Whats a good year for KTM 200-250s??

[DIRTBIKES987]

I might be interested in selling my 05 kx250 and switching over to orange. I would either get a KTM 200 or 250 (exc). What years are they good bikes? I have read a lot about older KTM fork seals blowing easily, and all that. I would most likely buy an 04 or up. Any problems with these? Thanks,

Peter

[Mike in Fresno]

04 is the first year of the newer motor in the 250-300. The 200 is basically unchanged in the motor since 98. The suspension in 02 was very good on KTM. Then in 06 a good change was made again in the forks and in 07 some bikes have a cartridge fork now. 04 and newer has the neweer plastic/tank/seat. Again changed in 07.

The 200 is a revver and can be ridden hard, but will chug as well, its an amazing motor. The 250 may be a little easier to ride in the motor dept, but the chassis on it and the 300 is bigger than the 200 and it feels much bigger and heavier than the 200, even tho its not that much heavier.

Buy as new as you can afford. Some new old stock bikes back to 04 or so are around for $4000 +. A new KTM can be mail ordered thru some places and shipped in a crate for hundreds less than what you pay at the local dealer.

[KXFRACER108]

How is the new motor in 04. were there any reliability problems?

[Powerage]

Ive been looking into the same bikes, and from all the reading, i like the 2005 model the best. Not a huge fan of the black forks/frame on the '06s. '05 has the oval frame, smaller shock resevoir (no rubbing on subframe) supossibly better forks than the '04, Narrower shrouds... A few other things i think, but yeah, '05 would be my choice.

[Mike in Fresno]

in 04 they went to a smaller lighter motor in the 250-300, no problems with any of them before or after, just a redesign.

[flatracker]

I just bought a nice(babied) 04 EXC250 and it runs really smooth and nice in the woods. Payed 3,000 for it and all it needs is some protective parts on it. Great trail bike or woods racer. The owner put the black box off a SX model on it and some V-force reeds in it, I dont know what effect this has as i have never ridden it stock. He put a new piston in it just for good measure and new wheel bearings and brake pads even though the old parts were ok, he just wanted it to be nice.

[gmoss357]

the bikes have been getting better every year, so the later the model, the better. The real factor, in my mind, is the condition of the bike.

06 got a new frame, so a major step, the 05 wasn't really much better than the 04. Some 04-5 bikes had issues with rear brake fade, a resevoir helps.

04 is where I would start my search and get as late a model as I could afford.

[kdxyz200]

As a general rule the newer the better. You know that of course. I just got my first KTM in July and it was a 200XC and this thing is light weight, nimble, and a rocket. Fun factor is off the chart. As one of KTM's ads states it's almost the power of a 250 in a 125 frame. All of my riding buddies are at a loss for words after taking a spin on my ride and they all ride 2 stroke 250's or 4 stroke 450's. They can't believe the punch this thing has. I love passing them on the track. The harder you ride this bike the better it runs and handles. It begs to be ridden aggressive. I'm still smilin'.......

[ulmanb]

As everyone else said, buy as new as you can afford.

I just switched to KTM in 06. I had never had the chance to ride a KTM prior to buying since everyone I ride with are on Jap bikes. I therefore researched the hell out of this topic before buying (ask my wife, it drives her nuts how anal retentive I can be when it comes to bikes).

Anyways, from what I could tell, the real turning point in KTM's suspension and handling seemed to improve drasticly from 05 onwards. You may want to take this with a grain of salt as I havent ridden any other KTM's other than the 200xcw and 300xcw.

I wouldnt let the black forks or frame deter you. I have 1600 miles on my bike and both look excellent (I did add eline? frame guards where the boots rub the frame though).

[gmoss357]

As everyone else said, buy as new as you can afford.

I just switched to KTM in 06. I had never had the chance to ride a KTM prior to buying since everyone I ride with are on Jap bikes. I therefore researched the hell out of this topic before buying (ask my wife, it drives her nuts how anal retentive I can be when it comes to bikes).

Anyways, from what I could tell, the real turning point in KTM's suspension and handling seemed to improve drasticly from 05 onwards. You may want to take this with a grain of salt as I havent ridden any other KTM's other than the 200xcw and 300xcw.

I wouldnt let the black forks or frame deter you. I have 1600 miles on my bike and both look excellent (I did add eline? frame guards where the boots rub the frame though).

yes, don't let the black forks and frame deter you, as 06 is year when the handling and susp began to really improve due to the frame change. The 07SX and 08 XC/W's are once again changed, for the better.

[kdr053]

Go with an '06 or newer. The changes to the frame make for a much better handling bike over the '04's and '05's. I thought the '04's handle pretty good till I rode an '06.

The 250 has better low end than the 200. The 200 runs better when ridden like a 125. But Clay @ MunnRacing can do his magic on the 200 motor to make it more like a John Deere.

Deciding on the 200 or 250 will depend more on your size and your riding style. Both are good bikes.