Triumph starts an "all-in" assault on the dirtbike world with the TF 250-X, a race-ready MX bike with a "class-leading power to weight ratio and the most complete specification package ever to launch into the ultra-competitive 250cc motocross market."
The British company has spent plenty of time getting muddy with its Tiger series adventure bikes, scramblers and whatnot, but the new machine marks the brand's first proper modern dirt squirter, and Triumph wants you to know it's not planning to do things by halves.
It's a ground-up, clean-sheet 250cc MX racer designed to hit the ground sprinting at the pointy end of the class. It'll be supported by specialist motocross dealers, starting in Europe, Australia and the UK, complete with "a unique 24/7 parts and accessories supply system" to keep bikes running with minimal turnaround time. And Triumph is running factory race teams in the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship and US SuperMotocross World Championship, so there'll be nowhere to hide if it doesn't deliver.
The heart of the beast is a new, "ultra compact and super light" button-start 249.95 cc single with a bore x stroke of 78 x 52.3 mm. With diamond-like low-friction coatings, a forged aluminum piston, and titanium valves, it runs magnesium engine covers to keep weight down, and offers the ability to fiddle with fuel mappings and diagnostics through an optional MX Tune Pro app.
It's held in a twin-cradle aluminum frame and surrounded by running gear that Triumph claims is "unrivalled specification for a production bike in this category." That entails 48 mm KYB AOS coil forks, forged and machined triple clamps, a three-way KYB piggyback shock, brakes from Brembo and Galfer, DirtStar 7000 series aluminum rims with machined aluminum hubs, Pro-Taper carbon core handlebars, Pirelli Scorpion MX32 tires and ODI grips as standard.
Race-ready accessories include a full titanium Akrapovic exhaust system, XTrig holeshot device, Athena launch/traction control module, bodywork replacement kits and the like. There'll also be a full range of riding gear, apparel, motocross and enduro boots.
Wet weight is listed at 104 kg (229 lb), but no power figure is claimed as yet. As our friends at MCNews point out, the class-leading KTM 250 SX weighs about the same and makes a claimed 47 horsepower thanks to a wide 81-mm cylinder bore. It remains to be seen what tricks Triumph has up its sleeve to top that figure using a strokier motor with a 78-mm bore.
“The TF 250-X is an incredible bike," says widely acknowledged GOAT motocross racer and 15-time AMA MX racer Ricky Carmichael, who Triumph brought in from the very beginning of the project, and who worked on the TF 250-X from initial scoping through to prototyping, testing and development. "This is the bike that we set out to build. When you talk about the chassis, the powertrain, the components - it’s the best of everything you could ever want. And whether you’re a professional rider or an amateur rider, you will not be disappointed. I love this bike, it’s been such an honor to part of a project with such an iconic brand.”
The 2024 Triumph TF 250-X is available for pre-order at Triumph dealers now at a retail price of US$9,995, with deliveries starting in Northern Hemisphere spring 2024. Later next year, the company says, we'll see the first enduro variants. Check out a video below.
Source: Triumph
