2022 250 Shootout | In-Depth Report

The calm before the storm.

GASGAS MC 250F vs. Honda CRF250R vs. Husqvarna FC 250 vs. Kawasaki KX250 vs. KTM 250 SX-F vs. Yamaha YZ250F

By the Testing Staff of Swapmoto Live

Photos by Cynthia Rivera

Presented by Fun Bike Center, OGIO Powersports and 805 Beer

Motocross shootouts are always exciting to participate in. Riding every bike back-to-back against the others is often an eye-opening experience and reveals how the intricacies of each machine – even amongst the three Austrian builds – set them apart from the others and give each a unique feel and individual hits and misses. This year, we held our first official day of testing at Perris Raceway with support from the factories and then spent several more weeks testing settings, breaking ties, and evaluating each machine in greater depth than ever before.

While our friends at Suzuki declined to participate in this year’s comparison – both because the 2022 RM-Z 250s were not here yet, and because the bike remains completely unchanged for the third year in a row – we plan to thoroughly test the little yellow machine when it does arrive.

The new player in the 2022 250 Shootout is the GASGAS MC 250F, which was not stateside in time for last year’s comparison, though it returns in ’22 with no changes from last year’s model, just as the KTM 250 SX-F, Husqvarna FC 250, and Kawasaki KX250 do. The most-changed machine is the Honda CRF250R, which is built around a new chassis and features significant engine updates, including a single-sided exhaust. In addition, the Yamaha YZ250F boasts suspension updates and a new rear wheel that consists of a lighter hub, new triple-cross spoke pattern, and a wider rim which allows the use of a 110/90-19 rear Dunlop tire.

Representatives from every manufacturer were on hand during our initial day of testing to help set up the machine ideally for each test rider. Speaking of test riders, we selected a panel that ranged from young to old for their varying heights, weights, speeds, and abilities. For consistency’s sake, we outfitted every bike with Dunlop MX 3S tires so that all of the machines would enjoy ideal traction throughout our testing process.
Please keep in mind that this shootout is a collection of opinions of a group of riders, and we do not profess our ranking to be the end-all, be-all. If you are in the market for a new 2022 250 dirt bike, do the research, take some test rides if possible, and weigh all the personal factors such as locale, ability, height and weight, and potential dealer support before making a decision. All of the 2022 machines are great and can be fine-tuned to your liking. In this feature, we compared the bikes as-is, in bone-stock condition. With a couple of well-chosen mods, any of them could have emerged on top!

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