'10 TC 250 versus '09 TXC 250 in the woods.

Got up at the crack of dawn this morning to ride both bikes on the same loop and do some serious comparison. It was 28 degrees. Back to bed.

Got up at 9:30 AM. 35 Degrees. Go to the gas station to get some coffee, come back and shoot the breeze with Mom till 10:30 when it finally gets above 40. I'm a weather wimp! Anyway, I can tolerate 40 degrees with Under Armor and a neck warmer.

I picked a familiar "loop" consisting of tight but old man friendly single trails, some rock and root and rut infested double trails, about 2 miles of wide open rail beds, and a section of power line right of way that is a mix of WOT territory and rocky woops with lots of mini lakes with muddy bottoms. Nice stuff to compare these two bikes.

The TC went first. As I've said in previous posts, I've quickly developed a bond with this bike. Jumped on, applied choke, one quick throttle twist, a firm but smooth "kick through" from one click beyond TDC and FIRE! One kick in 40 degree weather.

Again, as I've already mentioned, this bike feels like a 125! It feels at home in any terrain and it can be tossed into and out of any situation the rider chooses with very little effort. Today was the first day I really felt comfortable wringing it out on the open fire roads and it pulled strong through all the gears. It'll launch the front wheel in the first 3 gears with my fat a$$ on it. In the singles, it gives away the fact that it's an MX bike as the steeper 1st gear makes lugging a bit of a chore. On the double, its in its element with ample power whenever needed by simply being in the right gear and twisting the throttle with very little clutch intervention. Since the suspension isn't broken in yet, it got a little jumpy (pogo sticky) on bigger rocks, but the lighter weight made it easy to deal with.

There were a few times when I purposely put the bikes into a turn-around situation that required a dismount while running, just to see how easy it was to pull and push your way out of a obstacle and turn it the other direction, jump back on and go! The TC was the hands-down winner in this test.

I must say, while I'm totally enamored by the TC, I think there are a few vices I've noticed that betray the fact that its an MX bike and not a purpose built woods racer: First, as I've mentioned, taking off from a standstill in rough terrain takes some creative clutch work in first gear. I'm guessing this is because the tranny ratio is different than a typical woods bike (I haven't checked the actual ratios yet). Second, this bike needs a steering damper to help calm it down on moderately rough, but higher speed terrain (wider doubles with rocks and roots). In the short time I've owned it, I've become spoiled by the Motosportz damper I installed on the TXC.

Next up, the TXC...

Since owning the TC, every time I mount the TXC I'm immediately aware of the additional weight. It's apparent by just holding the bike and leaning it around to turn on the gas and apply the choke. For the sake of apples to apples comparison, I kick the TXC with choke and no throttle and it fires on the first kick. Naturally, for the old fat men brigade, E-start is a HUGE factor on any bike. The fact that the TXC has E-start will sway many to ignore the TC. I didn't use E-start at all during the compare-O ride.

Aside from weight, the next most obvious differences between the two bikes is the TXC's smoother, more linear (albeit less) power and it's ease of launching from a standstill in first. These two attributes made the bike less of a chore to ride in tight singles (even with the additional weight).

On boulders and ruts and roots, the TXC's additional weight and broken-in suspension made the bike feel a tad more "sure footed"... as long as I picked a good line! A few times however, I launched the TXC into a line that wasn't really what I thought, and I immediately started wishing I was on the TC again so I could flick my way into something more tolerable. Sure, I would have pogo'd my way into the new line on the TC, but it wouldn't have felt like I was trying to navigate a bulldozer through the grand canyon like with the TXC. It was a mixed bag for me in this terrain. Both bikes had attributes that made them desirable. As of today, I think I'd give a slight nod to the TXC in this terrain. But as the TC's suspension mellows, I may have a different opinion. Stay tuned.

On wide open rail beds, the TC will rip the face off the TXC. Not too much else to be said. A steering damper would make the TC's rocket ship performance seem a bit less dramatic at 40+ MPH, but it's hard to beat the adrenaline rush the TC gives at WOT.

At this point, having limited experience on the TC, I'm not ready to declare it the panacea of woods bikes... which only makes sense since it's an MX bike!!! Duh. The light weight package makes an old guy like me feel more confident than I really deserve to. I love both bikes and it's really hard for me to declare an outright favorite for all conditions.

It will be really interesting to see how the 2010 TXC stacks up. I can't wait till I hear some ride reports from new TXC owners. I'm still convinced that the '09 TXC's are presently one of the greatest dirt bike values on the market with the ridiculously low prices they can be had for. Based on my ownership experiences with the '09, I would not hesitate for a minute to recommend one to anyone. But the same can now be said for the TC 250.

TC Pros:

• Lightweight!
• Excellent maneuvering/handling
• Strong motor, exciting WOT performance
• Excellent brakes

TC Cons:

• Needs a steering damper
• 1st gear, standstill take-offs can be challenging on rough terrain.

TXC Pros:

• Linear, predictable power
• Better standstill, first gear take-off
• E-start

TXC Cons:

• Heavy
• Feels like a plow during quick maneuvers.

Finally... based on my experience thus far... DON'T believe all the "hard starting" stories about the TC 250 you may see on the net. After changing the pilot to a 40 (from 35) and adding a flex jet fuel screw and tweaking it to 1.5 turns, my TC starts in 1 kick cold and 1 to 4 kicks hot using the following methods:

Cold: Choke out, one quick twist of WOT to pump some gas into the throat, firm, smooth, slow "kick through". NOT short 2-stroke stabs and don't try to knock the foot peg off with a fast, overly aggressive kick stroke.

Hot: NO throttle! Same firm smooth kick through. Usually fires on the first or second kick. If not, pull hot start button, usually fires in one kick. Be prepared to deactivate the hot start quickly.

Sounds like the TC with a revalve and a rekluse would be the ticket.

But my 09' wr144 will blow away both!:smirk:

From what I've heard so far, looks like TXC250 is now a TE250 sans street equipment, but better forks. One I heard about, was delivered with crazy resticted air filter cage. They haven't pulled the mid pipe yet to check for the cat.

This is taken directly from my 2010 manual. According to the manual, this is the filter for the TE only. The filter for the TC and TXC is the more conventional, wide open spoke cage.

'10 TXC250 has that cage installed and conventional one in parts box.

I see. What the heck are they thinking with that monstrosity? How much air could possibly pass through that thing????

i'd hate to hear what you think of my 510 (that i ride tight ST and woods in every weekend ) if you think the 250 is a bulldozer ! nice review indeed ....i just need to find out whats what in comparison to Aussie models.. we need to have a road legal bike here (bloody taxation !) to ride forests as i would rather have a focused woods bike that an enduro, but its a great enduro at that !

as you were !

The bulldozer comment was based on comparing both 250's. Compared to the '10 TC, pretty much everything except a 125 will feel like a bulldozer.

How smooth is the engine between the bikes. Any more or fewer vibes at the handlebar level.

NC

Both are similar in the vibration department. The 2010 may have a tad bit more in the low RPM's.

A rider here on cafehusky, I think raisrx, thinks his 2010 TXC250 has the same gears as the TC but a sixth gear on top. Do you still think that 1st gear isn't quite low enough for the tight woods? I need a low first for the tight trails in the PNW and a too tall 1st can be a deal killer. IIRC, you said that 1st is definitely taller on your new TC compared to your old TC right?

NC

I'd stop short of saying it's too tall. It's workable with a little clutch finesse. My main concern was taking off from a standstill on steep and rough terrain.

Hey Krieg, I bought the 09 TXC 250 from Scott, I'm picking it up tomorrow, reading your review helped me decide. Toy tech now has BMW financing. Thanks,Dave.

Hi Dave, I'm sure you'll love the TXC. Great to hear that a forum brother scored that bike. I'm also sure you'll get great service from Toy Tech. Enjoy!

Hey Krieg, Took bike out for 5 hours yesterday. Worked fantastic! We were riding all around Hazeltown. I am so glad I got the 250 instead of 510. That would have been too much for me. Im also glad you like your TC. Dave.

I know you'll love that bike Dave. Perfect bike for the woods of PA.

Well, now I'm curious to hear Jake's comparison ride between his 2008 TXC 250 and Kelly's 2010 TXC 250. Jake? Also, inquiring minds want Kelly comparison opinion. Kelly?