Have you noticed the price tag on motocross bikes keeps climbing? In recent years, MX has become less and less friendly for budget-minded riders, but that’s about to change. After first moving into the Canadian market with an 800-class ADV bike and a 450-class street-legal rally raid racer, Kove will soon have a third offering here in Canuckistan: The MX250 motocross machine.
Kove currently has the MX250 listed for pre-orders on its Canadian website with an $8,100 MSRP, including your $1,000 downpayment. “Now wait,” you might say. “Eight grand doesn’t sound that cheap for a dirt bike.”
Buddy, things have changed. Taking a quick scan of the Japanese manufacturers’ websites, it seems everyone else has their quarter-litre MXers priced just under the $11,500 mark, for a new 2025 model. Whether or not that makes sense for something like the Suzuki RMZ250, which hasn’t been really updated since 2019, is a good question indeed—but that’s the price tag.
For its part, Kove’s Canadian website says: “The Kove MX250 stands as a prime example of a small-bore, moto-leisure four-stroke that excels in blending affordability with performance, illustrating that fun on the track doesn’t have to break the bank.
“Its MSRP, notably low for a 250F motocross bike and a rarity in the past two decades, might suggest a compromise in features or quality, yet Kove defies these expectations.”
Upon closer inspection of the spec sheet, you can see the MX250 does not have its sights set on the high-end machines from competitors. Max output is 37.5 hp at 11,500 rpm, and 18.4 lb-ft of torque at 9,000 rpm. That’s roughly on-par with the RMZ250 mentioned above, and lagging behind the rest of the competition from Japan and Europe.
But Kove is clear that this bike isn’t intended to compete with those machines; it’s intended to serve value-minded riders who just want to get out there. A faster Kove MX will probably come to our market in the future, though…
You can see a full spec sheet for the new made-in-China MXer here. Don’t expect a ride review from us when it comes to Canada; motocross isn’t our area of expertise. But then again—maybe that makes CMGers the target market?
We’ve been told Kove will be on the 2025 winter show circuit in Canada again this year. If so, they should have this bike on display, if you want to check out its build quality in person before putting down your hard-earned cash for a deposit.
Well for anyone considering buying this bike be aware that MX is hard on equipment. Poorly built machines with sub par parts aren’t the way to go racing.
If you can’t afford new then buy a used YZ or Austrian made 2-stroke.
This bike will be nothing but a headache. Finding replacement parts will be a challenge and there will be no aftermarket support.
Don’t waste your money on this. $8K plus tax and fees is no savings when you’re broken down.