TE/TC First ride - Trail Tech TE250i EFI 2 stroke

Well I did it, I knocked the shiny off that amazing TE250i build. the bike is as good as it looks. I'll add a bunch more as I have time but there is the quicky review.

For reference I rode a 2017 TE250 all year last year and that same bike was along for this ride so we did some back to back. Neither bike is stock and both have had the suspensions done.

Build info for this bike is here...

http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/im-building-a-decked-out-2018-te250i.88141/page-3#post-635165

Motor / EFI:

I know this is going to be the most asked questions so lets dive right in. I like it. First off I see no down side so far other than complexity of the machine itself. In us it is like the best jetted carb ever. Starts very easy (no throttle needed) and idles crazy low and steady. Motor is not stock as it has a FMF Gnarly and spark arrested muffler. Response is very nice, bike runs pretty much perfect all the time. No bog, no pinging, no hesitation, no run on. Runs perfect.

BTW zero spooge out the muffler and it does not really smoke after it warms up. I ahve not checked MPG but think it is going to be very good based on how far I went and how much fuel is left.

Power:

Like the 2017 the bottom end is slightly soft like all the balanced motors seem to be. As the bike got a few miles on it I did notice more bottom end. The mid and top end are borderline to much. This bike is FAST. Its almost like a motocross version of the 250 2 stroke. Its not as forgiving as some motors and a bit on the racy side. had a pretty good hit. If you are an experienced rider this works for you and allows you to jump stuff, move the rear end around with the throttle and gives you a lot of control. If you are inexperienced or tired things can get out of shape. Whisky throttle on this bike would be bad.

Suspension:

I never rode this bike stock. I sent it off to Richard at House of Horsepower. That guy is not a simple valve restaker he works on every circuit and understands the inner working of suspension very well. I have ran his stuff before. I told him I liked the convenience of the top clickers and wanted to keep them if possible. He thought he might need to gut them and put comp on the bottom to make it work 100%. When I got it back i was surprised to see the clickers like stock. After speaking with him he reconfigured a bunch of stuff, put fancy progressive fork springs he pioneered a few years ago and said he thought it should work great. Boy was he right. Suspension is freaking amazing. At first it was slightly sloppy and loose in front and slightly stiff in the rear. Was very good just wanted to dive int he front on down hills. I tweaked the clickers front and rear, only a couple clicks from where he sent them and bam, pretty much perfect suspension. Super impressive work. I look forward to setting it up more. As it I'd rate it top notch.

I would highly recommend Richards work if you have these 48mm explorers. Having ridden the 2017 stock these are miles ahead in performance.

Handling:

I have a fastway damper and the suspension done. It handles very well. I think it will handle even better after more setup (fork height and sag). I've very pleased with it as is. That said I think I still prefer the geometry of the new 2018 GG better. The damper and suspension get it close but I love the way the GG handles.

Summery:

Pretty excited about how good the bike turned out. All the aftermarket stuff and setup made this one of the best off road bikes I have ever ridden. Its a great machine.

Quick update...

I have been riding the bike every chance I get. Got three solid rides and about 140 miles. Bike rocks. I'm loving the EFI, it is very smooth, makes great power and always the same. Never bogs, never loads up, pulls very very low RPM without complaining. The real eye opener is Richards (House of Horsepower) suspension work. It started out amazing and has only got better with some clicker tweaking. I'm stunned how well it works, super controlled yet very plush. I feel invincible. I'm also loving the tires and damper. I have to say, that amazing suspension work, the very nice working damper and those tires are conspiring to make this one fantastic mount. I feel somewhat invincible on this bike. My speed has increased and my friends tell me I very fast on it even when I am not really trying. I do feel hero on it. We rode in cold sloppy, slick technical stuff yesterday and I felt I could do no wrong. I'm loving this bike.

BTW the EFI seems to getting just Ok reviews in the mags. I really feel it is a step forward. It runs so clean and predictable and this bike runs about as hard as any 250 2 stroke I've ever ridden. I climbed a really nasty slick loose rocky hill like nothing when my friends struggled and took multiple tries at it. The smooth predicable power, that suspension and the damper all made it amazingly easy.

Kind of wished I rode it stock to compare but I have no doubt the suspension, damper and tires were a very good upgrade having ridden the 2017 TE250 all last year.

Any idea about range improvement over the carb with the EFI? Sounds like you're having way too much fun to worry about that yet.

I have not checked it officially but dont think it is getting way better than a carbed bike. Will check next time out.

Trail Tech amazing 7" LED. 4700 lumens and 27 watts draw. The thing puts out a crazy amount of light with that big reflector.

https://www.trailtech.net/7-headlight

BTW I noticed this bike does not spooge at all out the muffler. We ride a lot of slower technical stuff where bikes tend to load up some and spooge a lot. EFI seems to fix that issue.

I thought I'd pop in here and update you on this bike as the EFI is a thing now for 2019. The bike runs absolutely perfect, starts EZ, idles dead steady, never spooges... The EFI is fantastic and a big step up from a carb IMHO. I have had zero issues with the bike. And the topper is this thing gets just shy of 40 MPG in technical trail riding. I just did an amazing 4 day ride in Northern Idaho GNAR and the bike was amazing, got fantastic mileage, ran perfect at all elevations, climbed HUGE long hills easily and was a freaking joy to be on. The House of Horsepower suspension continues to amaze me and has a nice wide range of adjustments making it super versatile. This is a fantastic bike and I think KTM/Husky has taken things to the next level.

no, runs fantastic. Just did 4 days of GNAR south of Wallace ID with huge elevation changes, loved the bike. Gobs of power and no need for a 300 for me. The motor is freaking sweet. I have run it from day one with the FMF and it fit and works perfect.

Are people having issues with how they run? This one is fantastic, way better than a carb. Buddy has the KTM version and it runs perfect as well.

Interesting. I have ridden this bike all over Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California at anywhere from 30-8000 feet elevation / 30-100 degrees temps and it always runs perfect and the same. I really could not be more happy with the motor. Everyone who tries it is amazed how smooth, predictable and strong the motor is. It's several levels above the 2017 TE250 I rode last year.

Thanks for the update!

If they have to pass Euro spec then that makes sense. I'm sure the GET is priced up there but how cool would it be to update your maps via wifi?!

JD also makes a fuel tuner for it. Heard good things. Had zero issues with this one, runs fantastic. Other then the FMF pipe and muffler the motor is stock and I love it exactly as is.