2025 KTM 85 SX Heats Up Junior Racing, Mini-Cross Feels Just Like the Full-Size Version

3 months, 3 weeks ago - 31 July 2024, autoevolution

Bike makers know that the best way to ensure their access to a large pool of customers at all times is to win riders over while they are still young. That’s why many of these players have bikes for kids in their portfolio, aimed at satisfying whatever needs junior daredevils have. However, few bike makers target as many kids with their products as the Austrians from KTM.

The company has in its portfolio a pretty large number of kid motorcycles, but today we’ll be focusing on something called the 85 SX. On the market for a while now, it plays the game in the junior motocross segment, and it is the ride that fills in the gap between the 65 SX and 125 SX.

That means the bike is aimed squarely at kids aged between 11 and 16 years old with a passion for riding off the beaten path. It serves, then, as a launch platform into the sport for bigger boys, but at the same time it rules the competition charts in its segment.

Last week KTM decided it’s time to upgrade the model for the 2025 model year, and it presented the revised 85 SX. It’s not necessarily a complete transformation of the existing platform, but the rather large number of changes made should be enough to get both parents and kids excited about it.

That’s because, first and foremost, the bike has been designed in such a way as to be a scaled-down version of a full-size KTM motocross ride. And to make sure that’s so, the bike maker tested the thing on several continents (Europe, North America, and Australia) and on some of the most challenging courses.

KTM says the new 85 SX not only looks like its bigger siblings but also behaves like them. That’s because the machine has been built around a new frame (complete with a new polyamide glass fiber reinforced aluminum subframe) made of chromium molybdenum steel and displaying “carefully calculated longitudinal flex and torsional rigidity.”

The 85 SX has been purpose-made to take a heavy beating, especially off the beaten path, so its handling characteristics are of the utmost importance. And many of them have been improved thanks to the changes made over the previous generation.

First up, KTM modified the steering properties of the bike. The steering head now sits at 63.5 degrees, half a degree flatter than before, and it was moved backward by 6 mm. The steering angle thus now stands at 35 degrees, two degrees better than in the previous version.

The suspension system has been modified as well. At the rear KTM installed a brand-new and fully-adjustable WP XACT monoshock. It is linked directly to the equally new swingarm via a different mounting point than before, and that should give young riders better feedback and stability, especially during larger jumps.

The rear suspension system now has lower travel (289 mm compared to the 305 mm available before), and this should give the bike better traction and handling.

At the front the bike is propped on a 43 mm WP XACT USD AER fork, the same one that was used before. It does come with a slightly lower pressure (4.8 bar compared to five bar), and that should technically make the ride a tad smoother.

And now, here are a few things about my favorite component of any motorcycle: its engine. The 85 SX retains the 85cc powerplant that was used before, but this one has been tampered with as well.

The changes are not massive, but they do involve the fitting new a new cylinder head and new sparkplugs. Other components, including ignition, exhaust, shift drum, and carburetor, have been updated too.

Most importantly, the engine position has changed, as the unit was rotated three degrees upwards. This gives it a better connection point with the swingarm but also translates into better weight distribution. The engine was also gifted with a larger radiator.

As far as the visual aspect of the 2025 KTM 85 SX goes, there are a few changes worth knowing here as well. Overall, the bodywork is now slimmer, trying to replicate the one on the full-size SX bikes. KTM installed new footpegs and improved triple clamps.

All the changes KTM made to this two-wheeler also translate into some weight loss. It’s not big, just 300 grams, but it could make all the difference on the racing course.

The 2025 KTM 85 SX is already in production and it should be available at the company's dealers starting August. Pricing for the model has not been disclosed, as it varies depending on country, so you should get in touch with your local dealer for that.