s unclear what law that is. The WR […]
In this week’s 2-Stroke Tuesday brought to you by Decal Works, we give you a detailed look at our 2006 KTM 200 complete off-road rebuild. It always surprises us how good the 200cc machine is on the trails. We have another KTM project in our Behind The Build section that you don’t want to miss. […]
Testing FMF, Vortex, IMS and other products plus various modifications for the 2020 KTM 500XCF-W
Husqvarna’s Transfer Port Injection is now in its third year, and still the focus of mistrust and controversy. The 2020 Husqvarna TE300i got a new frame, a new look and still more development on its fuel-injection system. Its performance is so seamless that even the most hardcore two-stroke purist has to concede that the technology […]
Sherco is about a year into its new deal in the U.S. and what a year it’s been. We got to ride the entire line in Italy at a world press introduction at the end of 2019, and then we had another opportunity to ride the 250 two-stroke in Kentucky. This month we finally got […]
The Honda CRF250RX and the Yamaha YZ250FX are both closed-course competition off-road bikes, meaning they are made for racing. They have competition mufflers without spark arresters and are, in fact, very closely related to the MX bikes in their respective lines. These are the off-road features they have in common: Larger fuel tanks 18-inch rear […]
Yamaha’s 2020 YZ125X off-road two-stroke is an inexpensive investment in the future
The XCF-W is back! After three years of trail riders being limited to either a fully adorned street-legal dual-sport machine, or a lightly modified fully ballistic motocrosser, KTM has brought back a dedicated dirt bike designed for the off-road enduro/trail enthusiast. This is both a huge commitment and a costly one, as offering a legitimate […]
The 2020 Honda CRF450RX is not a trail bike, it’s not a play bike and it’s barely even an off-road bike. This is an off-road race bike, pure and simple. If you want something for cruising the trails and fireroads, Honda has the 2020 CRF450X for you. It’s a very different bike, and you should […]
The 2020 KTM 500XCF-W is here at last! We’ve been hounding KTM for this bike for a long time, and now that’s it’s finally here, we aren’t disappointed. This is a true off-road bike–not a dual-sport bike with blinkers and not a repackaged motocross bike. It’s quiet, easy to ride and fun, but it’s just […]
Last year the Honda CRF250RX came out in direct response to KTM’s on-going takeover in the American off-road market. The old Honda plan would have been to keep on making bikes like the CRF250X–meaning quiet, clean, responsible and boring. Instead, Honda came out with a borderline outlaw of an off-road bike. It was a focused […]
Yamaha just released the 2020 YZ125X two-stroke. This is an off-road version of the YZ125 motocross bike, similar to the YZ250X. The bike is another sign of the commitment that Yamaha is showing to the two-stroke. It doesn’t represent any new technology, but it does show that the company still believes in the two-stroke as […]
There are things that set the TM machines apart from all others. They are brilliant works of artistic craftsmanship and technological marvels. They are rare, pricey and definitely appeal to the rider looking for uniqueness and a works look.