MXA’S 2023 250 FOUR-STROKE SHOOTOUT VIDEO

The Motocross Action wrecking crew has been riding, racing and testing the 2023 250 four-stroke models for months now and after gathering opinions from test riders of all shapes and sizes we finally compiled the results for our 2023 MXA 250 Four-Stroke Shootout. We don’t care how many AMA Championships a bike wins or how fast the factory 250s look in team videos. Why not? Those bikes are so heavily modified, that they are not comparable to the showroom stock production models. And we test each bike as it rolls off the showroom floor. Yes, we could make one or more of the slower bikes faster by spending money on them–but, of course, we could also make the faster bikes even faster if we spent the same money on them.

Instead, MXA sets up a rigorous test program starting with dynoing and weighing all seven bikes. Next, we have our Pro test riders spend a couple days wringing the seven bikes out in order to get some baseline settings. Then, we start racing all seven bikes, rotating between Novice, Vet, Intermediate and Pro racers (light, heavy, fast and slow)—who have to switch brands from race to race. Finally, what you see on the screen in front of you is not a test session, it is the MXA 250 Four-Stroke Shootout video shoot.

All the data we gathered over the last several months, is collected, collated and analyzed to determine where each bike ranks. We don’t rush to get the tests or shootouts done in one or two days of riding—we take our time and put lots of hours on each bike to make sure we know all there is to know.

The KTM and Husqvarna were all-new for 2023 and the Kawasaki KX250 received a hefty list of engine changes, but Yamaha, GasGas, Honda and Suzuki are unchanged from 2022 (or earlier). Our test riders had their work cut out for them, comparing the updated bikes with the unchanged ones. Watch this video to get our opinion on the pros and cons of each 2023 250 four-stroke motocross bike and then check out our individual test videos and full bikes tests on each bike to learn more about them.