When you line up a Beta 300 Racing, a KTM 450 SX-F, and a Kawasaki KX250 at the same gate, you’re asking for a clash of three very different philosophies of dirtbikes. On paper, they shouldn’t even be in the same conversation: the Beta is bred for the brutality of hard enduro, the KTM is a motocross sledgehammer with a reputation for bending arms, and the Kawasaki is the dependable, balanced 250 that’s always punching above its weight. But that’s what we did at the 2025 Foam and Loam event — an event that blends enduro and motocross into a single track, where hundreds of riders pound ruts, dig trenches, and leave behind a course that tests every part of man and machine. If there was ever a race to see which bike could rise above categories and survive both the brutality of enduro and the high-rev chaos of motocross, this was it.

We had a team of four riders, and the format was punishing: two two-hour motos each, tagging in and out, with the bikes facing the same battered track conditions as the riders before them. The beauty of this setup was that it wasn’t just about who could sprint fastest for a lap or two—it was about which bike you could wrestle for hours without feeling like your body had been put through a meat grinder. In other words, we wanted to know what was the fastest, but also what was the easiest to live with when fatigue set in, the ruts deepened, and your brain started begging for mercy.

Each bike carried its own promise and its own risk. The Beta 300 Racing, with its torquey two-stroke power and supple chassis, offered traction and control in the rough, though it came from the enduro side of the family. Could it hold its own when the track opened up and demanded outright pace on the motorcross leg? The KTM 450 SX-F promised fireworks—a motocross powerhouse that could blast past anything when you held it wide—but the question was, could we hang onto it long enough to be fast over two hours? And then the Kawasaki KX250: smaller, calmer, yet deceptively versatile. Its balance and usable nature suggested it might just be the dark horse, especially when the enduro sections turned nasty.

The real test wasn’t just which bike was quickest around Foam and Loam. It was which bike we’d still want to throw a leg over at the end of the day, knowing we had one more moto to go and no energy left to waste.

Engines: Three Ways to Skin a Cat

The most obvious difference came in the engines. The KTM 450 SX-F’s motor was predictably the powerhouse. With a roll-on torque curve that could rip your arms out, it set the standard for outright speed. In sprint laps, nothing touched it. It pulled harder and longer than either of the other two, and on an open motocross track it was king. But that dominance came at a price: after an hour in the saddle, the constant surge of power had us hanging on for dear life, searching for traction in the rougher enduro sections and wishing for something a little calmer.

The Beta 300 Racing, by contrast, felt like the bike built for Foam and Loam’s hybrid track. Its two-stroke engine has impressive—smooth in wet mode, lively in dry mode. In the tight, rough enduro sections, the Beta picked up traction by lugging tall gears and not stalling where the KTM was spinning and stalling, its linear delivery and bottom-end torque making it easy to find flow. Flick to dry mode, and it snapped to life with a playful punch that kept it fun on the faster motocross straights. It didn’t have the sheer brutality of the KTM, but across long stints it was far easier to manage.

Then came the Kawasaki KX250, the lightest of the bunch but also the most demanding in its own way. Its high-revving four-stroke needed to be ridden on the limiter to feel alive. In bursts, it was sharp and responsive, but if you didn’t keep the revs sky-high it felt underpowered, especially against the torque monsters in the Beta and KTM. On an enduro track alone, its engine is solid, but in this mixed setting up against 450s on a motocross section, it struggled for grunt, forcing us to work the clutch and gearbox harder than we wanted over long motos.

Suspension: Comfort vs. Punishment

Suspension separated these bikes as much as their engines. The KTM 450 SX-F’s WP XACT actually didn’t buck as hard as we thought it would, but the air fork—while improved—still felt busy and nervous on the chewed out single track in the bush late in the race. On the motocross track, it wasn’t a deal-breaker, but after an hour in the bush, that harshnesss added to the fatigue of managing such a powerful engine.

The Beta 300 Racing’s KYB suspension felt stiff at slow speeds, but once the bike was pushed, it came into its own. The harder the pace, the more planted it felt. In the enduro sections, it tracked straight and true, soaking up the choppy terrain. We agreed it was the most confidence-inspiring suspension package of the three once the track got hammered.

The Kawasaki’s Showa setup was the surprise package. We appreciated how forgiving the fork and shock felt over choppy ground, and its balance through turns was good, especially in the bush. The suspension on the Kawi was good in the bush and if you rode it hard, which was tricky late in the game, it didn’t do anything unusual.

Handling: Light vs. Stable

Handling was an interesting one. The KX250, with its slim chassis and featherweight feel, darted into corners easily and allowed us to flick it around the tight enduro sections with minimal effort. For sprint laps, this agility was a weapon. But as fatigue set in, the need to constantly rev the motor and the harshness of the frame under load made it less friendly.

The KTM was not designed to turn around tight trees in second gear. It tracked straight under power on the fast motocross track but when the track got chopped up in the bush and the single trail turned into single rut it was hard to flick and turn. That stability became harder to manage with tired arms.

The Beta was the easiest to adapt to. Its frame felt neutral, balanced between stability and agility, and the ergonomics worked for all of u. It didn’t require wrestling like the KTM, nor constant revving like the KX. It was the bike that most testers would happily keep riding when energy reserves ran dry.

Brakes and Controls

The KTM’s Brembos were the strongest and most progressive, easily the most refined of the three. The Kawasaki’s front brake lever felt awkward and thin, and the performance was inconsistent under heavy use. The Beta’s brakes were powerful but they had a little lag on the lever which took a little getting used to.

Fatigue Factor

When all was said and done, fatigue decided the ranking. The KTM was the fastest on paper, but after two hours, its combination of brute engine power and busy air fork wore us down. The Kawasaki was light and forgiving at first, but the lack of torque and constant need to rev it meant it also became draining across long motos. The Beta, however, remained consistent. Its smooth motor, planted suspension, and balanced handling made it the least tiring to ride, the one bike you could still push at the end of a long, punishing day.

Three very different bikes, three very different results. The Beta was the bike that made the most sense for Foam and Loam’s brutal mix of motocross and enduro and that was highlighted by our gun rider Wes Mills opting to hop back on it to do the last four laps for the day.

Testers

Name: Wes Mills

Age: 37

Ability: A-grader

Favourite Bike: Beta 300 Racing

 

Name: Josh

Age: 28

Ability: B-grader

Favourite Bike: Kawasaki KX250

Name: Lewis Mills

Age: 32

Ability: C-grader

Favourite Bike: Kawasaki KX250

Name: Mitch Lees

Age: 39

Ability: C-grader

Favourite Bike: Beta 300 Racing