You don’t have to be a card-carrying member of the Tom Vialle fan club to drool over his bike. It’s based on the standard edition of the KTM 250SX-F, which is the bike that won the 2025 Dirt Bike 250 Motocross Shootout. And, it’s outrageously cool looking. It could pass for the very bike that Tom rides, with its Red Bull graphics, Akrapovic exhaust and cosmetic features. There isn’t always a 250 version of the KTM Factory Edition. The last two years have been an exception. The 250 has joined the regularly announced 450 as a late addition to the current model line.
The KTM Factory Editions are a tradition that started in 2012. Back then, Ryan Dungey was a new acquisition for the Red Bull KTM Factory racing team, and they wanted him on the bike that was scheduled to arrive for 2013. The solution was to come out with a limited run of bikes just to satisfy AMA homologation regulations. Since then, the 450SX-F comes out like clockwork whether or not the bike has any changes, and it’s sometimes joined by the 250. This year’s KTM 250SX-F Factory Edition doesn’t have any major changes to the frame or engine cases, and from that we surmise that the 2026 standard model will be likewise unchanged. Still, it’s a wicked-looking machine with a long list of Factory Edition upgrades:
—Orange frame
—Red Bull KTM Factory Racing graphics
—Orange Selle Dalla Valle seat
—Connectivity Unit Offroad (CUO) with GPS
—LitPro compatibility
—Hinson outer clutch cover
—Akrapovic slip-on muffler
—Orange-anodized split triple clamps
—D.I.D DirtStar rims
—CNC-machined orange-anodized hubs
—WP holeshot device
—Carbon composite skid plate
—Gray ODI lock-on grips
—Orange rear aluminum sprocket
—Carbon-composite brake disc guard
KTM’s Factory Edition program has now been duplicated by other manufacturers. Their special editions are, however, slightly different, and Honda has the only other 250. KTM doesn’t necessarily call the 2025 250SX-F a Vialle replica, but it does have a big number one as a reference to his divisional Supercross title. In Europe, they call it the Adamo Edition as a tribute to Andrea Adamo.
Right now, the KTM Factory Editions are the only production motocross bikes that are being watched by satellite. The Connectivity Unit Offroad is a multi-function feature that has both a Bluetooth transmitter and a GPS receiver. The unit connects to your smartphone through the KTM Connect app where you can use two separate functions. The first is tuning. This is akin to the Yamaha Power Tuner, and it lets you adjust engine parameters. Unlike the Yamaha, the KTM app doesn’t let you alter spark advance, fuel mixture and throttle position individually. Instead, it gives you generalized terms. You can choose between Smooth, Standard or Aggressive power delivery. Then you get to choose between five levels of throttle response, traction control, launch control and Quickshift sensitivity. Downloading your new parameters to the bike can be a little frustrating at first, but eventually it cooperates.
The KTM Connect app has several other tabs that don’t alter anything on the bike. There’s a Suspension tab that gives you guidelines on how to set up the fork and shock, but in the end, you have to do all the adjusting the old-fashioned way. There are other tabs where you can log service and download manuals. But, what really sets this system apart is the Rider tab. This is a subscription service through Litpro that provides data through the GPS connection. Once you sign up, which costs $11.99 a month or $69.99 a year, every ride is logged. The amount of information provided is stunning. After a race or riding session, you can see a map of the track on your phone. Hover on any part of the track and you can see your speed on individual laps, segment times and so forth. LitPro users are familiar with that kind of information, but the KTM app goes a step further by integrating GPS data with telemetry from the bike itself. You can see what gear the bike is in and what rpm the motor is turning. This gives you another tool to improve your performance. Is it better to shift early or rev it out? Is starting in first gear better than starting in second? How early did you get on the gas in that turn? All those answers are there if you want to take the time and analyze your performance. It is information overload, and it’s not for everyone. If you’re young and ambitious, this is a tool that might soon be essential.
Setting aside the telemetry, the look and the prestige of the Factory Edition, the bike is, essentially, just like the bike that won our 2025 250 Motocross Shootout. The only performance-oriented change is the Akrapovic slip-on silencer, which provides slightly improved performance in the upper midrange. Overall, though, that’s already where the KTM excels. The Husqvarna FC250 and GasGas MC250F use the same motor, and those three bikes were the most powerful in the class when we ran them on the Pro Circuit dyno. Most of the others were almost 2 horsepower down on peak. That’s a big advantage in the 250 class, where horsepower takes on disproportionate importance.
We will have more on the KTM 250SXF in the June Print edition of Dirt Bike, so check it out.
PHOTO SHOOT MANIA
I still love doing photo shoots. That’s what got me into the magazine racket 45 years ago and that’s what keeps me going. Here are a few of the photos in upcoming issues and how they came about.
Most of the photos we run in Dirt Bike have some level of artificial light involved. Fran Kuhn started doing that back in the ’80s when he worked for DB, and our boss Roland Hinz liked the look, so it became something we all had to learn. Today it’s much easier than it was in Fran’s time, but it still involves a great deal of set up. For this shot I had to place the remote light on top of my truck’s roof in order to shoot Jared Hicks at Glen Helen on the Husky FC450 Factory edition.
We often have to combine photo shoots. There are about eight or nine test bikes or projects in each issue and time often runs short. The bikes aren’t always particularly well suited for the same location. For the 1994 Honda project CR250R and the Beta Alp X–two bikes that couldn’t be more different–time ran out so we hit one of our secret (read: illegal) spots in Corona. The two shots above are in the same turn. Mark brought a change of clothes and we converted a motocross location into an adventure bike shoot. It’s magic.
The story on the Beta Alp X also featured the Alp 4.0, which was in the possession of Cycle News. Kit Palmer at Cycle News is one of my oldest friends, so sharing a bike was no big deal. Getting the photo was. Kit has a place on a tiny private airport in Borrego Springs, way out in the low desert. I flew there in a light airplane wearing my gear, rode the bike, shot the photo within sight of the runway, and flew home. Riding the bike more extensively would have to wait.
Carson Brown lives up in Washington and makes frequent trips down here for various projects. When he’s here, I try to get the most of him. The KTM 300SX shoot was done the day after the Glen Helen Two-Stroke Championship. The shot below was him just riding the TM 300 for fun. His wife Claire is heavily involved with his social media posts and she often gets right in the middle of the action.
That’s all for this week!