A new contender in the dirt and motard category is the CrossX 250 SE. XMOTOS, in collaboration with Bikers Nepal, have come up with this bike after 7 years’ worth of research on the motocross track. The CrossX 250 SE will be available in both motard and dirt versions. The bike comes equipped with a variety of CNC machined parts like CNC clamps, hubs, levers, foot pegs, triple cone, etc. to make it lighter, stronger and more rigid. Here is how it performs on (and off) the road:

Engine

The CrossX comes packed with a 4 valve uni-cam 249.6 cc motor putting out 29.8hp @ 9000RPM. The engine on this bike behaves quite different to others. While I was riding the bike, it kept feeling like I had to shift up a gear. I thought that the bike had been geared focused on acceleration only, but then I decided to push the engine a bit more and to my surprise there was an instant burst of torque. I was finally in the power band and the pull was quite surprising. The weird thing is that the motor felt stressed around 4-6000 RPM and came back to life above 7000RPM. The gear box worked pretty well but the gear got stuck on neutral quite a few times while shifting up from first gear to second gear, the reason behind that could be that I wasn’t applying enough pressure on the gear lever while shifting up, but it got annoying at times.

Build

The bike sits on an aluminum frame to make it lighter, being dirt/ motard all the body works are made out of plastic. Though made out of plastic it feels quite durable and long lasting. And in case you happen to break those plastic panels, don’t worry too much; they are quite affordable to replace.

Handling

The CrossX features Fastace suspension systems. Fastace suspensions have a wide range of adjustability, so you can tune the suspension to your liking/style of riding. But be sure to get it done by someone who knows about them. The suspension settings are very important for a comfortable ride so if you mess up the setting then you increase the risk of losing control. When you are trying a new setup, ride it for a while to see if you got it right or not. The Fastace suspension gave excellent front end feel which inspired more confidence while entering a corner. The motard version comes equipped with 150 section Dunlop Sportmax GPR tires rear and 120 section Dunlop Sportmax GPR tires front. The Dunlops add 

stability to the bike. The grip provided by these tires is very precise. They stick well to the tarmac and inspire confidence; it won’t take long to get used-to to the tires. The brakes are, however, a bit on the weaker side. 

Verdict

The bike has its ups and downs but it is a fun bike to ride. The CrossX 250 SE is in a category that was once pretty vacant but now is filled with fierce competition. With Crossfire and CRF dominating the current market, the CrossX has some serious work to do in order to get a breakthrough in such tough terrain.