KTM 250 EXC 6 days 2014 — Specifications

Six days. More than a thousand kilometres. Forty hours in the saddle on terrain that would break any ill-prepared machine. The International Six Days Enduro is not a race — it is a brutal rite of passage, and every year, more than half of the five hundred riders from thirty countries choose to face it on a KTM. That is not coincidence; it is trust earned in rocks and mud.

The 2014 KTM 250 EXC Six Days embodies this philosophy without compromise. Its 249 cc two-stroke single breathes differently from other EXC models, thanks to a Boyesen reed valve system and a reworked cylinder head that improves responsiveness in the mid-range. The engine's real asset is its versatility: power builds cleanly from low revs, without any abruptness, and a simple connector allows switching between two ignition maps depending on whether the terrain calls for surgical precision or all-out attack. Riders looking to refine things further can opt for a handlebar-mounted switch via the PowerParts catalogue. Few two-strokes offer this level of personalisation without touching the engine internals.

At 101.9 kg dry, it is not heavy for such a well-equipped machine. The chrome-molybdenum steel tubular frame combines longitudinal rigidity with torsional compliance — qualities that are essential when the terrain descends into chaos. The 48 mm WP fork with 4CS technology — four chambers, closed cartridge, compression adjustment on the left and rebound on the right — delivers 292 mm of travel with a level of tuning accessibility that conventional cartridge forks simply cannot match. The rear WP monoshock provides 335 mm of stroke. The cast aluminium swingarm, optimised through numerical simulation, rounds out the package with a revised chain guide for 2014, both lighter and more reliable.

The Brembo brakes also received a meaningful update: new front master cylinder with a reduced-diameter piston, optimised lever kinematics, and Toyo B169 sintered pads. The front disc measures 260 mm, the rear 220 mm. On paper it reads conventional; on the rocky terrain of Sardinia where the 2013 edition was held, it can mean the difference between finishing on the bike and finishing on foot. The Giant aluminium 7050 rims with CNC-machined hubs and Maxxis FIM tyres complete a rolling package built to last, not merely to impress in the paddock.

What truly sets this Six Days series apart from the standard version is the collection of details that make a serious competition machine: Camel SXS seat, skid plate, carbon protection on the exhaust, anthracite anodised silencer, Neken tapered handlebar with four mounting positions, dual-compound handguards, MAE speedometer. Nothing is superfluous. At €8,710, this is the price of a machine already prepared to suffer with dignity, not a weekend toy. The intermediate to advanced rider seeking a road-homologated competition enduro with genuine heritage will find a clear answer here. The beginner, however, should look elsewhere: 960 mm of seat height and a sharp two-stroke are not things you simply tame.