Photo: KTM
It's a busy time for the Austrians over at KTM, who this month alone announced revamps for not one, but two of their most impressive motorcycle families. At the beginning of the month, we got the 2025 SX and SX-F in their newest incarnation, and now it's time for the XC and XC-F to get pretty much the same treatment.
The XC range of motorcycles is part of the Cross Country family of two-wheelers that includes both two-stroke (the XC) and four-stroke machines (the XC-F). They've all been upgraded with features taken from the bike maker's racing program, and that makes the motorcycles, in KTM's view, “the most ready to race cross-country motorcycle line-up to date."
As a side note, that's pretty much what KTM said about the SX and SX-F when it unveiled them earlier in April. That's not a simple coincidence, but a reality fueled by the fact the changes are very much similar across the two families.
The upgrades started with the alteration of the frame, which now comes with visible cutouts and a different tube-wall thicknesses in the headstock, engine mount, and rear shock areas.
These modifications should improve chassis flex, but also to cut down weight – not by much, as only 300 grams were shaved this way. As per KTM, the new design does not impact overall stability and cornering behavior in a negative way.
KTM installed a WP XACT closed cartridge spring fork at the front and a linkage shock of the same make at the rear. The shock is different from what came before, as it comes with a setup "taken directly from the KTM Factory Racing Team" - updated linkage, new seals, and smaller diameter linkage bolts.
The shock is backed by a new swingarm that features a machined chain slider to help with mud dissipation. The rear brake pedal was modified as well, now boasting better resistance to bending.
The visual modifications made to the KTM XC and XC-F for the new model year are, at the same time, functional. There are new tank shrouds made of bi-composite plastics to help with cooling, a refreshed fuel tank mount that doubles as a protector for the frame against wear and scrubbing, and a one-piece inlet sleeve that prevents deformation. The color scheme on the bike is the usual KTM orange with black in-mold graphics.
Just like the SX, the XC too gets for the first time the Connectivity Unit Offroad (CUO) system that links to the KTMconnect app.
The 2025 KTM XC and XC-F models (comprising the 125, 250, 300 two-strokes and the 250, 350, 450 four-strokes) will become available on dealers' lots in May. The bike maker did not reveal pricing for the updated bikes.
As a side note, that's pretty much what KTM said about the SX and SX-F when it unveiled them earlier in April. That's not a simple coincidence, but a reality fueled by the fact the changes are very much similar across the two families.
The upgrades started with the alteration of the frame, which now comes with visible cutouts and a different tube-wall thicknesses in the headstock, engine mount, and rear shock areas.
These modifications should improve chassis flex, but also to cut down weight – not by much, as only 300 grams were shaved this way. As per KTM, the new design does not impact overall stability and cornering behavior in a negative way.
KTM installed a WP XACT closed cartridge spring fork at the front and a linkage shock of the same make at the rear. The shock is different from what came before, as it comes with a setup "taken directly from the KTM Factory Racing Team" - updated linkage, new seals, and smaller diameter linkage bolts.
The shock is backed by a new swingarm that features a machined chain slider to help with mud dissipation. The rear brake pedal was modified as well, now boasting better resistance to bending.
The visual modifications made to the KTM XC and XC-F for the new model year are, at the same time, functional. There are new tank shrouds made of bi-composite plastics to help with cooling, a refreshed fuel tank mount that doubles as a protector for the frame against wear and scrubbing, and a one-piece inlet sleeve that prevents deformation. The color scheme on the bike is the usual KTM orange with black in-mold graphics.
Just like the SX, the XC too gets for the first time the Connectivity Unit Offroad (CUO) system that links to the KTMconnect app.
The 2025 KTM XC and XC-F models (comprising the 125, 250, 300 two-strokes and the 250, 350, 450 four-strokes) will become available on dealers' lots in May. The bike maker did not reveal pricing for the updated bikes.
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