350 SX-F (MY2023)

The 350 SX-F exists because plenty of fast amateurs are stuck between two bad choices. A 250F makes you shift constantly and fight to keep your momentum up. A 450 can wear you out before the last lap. This one puts 58 hp from 350 cc into a package that still feels like the small bike under you. This generation has a steel frame tuned for anti-squat, so the rear keeps driving forward instead of squatting under hard throttle. The engine sits rotated back to centralize mass. You also get the full electronics suite, with selectable maps, traction control, launch control and an upshift quickshifter.

On the track it makes sense the moment you stop over-revving it. You can short-shift it, carry a gear higher and let the chassis do the work. That saves your body, and that's the whole point of this bike. The WP XACT Air Fork and the fully adjustable shock give you 12.2 in (310 mm) of travel up front and 11.8 in (300 mm) at the rear, plus enough adjustment to set it up for anything from hardpack to deep sand. It's for the serious amateur and the aging fast guy who still want a race bike. The honest caveat: it's a pure motocrosser, tall and thirsty, and it only pays off if you set it up properly and ride it hard.