Very impressive on climbing that stuff with the air-cooled 250! I know what it's like because I had a '99 XR250R for nearly 20 years, and recently sold it. I probably should have kept it, nothing was wrong with it. But I want a new bike! My XR250R was "uncorked", jetted/piped/no snorkel, and it ran great. Lots of low-end torque, and a snappy mid-range, but absolutely zero top end. I finally started noticing how antiquated the design was, so I'm wanting to get a GPX and try that out. Looks like yours has no problem with that single track! Oh yeah, and if I'm remembering correctly, I paid at least 4k for my XR brand new back in '99, seems like it was a little over 4k.
What would be nice is to see a cross reference of parts. Example: if the engine is copied from the XR250, are there any Honda parts that will work? Or will KTM forks and shocks bolt on? You, Meeker and LCARS do a wonderful job showing the capabilities and Pitser Pro seams commited...Maybe you all can create a parts spec list. I covered the whole "You shouldn't support China" over on LCARS. Maybe Pitster Pro could contract some American companies to do the same thing. I will not buy a GPX even though I want to. But I would pay a little more if maybe 50% was made here.
While I did compare it to the XR250s engine it has no mechanical relation at all. This motor is a totally unique design but they did make quite a little gem. KTM forks and shocks will bolt on with little to no hassle but honestly most people don't see a reason to. They compare quite nicely to my Beta's forks. They can also be rebuilt with KTM seals. Sadly there is just no manufacturing in the US for Dirt bike anything our last company was ATK and really they used Austrian engines and Engineers. Now there are some new electric bike companies starting up but even they primarily use China along with KTM, Beta, Husky, and the Japanese bikes. The US just doesn't manufacture any of those parts. So we have a choice to buy a foreign bike no matter what. Even then they all use a ton of China parts. I'd be all for a true American dirt bike but we don't have one.
@@pharettface its a shame HD killed alta. alta looked very promising. Its our own governments fault, thats why we need to be more proactive as Americans. And don't get me wrong, I'm not a hater just to hate. I logically hate....lol...If nothing else, the 4 or 5 of you on youtube expose the mainstream for their outrageous prices. You can't tell me that Honda or Yamaha can't make a quality affordable woods bike. The closest is the YZ250FX at $9k.
@@jonwoodworker That is a really good point. A lot of us own all the brands and are just so tired of very expensive bikes feeling like a disappointment at that price point. Really these "high quality" Chinese bikes are a wake up call to a lazy and demanding market of manufactures taking advantage of consumers. It'll only be a few more years till these China bikes are taking over the Japanese Market especially.
I agree we shouldn't support China, but these days it's nearly impossible. Almost all consumer goods are either made in China or contain parts made in China, including parts in your car or truck, computers, appliances, etc, the list goes on.
@@pharettface Well hopefully the distributor in Utah and the GPX factory will continue to improve. I really like the Utah shop's website where you can order parts and accessories right from them, and the bikes too, in the crate shipped to your door. That's a big plus as well. Good business model and I hope it continues to do well.
Thank you so much for the video! As a long time street rider who has little to no trail or dirt experience, I am debating between the FSE 250e versus the FSE 250s. The 37-in seat height on the E version seems pretty tall to me, especially as I'm 5'10" with a 31" inseam AND closing in on 60. The S version is available with the 21/18 optional wheel kit that brings the stick S seat height up to approximately 35". Just wondering if you or any of the other commenters have any opinions on the 37 inch seat height of the E versus the 35" of the S with the optional wheels versus the 34" of the stock S version. Thank you so much in advance for any advice!
With sag set properly its not too tall. I am 5' 7" and while tall I can comfortably get on it and ride I don't think you'd have an issue. The E model has a better frame suspension setup and geometry. I think it would be worth it. For real dirt riding a 21 18 makes your life a lot easier. If all else fails you can lower the E model too.
I hardly want to rebuild a 2012 kx450f i have sitting around. I couldn't see myself taking the time to rebuild a 2012 Chinese bike, this same lack of desire to put the effort in the kawasaki will be the end of all China bikes and atv's. Eventually they will not be worth the repairs.
I think the issue is that we just think of them as Chinese bikes. In reality this bike is no different to tear down and rebuild than any other bike. I absolutely would these bikes are better in a lot of ways than many of the Japanese bikes I've had over the years. As the China bikes start to make more of a name for themselves I think this view is going to change a lot.
@@pharettface I gave China a chance and purchased a new 21 Uforce 1000. It's a squeaky, leaky rattling brittle plastic, belt burning made in China nightmare. They've definitely made a name for themselves here in Grand County Colorado.
One company is not the same as every company. You can't lump all Chinese made bikes into that category over a company who is known QC issues and that isn't even a Dirt bike. You want to be mad at that company go for it but that is a far cry from the quality GPX Moto is putting out. Everything is made in china Honda CRF 300L is China made (Thailand technically but pretty much the same). It all comes down to the company who has control over the factory and how they manage the quality. Pretty much everything you buy is a gamble on what ever Chinese factory it comes from.
@@pharettface I have Japanese bikes that were made in Thailand, and Japanese bikes that were made in Japan, not the same quality. GPX along with the rest of China are ripping off the world with these inferior copy cat clones.
@@Dat_Sun Assembled in Japan but definitely not all Japanese parts. GPX isn't really a clone of anything beyond its plastics. Unique, frames, engines, and suspensions. I can't say I feel ripped off owning 4 GPX moto bikes side by side with my Italian, Spanish, and Japanese bikes. The quality of GPX is very comparable to Japanese bikes but with better suspensions and more powerful engines. They match the $6k price tag they have. We put over 300 hours on the TSE 250 and it did fantastic.
Dang those are dream trails.
The rzrs haven't tore the dirt off so the only thing left is rock.....like they've done around here.
Honestly I would love to see a razor try jacks. Just so I could watch it tumble off the mountain.
Fantastic review!
Very impressive on climbing that stuff with the air-cooled 250! I know what it's like because I had a '99 XR250R for nearly 20 years, and recently sold it. I probably should have kept it, nothing was wrong with it. But I want a new bike! My XR250R was "uncorked", jetted/piped/no snorkel, and it ran great. Lots of low-end torque, and a snappy mid-range, but absolutely zero top end. I finally started noticing how antiquated the design was, so I'm wanting to get a GPX and try that out. Looks like yours has no problem with that single track! Oh yeah, and if I'm remembering correctly, I paid at least 4k for my XR brand new back in '99, seems like it was a little over 4k.
What would be nice is to see a cross reference of parts. Example: if the engine is copied from the XR250, are there any Honda parts that will work? Or will KTM forks and shocks bolt on? You, Meeker and LCARS do a wonderful job showing the capabilities and Pitser Pro seams commited...Maybe you all can create a parts spec list. I covered the whole "You shouldn't support China" over on LCARS. Maybe Pitster Pro could contract some American companies to do the same thing. I will not buy a GPX even though I want to. But I would pay a little more if maybe 50% was made here.
While I did compare it to the XR250s engine it has no mechanical relation at all. This motor is a totally unique design but they did make quite a little gem. KTM forks and shocks will bolt on with little to no hassle but honestly most people don't see a reason to. They compare quite nicely to my Beta's forks. They can also be rebuilt with KTM seals. Sadly there is just no manufacturing in the US for Dirt bike anything our last company was ATK and really they used Austrian engines and Engineers. Now there are some new electric bike companies starting up but even they primarily use China along with KTM, Beta, Husky, and the Japanese bikes. The US just doesn't manufacture any of those parts. So we have a choice to buy a foreign bike no matter what. Even then they all use a ton of China parts. I'd be all for a true American dirt bike but we don't have one.
@@pharettface its a shame HD killed alta. alta looked very promising. Its our own governments fault, thats why we need to be more proactive as Americans. And don't get me wrong, I'm not a hater just to hate. I logically hate....lol...If nothing else, the 4 or 5 of you on youtube expose the mainstream for their outrageous prices. You can't tell me that Honda or Yamaha can't make a quality affordable woods bike. The closest is the YZ250FX at $9k.
@@jonwoodworker That is a really good point. A lot of us own all the brands and are just so tired of very expensive bikes feeling like a disappointment at that price point. Really these "high quality" Chinese bikes are a wake up call to a lazy and demanding market of manufactures taking advantage of consumers. It'll only be a few more years till these China bikes are taking over the Japanese Market especially.
I agree we shouldn't support China, but these days it's nearly impossible. Almost all consumer goods are either made in China or contain parts made in China, including parts in your car or truck, computers, appliances, etc, the list goes on.
@@pharettface Well hopefully the distributor in Utah and the GPX factory will continue to improve. I really like the Utah shop's website where you can order parts and accessories right from them, and the bikes too, in the crate shipped to your door. That's a big plus as well. Good business model and I hope it continues to do well.
Thank you so much for the video! As a long time street rider who has little to no trail or dirt experience, I am debating between the FSE 250e versus the FSE 250s. The 37-in seat height on the E version seems pretty tall to me, especially as I'm 5'10" with a 31" inseam AND closing in on 60. The S version is available with the 21/18 optional wheel kit that brings the stick S seat height up to approximately 35". Just wondering if you or any of the other commenters have any opinions on the 37 inch seat height of the E versus the 35" of the S with the optional wheels versus the 34" of the stock S version. Thank you so much in advance for any advice!
With sag set properly its not too tall. I am 5' 7" and while tall I can comfortably get on it and ride I don't think you'd have an issue. The E model has a better frame suspension setup and geometry. I think it would be worth it. For real dirt riding a 21 18 makes your life a lot easier. If all else fails you can lower the E model too.
How much horsepower does this 250E have?
I'd say around 20hp. Pretty standard for a air cooled 250
I hardly want to rebuild a 2012 kx450f i have sitting around. I couldn't see myself taking the time to rebuild a 2012 Chinese bike, this same lack of desire to put the effort in the kawasaki will be the end of all China bikes and atv's. Eventually they will not be worth the repairs.
I think the issue is that we just think of them as Chinese bikes. In reality this bike is no different to tear down and rebuild than any other bike. I absolutely would these bikes are better in a lot of ways than many of the Japanese bikes I've had over the years. As the China bikes start to make more of a name for themselves I think this view is going to change a lot.
@@pharettface I gave China a chance and purchased a new 21 Uforce 1000. It's a squeaky, leaky rattling brittle plastic, belt burning made in China nightmare. They've definitely made a name for themselves here in Grand County Colorado.
One company is not the same as every company. You can't lump all Chinese made bikes into that category over a company who is known QC issues and that isn't even a Dirt bike. You want to be mad at that company go for it but that is a far cry from the quality GPX Moto is putting out. Everything is made in china Honda CRF 300L is China made (Thailand technically but pretty much the same). It all comes down to the company who has control over the factory and how they manage the quality. Pretty much everything you buy is a gamble on what ever Chinese factory it comes from.
@@pharettface I have Japanese bikes that were made in Thailand, and Japanese bikes that were made in Japan, not the same quality.
GPX along with the rest of China are ripping off the world with these inferior copy cat clones.
@@Dat_Sun Assembled in Japan but definitely not all Japanese parts. GPX isn't really a clone of anything beyond its plastics. Unique, frames, engines, and suspensions. I can't say I feel ripped off owning 4 GPX moto bikes side by side with my Italian, Spanish, and Japanese bikes. The quality of GPX is very comparable to Japanese bikes but with better suspensions and more powerful engines. They match the $6k price tag they have. We put over 300 hours on the TSE 250 and it did fantastic.