#racing #motorcycle #shootout #dirtbike
Last year was brutal. The 2021 250 MX shootout was the toughest comparison in the 51-year history of Dirt Bike Magazine. The 250 class, or MX2 or Lites, whatever you prefer, had evolved to near parity in performance. Choosing a winner was more about who we asked and where we rode than anything else. Stopwatches and dynos were of no use.Now, the class of ‘22 has arrived and it doesn’t look any easier. As one simple indicator of how close this contest will be, half of the motorcycles in this group roll off the same assembly line. The GasGas MC250F, Husqvarna FC250 and KTM 250SXF all share the same engine and frame, but they are different enough to have separate personalities. Of the other three, only the Honda is dramatically changed for 2022, so all eyes are focused on the battle within a battle between it and the Yamaha YZ250F, which won last year. This year we have no Suzuki RMZ250. Even though it has a number of fans within the Dirt Bike testing crew, we were unable to get a suitable test bike beforehand. It is unchanged so we can defer to the results of the 2021 shootout, which can be found on dirtbikemagazine.com. This year we also broke tradition by running all six bikes in absolutely stock configuration, including tires. In a contest this close, even the smallest differences can have a big impact. When it was all over, here’s what we found.
![[ID: ze56Lf_-alU] Youtube Automatic](https://dirtrider.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/id-ze56lf-alu-youtube-automatic-360x203.jpg)
