In October of 2021, I stumbled upon an up-and-coming line of import bikes: GPX Moto imported by USA Motortoys out of Utah. We were instantly hooked and began building an order. We were most excited to see the full size bikes (FSE 250E, TSE 250R, FSE 300R, FSE 450R). Little did we know that the entry level FSE 250S would be such a hit. With the weather warming up and riding season about to begin, we decided to get a few bikes out for testing and review purposes including an FSE 250S.
The 250S is a midsize bike set up with the 16×19 wheel set. It has a very manageable 34” seat height and weighs in around 240lbs. Perfect for the vertically challenged or new riders who are more apt to dab a foot when needed. The air cooled 4 stroke is the same engine that is in the full size 250E. The six speed transmission gives plenty of options on the trail and enough gearing to comfortably cruise on road. Did I mention it comes set up for the street complete with a horn, blinkers, mirrors, and headlight?
While riding around Radersburg OHV, I found the 250S to be plenty capable of anything I pointed it at. The low seat height allowed for a relaxed approach when cruising around the lot and on the easy trails. On bigger hills 1st and 2nd gear had plenty of grunt to pull the bike at crawling speed. When pushed a little harder it maintains stability well. Given this is not a motocross bike, we didn’t send it around the track at full speed. This is a trail bike, crossing into the dual sport and enduro category. The suspension might be the most impressive part of the bike with good feel over rollers and choppy sections deflecting hits from rocks and roots well. All this positive feedback is with no set up after assembly; the front fork has compression adjustment and there is preload on the rear shock. I feel there is room for improvement with some set up. Compared to other bikes in the category of “starter trail bikes”, the FSE 250s wins hands down. It has more power, better suspension, and more features than the 140-150 class bikes (KLX140, CRF150F). When compared to the other 230-250cc trail bikes (CRF230F, TTR230) it has better suspension, equal power, more features and a lower price.
We had no issues with the bike while testing. The electric start fires the bike effortlessly. I did struggle with the shifter a bit as it’s tucked fairly close to the side cover. I think this could be easily fixed either by bending the lever or replacing it with a different one. We did notice that it’s wider than the more race oriented bikes, although this is not too much of an issue and would be easy to get used to.
