My son and I have been riding the 2021 KTM 250 SX-F heavily the past few months and have come up with some settings for each of us that may help you out with your orange 250 four stroke machine. If you’re looking for a good place to start, these settings below worked well for a wide variety of tracks that we tested at. Getting a setting that ranges from 130-175 pounds is tough to do but after a few months of playing around we thing we found a setting that can make you comfortable. Below are some suspension, gearing and rider triangle settings that you can apply to your orange brigade at home.
Suspension: (160-190 Pounds)
Fork:
C: 15
R: 11
Height: 4mm
Air: 10.7 Bar
Shock: (Spec #AK2S)
LSC: 13
HSC: 1.5
R:11
Sag: 105mm
Suspension: (130-155 Pounds)
Fork:
C: 11
R: 10
Height: 4mm
Air: 10.4 Bar
Shock: (Spec #AK2S)
LSC: 15
HSC: 1..75
R: 11
Sag: 105mm
Gearing:
In stock form the 2021 KTM 250 SX-F comes with a 14/51 but for heavier riders above 170 pounds a 14/52 or even a 14/53 works better in most conditions. Why? It allows the rider to get into third gear more and let the KTM 250 SX-F pull their heavy asses around the track better. For lighter riders under 150 pounds the stock 13/51 gearing is just fine as the lighter riders can use 3rd gear a little early without the detrimental affect of not having enough recovery when shifting too early.
Rider Triangle:
The stock Neken handlebar is rigid/harsh to the hands so go with a Pro Taper bar. If you’re a Renthal guy please contact me for specs at kris@keeferinctesting.com. See specs below:
Height: 5’5-5’9 = Husqvarna Stock Pro Taper Bend
Height: 5’9-6’2 = SX Race Pro Taper Bend or YZ High Pro Taper Bend
Throttle Feel:
If you find yourself having a sticky or hard twist to your throttle, you can replace your throttle cables as the stock cables will only last around 20 hours before they start to feel like crap. No matter what you do, the cables will never feel the same even if you lube them. You might get a free feel after lubing the cables for a bit, but soon thereafter your throttle will feel harder to twist once again. If you’re looking to spend a little money for an aluminum throttle tube and want to help the feel of your throttle, I recommend the ZRT throttle. This throttle tube makes the pull have almost zero drag and is a tough SOB. There is some set up/prep time to this throttle (cutting the right side of the handlebars a 1/2 inch), but it can help the pull over the long haul.
TOP 5 MAINTENANCE ITEMS:
Fuel Filters: If you’re a KTM owner, do yourself a favor and put a couple of these in your toolbox just in case. Fuel filters can get clogged on all KTM’s and this can cause damage to your fuel pump or possibly not allow your bike to start properly.
2. Throttle Cables: If there is one thing that DOES NOT last on KTM’s it is the throttle cables. Every 15-20 hours I will have to replace the throttle cables to ensure that my throttle doesn’t feel hard or sticky when twisting. Originally I thought my throttle tube was dirty or maybe the right side of the handlebar had dirt on it, but I found out through a couple KTM mechanics, that the throttle cables simply wear out. You can’t lube them or clean them out as it will only make the throttle feel better for a short amount of time. Get some
3. Check All Spokes/Sprocket Bolts: KTM spokes always come loose near the rim lock so make sure you pay attention to all the spokes after every ride. If you don’t check them constantly you will lose or break a couple.
4. Check Engine Mounts/Swingarm Pivot Bolt: Always check the torx bolts that hold the top engine hangers on the bike. After break in, these will loosen up a bunch, so you might need some blue Loctite on the threads. After you do this, please continue to check these as they still back out from time to time. The torque spec on these bolts are important to the ride attitude of these KTM’s. Also the KTM’s come with frame guards and that means you will not know (until it’s too late) when your swingarm pivot bolt backs out. Take off your frame guard and check pivot bolt regularly. While you’re at it, get the Acerbis frame guards as they last longer and have better grip than the stock ones.
5: FI Indicator Light: The little FI indicator light bulb will fall out of the rubber casing as soon as you get past 10 hours. The best thing to do is put a little silicone inside the rubber casing, so the light bulb as well as the wire doesn’t flop around.