TT250 vs. XF250
 

Hey Ya'll,
Ifn you were spending this kind of coin on your bike which one would you choose. The TT250 comes in at 2575 and the XF250 comes in at 2849 right now. I know the reported reputation of the TT but know very little of the SSR XF250. It looks like a very nice machine from the web. Lets discuss please, pros and cons of each?

Well im going to start with the pros on the XF250, so far for the pics i found of the SSR XF250, looks like it has a copy of a Suzuki Engine SOHC so its kinda better that the engine of the TT250 wich one is OHV.
It has a "Pro-link" rear suspencion, wich means its better at going in rought terrain and it has 17 inch wheels wich if you want to turn this bike on "motard" its easier
Now the "cons" those 17 inch wheels arent too good for going off road (IMO), the engine, i dont know there, but here where i live, finding parts of those suzuki engines are kinda hard to get
Now going with the TT 250, pros, its has a counterbalanced CG engine, those CG engines are tough like rock and had a lil bit better performance a lower revs than the SOHC engines and spare parts are pretty easy to get, the wheels its has wich one are 21' and 18' are good for off roading.
Cons, the rear suspension its more simple than the one on the XF250 and it will feel a lil bit clumsier at high revs.

About look, both bikes look pretty good to me

That is my opinion so far, judging by the pictures on the XF and the TT and comparing it to similar bikes here in my country

There is a thread I started on the SSR (it was one of those--"hey check this out" threads) and several people with the bikes have chimed in, including member 'dh'. From what I have gathered, the SSR is about as real a deal as a Suzuki DR200, but is even faster and probably better all around than the Suzuki. The price has been keeping people away. With a dealer nearby, it would be one to consider. The TT has excellent reputation, but one could get a Hawk or Enforcer with the understanding that one will be taking care of warranty issues, whereas CSC's excellent customer service and warranty would be backing you up with the TT250. I would lean to the SSR, personally, but I suggest you post on the SSR thread and get advice from member dh. I am of the belief you have less chance for any 'regret' with the SSR considering the price point.

Defining an engine as "better" because it is OHC vs. OHV is a falsehood. Now if you want to define it as better because it makes 1.9hp more, then I can agree with that. The CG based engine design is about as durable and reliable as they come though.

Thanks for the replies guys. I remember that the SSR has been around a good bit. I'll see if this dealer has one when I go up there to get little mans 70. Having that dealer there is HUGE for me really.

Ask them about a deal on the bike too. Often it's not hard to get the SSR and Pitster Pro bikes for less than their MSRP.

I have not had the opportunity to ride the TT250 but can say that the Xf 250 is a very high quality bike for the money. I have nearly 15,000 miles on mine and I have been very pleased. The engine is a exact copy of a popular Suzuki design and made by the makers of Benelli who claim to actually be a Suzuki parts manufacturer. It is pretty popular worldwide, so much that Haynes has produced a Service manual in English specifically for the XF 125/200/250. As a result, parts are cheap, easy to find, and the bike is easy to work on so I don't feel the need to have an SSR dealer nearby. The warranty is the real deal, 12 months or 12,000 miles but warranty claims do need to be done by a dealer.

I like that the SSR engine is a full 249cc and not 229cc like many competitors. It has a 2 horsepower edge on the TT. When it comes to top speed CSC says the TT top speed is 60mph while my SSR is happy cruising at nearly 70, with a top speed of about 78.

For me the big plusses for with CSC would be their great customer service and having support wherever you are, plus and the TT has a slightly larger fuel tank and probably gets better gas mileage than the XF; mine only gets around 55mpg and has a 2.5 gallon tank.

My biggest dislikes with my SSR have been the lousy gauges, no gas gauge(the 2017's have one), no trip meter, and the odometer reads about 15% over. I recently replaced my gauges with the digital kind that come standard on the Grom knockoffs and they are awesome.

I think many people steer away from the SSR because of the $3150 MSRP but the price is pretty good if you can haggle a little. I got mine for about $2,300 or $2,700 "out the door".

good info dh! i am considering the xf250

Thanks Dh for the report. The XF is high on my list. Was the XF good to go out of the box? Were there any Mods that HAD to be done to make it run good, etc, like we have to do to the lesser expensive bike?

DH, out of curiosity do you know what Chinese company build the XF? And what company builds the engine?

I consider gauges and most other electrical components on these types of bikes to be a wash. Even if they come with a fuel gauge, doesn't mean it will work for very long.

Oh, and while the CG250 motors might not be a true 250cc, these little 229cc engines have a lot of "tractor-factor" for their size.

Not to throw a wrench into the gears with this, but have you looked at a third option to these two bikes. It falls right into the same price category as these two. That would be the Pitster Pro XTR T4 250 LC. If I were looking at a TT250, this bike would be a strong contender.

While in terms of power it is likely right between the two with its 223cc OHC engine - AKA CBB250/ZS165FMM, which is likely around 17hp (no power figure stated by Pitster).

In terms of suspension and brakes, I would say it has both bikes beat. It also comes in a 21/18 wheel combination. MSRP is $2799, but much like the SSR, it can probably be found cheaper.

https://gokartsusa.com/XTR-250-Dirt-Bike-1.aspx bought my bashan from these guys out of Benicia California ( San Francisco)

https://gokartsusa.com/images/XTR250LC01.JPG

anyone know about the quality of these pitsterpros? is it a honda clone engine? i like the look at them, although wheelbase is on the short side

The engine on that Pitster Pro XTR 250 looks an aweful lot like a CRF230 motor.

That's because it pretty much is a CRF230 clone engine. The XTR250 would be about as close to a CRF230 that you could get without buying one.