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TM Racing 250Fi Tested For The 'Bike Buyers Guide'  (Jul 8, 2010)

The small Italian factory TM has been quietly working hard behind the scenes to reinvent their four-stroke range and more specifically their 250f model. Going back to the drawing board and starting from scratch the TM Racing 250Fi MX has emerged from the Italian workshops with all guns blazing. As we've come to expect from TM their entire range of machinery arrive dressed out in the best of kit and the 250Fi is no exception. Aluminium billet machined hubs are laced to striking blue anodised Excel rims complete with Braking oversized 'wavy' discs both front and rear. Marzocchi 50mm forks are mounted in billet machined triple clamps while an Ohlins shock takes care of the rear suspension. A revised 'in house' manufactured aluminium twin-spar frame house the new engine that's also received revised steering geometry to improve cornering and stability. But it's the all new engine that's become the greatest taking point of the new model with the only constant between it and the out-going model being the oil filter cover. After a total makeover the new engine is now lighter, leaner and more compact than its predecessor resulting in an increase in torque and horsepower that have become more responsive due to the introduction of its electronically fuel injected (EFI) system. Finally, a complete HGS exhaust system as standard controls the gases through a 'bomb' type header pipe running into an aluminium silencer. With a spec list drooling in hi-end goodies TM have the bones of a very capable machine but have they produced a small bore to mix it with the rest of its quarter litre class?

Sitting on the TM it's immediately apparent that this machine is built to race. That's not to say that it isn't comfortable to sit on because it is, but more so that it's not carrying any excess waste. It felt lean and narrow. The saddle was firm and although I could sit with two feet planted on the ground, it felt taller than most bikes. All this combined gave an increased sense of riding in the attack stance position allowing you to grip the bike stronger with your knees and less with your upper body, easing the strain on your forearms. Once out on track I took in a few sighting laps to familiarise myself with the track and machine. Cruising around at a comfortable speed the motor was relatively responsive even when riding in a tall gear. It had enough torque to pull me out of the tightest stop-start corner on the track without dropping down to first gear or over slipping the clutch in second. It quickly found traction when feeding the power on, building speed quietly and quickly as I clicked up through the gears. Even at mid throttle it was fit to tackle all the hills on the track and I never felt the motor labour enough to warrant dropping down a gear to keep the engine pulling out over the crest of the hills. Keeping this momentum going for a couple more laps, my confidence was now increasing and I was easily feeling at home on the bike that within the space of another two laps I'd managed to clear all the jumps on the track without pushing past my limits. Normally when hitting a fresh track for the first time, the butterflies are fluttering in the stomach trying to gauge what sort of effort and speed is needed clear the jump without coming up short and bouncing off the end of the hit. Usually a 450 has more power than you need so its not as much as an issue but most 250f machines are at their limit to clear the biggest hits on a track. Here is where I found the TM to go against the norm. It produces incredible low down torque that didn't require the throttle to be rolled back to the stop to build up speed. It was very forgiving, so much that I could almost point and shoot my corners instead of relying on corner speed to keep my momentum up to clear the next tabletop. Stepping it up a couple of notches I began pushing it harder, confident that I was in control. Now the engine was coming into its own and it was easy to see the Italians really had completely revamped this little motor. It feels much stronger than what the average small bore four-stroke should feel; to the point that you could be forgiving for thinking you have an extra 50cc at your disposal. Out of corners the torque in the bottom end quickly builds up the rev range driving you down the straight in a hurry. The majority of the time I found myself running third gear on most corners and only dropping down to second for the tightest hairpin on the track. Being able to run just one gear taller not only lets you carry more corner speed but when hitting the gas hard out of the corner the back end squats down and puts the power to the ground without wanting to step out. It became much easier to ride at your maximum pace without making mistakes since you didn't have to work as hard to get the best out of the bike. Everything came more natural, jumps were easier to clear as you were already carrying more speed leading up to them and railing berms was a blast as it didn't really matter what gear you were in. Second, third sometimes even fourth the motor was more than capable of pulling out of it on the pipe. It really was fun to ride. As expected the suspension was working flawlessly. In ruts the front end remained planted without wanting to tuck in or ride out of the rut. The 50mm Marzocchi forks were capable of soaking up the majority of bumps although they were a touch harsh through the whoop section. Bottoming out the stroke between each whoop, they needed to be a couple of clicks harder on the compression to solve the problem. With some choppy straights leading up to the tabletops the rear end tracked perfectly to allow me to keep the power on to clear the gap. I only found the rear to become a little unstable on braking downhill into a left-hander. The odd time it would come loose, kicking out but by now I was pushing the limits of my own riding abilities, which could conclude the mistake, was on my part. By dragging the rear brake over the kicker to prevent the rear end from stepping out I could ride around the issue.

All in all, the TM 250Fi surprised me by being better than I thought it could be. I expected it to handle, turn and stop as good as it did anyway since those characteristics are governed by the best of kit available. But what took me by surprise was how good the engine was but yet how different it is than most motors in its class. Whether you are a clubman level rider or expert, it is very capable in any set of hands. For clubman riders it will make short work of most tracks faced but without the over powering traits normally associated with a big bore 450. With all the power you need in a light and well handling chassis, it won't wear you out while putting in laps at the track so you can focus on enjoying your racing. For experts, the TM has instant power without having to ride inch perfect lap after lap to get the best out of the engine. You can mix up your lines, get on the gas earlier and push your way to the front of the pack, if you're not already there!


Second Opinion

While we were out testing the TM 250Fi, one of Ireland's top-flight riders Ross Brown turned up to do some testing on his Suzuki RMZ450. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity to grab his opinion on TM's pocket rocket, so we handed her over and let him rip, no holds barred! Here's what he had to say.
"It took a few laps to get used to it to be fair. It's different than most other Japanese bikes I've ridden over the years. Coming into most corners in third, I initially thought I was running a gear to high, so I would drop it back down to second gear only to find that it was too low. It took awhile to believe that the engine would pull the higher gear, its something I wouldn't be used to with a 250f motor. The engine note is relatively quiet which can fool you into thinking it won't pull the gear you're in but once you hit the throttle you find its got a lot of punch low down that keeps pulling right the way through the mid range. I can't fault the suspension; it tracked in a straight line through all the bumps. I over jumped the biggest tabletop on the track and it just soaked it up. But what really impressed me most is its cornering ability. With the suspension soaking up the braking bumps I was leaving my braking points later and harder than normal. I found that wherever you direct it to go it just turns in and holds its line without putting up much of a fight or trying to wash out. Overall I'm really impressed with it. Initially I wasn't too keen on it but once I figured out how it likes to be ridden I began to enjoy it. "


Test: Robert Lynn
Photographer: John Pritchard, Peter Byrne

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