The main event of the test was the all-new TE250 and I was expecting a solid bike with no surprises as I’d already ridden the MX version and got a feel for it. And I was treated to what seemed to be an amazing race bike – not a stock machine but a race-prepped flyer!
It really did give a great feel right from the off on the enduro loop. It turned well, it revved hard, it made smooth transitional power all the way and beyond where I needed to rev the motor. The bike felt super-light in the technical off-cambered grassy corner sections and it simply whipped up and over one natural step-up out of an off-cambered turn with epic ease.
I wasn’t expecting it but the new TE250 is a world beater when it comes to performance and I personally think it looks cool as f**k as well. With the overall light feel and the motor working as it does, handling is easy to get used to – you simply hit everything flat-out and don’t worry about it!
Controls feel good and the Brembo brakes give a smooth stop from the wave discs. The front light makes the bike look aggressive and the new rear led light cluster with the small race number plate holder is cool (the road legal holder bolts on top of the race set up).
The fuel injection system delivers juice well to the tiny motor (when the battery doesn’t run flat) and titanium valves guide the fuel on its journey to become exhaust gasses with a lot of help from the overhead twin cams. A six-speed gearbox keeps the drive coming from the motor to give the superb forward motion produced by this little package. All in all – and I know it’s early in the new bike launch season – I reckon the TE250 is going to be hard to beat for the title of enduro bike of the year…
Specification:
TE250
Capacity: 249.5cc
Bore and stroke: 79mm x 50.9mm
Transmission: Six-speed
Fuel tank capacity: 7.2 litre
Front suspension: 48mm Kayaba (300mm travel)
Rear suspension: Sachs (296mm travel)
Front brake: 260mm disc
Rear brake: 240mm disc
Seat height: 950mm
Wheelbase: 1470mm
Ground clearance: 290mm
Kerb weight: 106kg
