90 | JANUARY 2018 http://www.adbmag.com.auturns on a dime and makes a direction
change but that’s his riding style. They
have two different riding styles and, as
a result, two different bike set-ups but
both are fast.”
In terms of suspension, the riders run
totally different settings with Cairoli
opting for a 4.7 spring up front with a
50kg spring at the rear due to a different
linkage that gives a more progressive
feel. Herlings is running a standard
linkage; his spring is 48kg with much
harder forks at 4.9. Two years ago on his
MX2 bike, Herlings ran 4.4/45 and last
year, with a different linkage ran 4.6/54
by comparison.
As a result, and in a weird way, this
is exactly how you want a factory bike
to be; powerful, uncontrollable,
phenomenally fast, something that
stands out from the crowd, something
that you can never own or ever want to
ride for more than a lap, despite just
having had the most thrilling and
exhilarating lap of your life. For some,
this kind of bike comes at a price, and
we are not just talking about the price
tag, but more about the physical
exertion needed to control it.
Herlings has upped his game, he has
put in the hours, he is fitter and
stronger than ever and certainly much
fitter than he was at the start of the
season. This bike is unique to him, and
how he races it week-in week-out
beggar’s belief. But it works for him and
as a double-act and they are perfectly
matched.Got something to say about this yarn?
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More images and info at adbmag.com.auFACTORY TEST I RED BULL KTM
Pauls
Jonass’
250SX-F
KTM has led the way in the smaller
division since 2000, picking up a
staggering 13 world titles in the 125cc
class or MX2 but, just to be clear, that
amounts to 10 titles with the 250SX-F in
the last 14 years. With Herlings vacating
the class, teammate Pauls Jonass duly
picked up where he left off in what was
an impressive season for the Latvian.
In the 19-round series PJ41 stood on the
podium 15 times, 12 of those being in
succession. There were 14 moto wins
along the way.
If you have watched Jonass closely you
will see that while he stands frequently,
he also tends to sit quite a lot and this
determines how the new world champion
goes about getting his 250SX-F set up.
With new trainer Marc De Reuver in his
corner, Jonass is learning to get off the
seat a little more but some things you
cannot change.
Not that that’s bad, far from it. He still
prefers his Renthal Fatbar (827) to sit low
in the clamps, except this year it seemed
to be much lower than previously. For a
taller guy it feels slightly alien to ride
with a low handlebar and you tend to feel
slightly off-balance, particularly in the
turns. What’s strange is that PJ is not a
short guy so for him to prefer that set-up
is a little strange. But it works for him.
Maybe it’s a simple case of this being his
setting when he first stepped up to MX2
and despite a growth spurt, still feels this
works to his advantage, which would
make more sense.
When you look at all the available
information, it’s clear that his set-up is
not too dissimilar to that of TC222, in that
he uses the same Renthal bend, same
linkage as TC222 and same rear spring as
the nine-time champ, opting to use a
50kg at the rear. The only difference here
is a slightly softer fork spring at 4.6.
PJ’s engine is very well balanced; it is
strong right off the bottom and continues
to pull right the way through the range. It
has an incredible spread of power and,
once again, third gear is what makes this
thing tick. It is and always has been its
strong point, with the main advantage
being you don’t have to constantly keep
going up and down the gearbox to get
around the track effectively, leaving the
rider to just concentrate on his riding. It
turns well, handles impeccably and does
everything you expect from a bike that
has just won the world championship.250SX-F spex
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC, four-valve
DISPLACEMENT: 249.9cc
BORE & STROKE: 78 x 52.3mm
STARTING: Electric
TRANSMISSION: Five-speed, constant mesh
IGNITION: Athena
PISTON: Pankl
FUELLING: Keihin EFI
FINAL DRIVE: Jonass 14:53/Prado Garcia 14:52
COOLING: Liquid
CLUTCH: Brembo hydraulic actuation, Hinson
wet multiplate
CHASSIS/SUBFRAME: Chrome molybdenum/
titanium
HANDLEBARS: Renthal Fatbar 827SEATS: Selle Dalla Valle, Jonass OEM shape/
Prado lowered
FRONT/REAR SUSPENSION: WP Cone Valve 52
USD fork/WP Trax monoshock, Jonass 4.6/50,
Prado Garcia 4.6/48
TRAVEL: 310/300mm
FRONT/REAR BRAKES: Brembo discs
260mm/220mm
WHEELS: Takasago Excel rims (1.60 x 21”/2.15
x 19”) laced to Kite hubs
FRONT/REAR TYRES: Pirelli 80/100-
21”/120/80-19”
SILENCER: Akrapovic titanium
FILTERS: TwinAir
TANK CAPACITY: 7L (approx.)
WEIGHT: 98.2kg (no fuel, approx.)