2024 · Enduro · Buyer's Guide
Two-Stroke ISDE Factory Weapon
This is the ISDE-themed build of KTM's 250 two-stroke enduro, and the special-edition parts are the ones that actually matter on a trail. The closed-cartridge WP fork, machined triple clamps and orange powder-coated frame back up the Six Days Argentina graphics with real hardware. Throttle body injection feeds the 249 cc single, and the payoff is a clean, metered throttle pickup with usable pull from low revs instead of a light switch. 46 hp and 28 lb-ft in a chassis this narrow puts it at the sharp end of competition enduro, and the mass sits low and centered rather than hung out at the ends.
This is a race bike with a plate holder, and it ages the way race bikes do: hard parts hold up well, consumables go fast, and the whole thing rewards an owner who actually turns wrenches. The suspension is fully adjustable at both ends, so it can be dialed for a 150 lb woods rider or a heavier desert pace, and the aftermarket catalog is deep enough to build it into almost anything. The honest caveat is the 37.8 in seat and the 2.4 gal tank. Short riders and long days both get punished, and nothing about the ergonomics apologizes for it.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 46 hp (34 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 28 lb-ft (38 Nm) |
| Displacement | 249 cc |
| Engine | Single-cylinder |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front tire | 90/90-21 |
| Rear tire | 140/80-18 |
| Ground clearance | 13.7 in (347 mm) |
| Front travel | 11.8 in (300 mm) |
| Rear travel | 12.2 in (310 mm) |
| Seat height | 37.8 in (960 mm) |
| Fuel capacity | 2.4 gal (9 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Lighting
You feel the two-stroke bark through the bars before you feel it anywhere else, a hard metallic crack that goes flat and clean the moment the revs come up. It is loud in a way that four-strokes have trained people out of expecting. The seat is a plank, the bars sit high, and standing feels more natural than sitting within about a mile, which is the point. Vibration is present but it is the sharp, high-frequency kind that lives in your palms rather than the lumpy shake that numbs your feet. What surprises most riders is how little the bike weighs on you. Picking it up out of a rut, hopping the back end around a tree, dabbing and going again, all of it costs less effort than the numbers suggest. At road pace it feels busy and short-geared, and it never lets you forget where it would rather be.
New air filter design incompatible with previous models
The redesigned airbox uses a different air filter shape, meaning existing spare filters from older KTM/Husqvarna/GASGAS models do not fit. A new stash must be purchased.
Non-standard rear axle nut requires new tool
The 2024 model uses a larger rear axle nut, making previous wrenches useless. Owners need to buy a new tool for wheel changes.
Where this KTM 250 EXC TBI Sixdays pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the 250 EXC TBI Sixdays is actually built for.
For slickrock, ledges and sand where line choice matters more than speed, this is the right tool. Just plan around the 2.4 gal tank, because Moab distances and a two-stroke's thirst don't get along.
Made for Bar M / Kane Creek · Imperial Sand Dunes · Johnson Valley OHV Area
It has the suspension and the hard parts to hold up on a track, and the light feel translates well. But this is tuned for enduro traction and grip, not for MX jump faces and a moto's worth of pinned laps.
Made for Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area · Fox Raceway at Pala · Glen Helen Raceway
Wrong bike for a BDR. The 2.4 gal range, the plank seat and the 37.8 in height make multi-day route work miserable, no matter how well it handles the hardest ten percent of the trail.
Made for AZBDR — Arizona Backcountry Discovery Route · California BDR South · COBDR — Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
