Homepage Bike Tests

Q: FORGET ALL OF THE OTHER QUESTIONS. IS THE 2012 YZ250F BETTER THAN THE 2011 YZ250F? A: Survey says...yes! Yamaha's engineers must have taken MXA 's 2011 YZ250F test to heart (along with the complaints of thousands of YZ250F owners),…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2012 KTM 125SX BETTER THAN THE 2011 125SX? A: We don?t know, because KTM stopped importing the 125SX to the USA four years ago. Still, we know that KTM has made quantum leaps forward since 2008. Q: WHY IS THE…
Read More...

The plight of the Yamaha YZ125 brings a tear to the eye of every MXA test rider. For 14 out of the last 17 years, the YZ125 has been the best 125cc motocross bike made. Unfortunately, with the advent of the 250cc four-stroke, the YZ125 has…
Read More...

As the niche marketing specialist of dirt bike manufacturers, KTM has a wider variety of models than Baskin-Robbins has flavors. However, the model you won?t see at your KTM dealership is a motocross-specific Open class two-stroke. The KTM…
Read More...

Q: IS THE KTM 150SX STILL THE ONLY KTM TIDDLER SOLD IN THE USA? A: No, the KTM 125SX motocross bike is back for 2012. Three years ago, KTM made the 125SX obsolete by introducing an identical motocross bike with more power?the 144SX. After a…
Read More...

Q: WHERE HAS TM BEEN? A: TM's niche in motocross is as an exotic, expensive, boutique brand mixed in among the mega manufacturers. They are like the exotic Italian sports cars of the motocross world. When Americansstarted cinching…
Read More...

There are only three reasons why anyone would want to start an expensive and time-consuming AMA National race team. (1) Winning. The thrill of victory. There's no greater feeling than winning. Garnering victories and championships is…
Read More...

Mike Alessi's KTM 450SXF was the last of the carbureted Mohicans. The petcock will become a thing of the past on the National circuit and KTM SXFs. When KTM asked MXA if we?d like to test the last carbureted 450cc works bike they…
Read More...

You?ve probably heard so much about the 2011-12 KTM 350SXF that your mind is on overload. By some pundits, the KTM 350SXF has been heralded as the second coming, and the ballyhoo was accompanied by a successful race debut in the hands of…
Read More...

Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2012 HONDA CRF250 BETTER THAN THE 2011 CRF250? A: Yes! Is the 2012 Honda CRF250 significantly better than the 2011 model? No. Truth be told, Honda followed their typical strategy of making several minor updates…
Read More...

What's unique about this MXA project bike is that it wasn?t possible a few months ago. In the past, the MXA wrecking crew has had phenomenal success with big-bore engines?with the sole exception of the Honda CRF250. From its…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2012 RM-Z250 BETTER THAN THE 2011 RM-Z250? A: That depends on who you ask. Our aesthetically focused test riders were enamored by the feng shui of the red stripe on the seat cover in relation to the red accents…
Read More...

2011 KTM 250SX. No offense to Kawasaki, Suzuki and Honda, but they aren?t included in this 2011 shootout because they don?t make 250cc two-stroke motocross bikes ( although Suzuki does sell its 2008 RM250 overseas...and has it listed on…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2012 KAWASAKI KX250F BETTER THAN THE 2011 KX250F? A: Yes, resoundingly so! Every MXA test rider, regardless of skill level, immediately fell in love with the 2012 Kawasaki KX250F. All it took was one ride to…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2012 YZ450F BETTER THAN THE 2011 YZ450F? A: That depends on how you define ?better.? It is quieter and the rims are black, but apart from that, the modifications are of the garden-variety type?new mapping, new…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2012 KTM 350SXF BETTER THAN THE 2011 350SXF? A: Yes. Most MXA test riders took a quick glance at the 2012 spec sheet and thought that it was the same-old, same-old. Not true. After their first race, every test…
Read More...

NUMBER ONE: 2010 KTM 450SXF There is only one bike in 2010 that can claim to have the most peak horsepower, most top-end rev, best handling, strongest clutch, most powerful brakes, a no-tool airbox and an electric…
Read More...

There is a point in every motocross racer's life when he believes in magic. No, not voodoo, psychic readings or David Copperfield. Motocrossers cling to the idea of the ?magic motorcycle??the machine that will change them from an also-ran…
Read More...

NUMBER ONE: 2009 KAWASAKI KX450F Unlike the other fuel-injected bikes, which stumble at 8000 rpm, the 2009 Kawasaki KX450F keeps pulling to 9400 rpm. The ?09 KX450F has the second most horsepower in the class and decent…
Read More...

No offense to Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Husqvarna, but in last year's 2009 450 Shootout, the Kawasaki KX450F and KTM 450SXF finished one-two . And, with a full year of R&D behind them, the MXA wrecking crew wanted to take the latest…
Read More...

First, let's get one myth out of the way up front. It is common for modern critics of the 450cc four-stroke to claim that the AMA 500cc National Championship was terminated because bikes like the CR500 and KX500 were too powerful. Not true.…
Read More...

The Honda CRF450, KTM 450SXF, Yamaha YZ450F, KTM 350SXF, Kawasaki KX450F and Suzuki RM-Z450 are all major players in what consumers might well think of as a $8500 crap shoot. It is the MXA wrecking crew's goal to take the gamble out of…
Read More...

Historically, choosing shootout winners is easy for the MXA wrecking crew. We race the bikes every weekend for six months, switch back and forth (sometimes between motos), try every possible gearing and suspension combination,…
Read More...

Pity the poor fool who enters headstrong and dimwitted into the 2011 motocross fray. For the uninitiated, the motocross world is a confusing maelstrom of conflicting information?made all the worse by the rapid expansion of avenues of…
Read More...

Let's cut to the chase, which in Hollywood parlance means let's skip ahead to the action-packed part of this horse opera. You don?t need to be the Amazing Kreskin to realize that motocross racers read shootouts for three…
Read More...

Pro Circuit /Kawasaki rider Dean Wilson had a fruitful freshman season in 2010. Although he didn?t win a title, the Scotch-Canadian-American won races and put himself in a position to win championships both indoors and in the Nationals.…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2012 SUZUKI RM-Z450 BETTER THAN THE 2011 RM-Z450? A: Not unless the red stripe down the seat cover has some technical edge that we are unaware of. Q: WHAT DID SUZUKI CHANGE ON THE 2012 RM-Z450? A: When we tell…
Read More...

Q: FIRST AND FOREMOST, IS THE 2012 KX450F BETTER THAN THE 2011 KX450F? A: Yes. Always known as an ?engine company,? Kawasaki has finally begun to make some headway on its weak points. Q: HAS THE KX450F IMPROVED SINCE ITS 2006 INTRODUCTION?…
Read More...