Motocross Action has been testing dirt bikes for 53 years, and our Shootout magazine articles and videos are the highlight of our testing year. In this video, we lined up all of the major 250 four-stroke contenders, ranking them from eighth to first in the order in which we’d recommend them to our friends. While many of the bikes for 2026 are simply copy/paste versions of last year’s bikes, the GasGas MC250F and the Triumph TF 250-X do come in with notable updates, and in this video, we get into the details of these two updated bikes, and the others.

The 250 class could look very different by 2027—especially if every manufacturer follows through with the updates required to meet tightening sound regulations. For years, the AMA’s official limit has been 112dB, but due to testing procedures and built-in tolerances, bikes have effectively been louder in real-world conditions. That gray area is now shrinking. Enforcement has already tightened, and a proposed 109dB cap is expected to arrive for the 2027 Supercross season (although it has been kicked down the road three times already).

We could care less if they made AMA Supercross and AMA National bikes have to meet stricter sound standards, but all the brands are being pushed to make every 2027 production bike meet the same 109 decibel standard, even though it is unlikely that they will ever be sound tested at their local tracks or riding areas.

The unspoken secret is that most of the supposedly all-new 2026 bikes on the showrooms are just warmed-over 2025 models—nothing more than Xerox copies of last year’s 250. The notable exception are the GasGas MC250F and the Triumph TF250-X. The Triumph gained updates to the suspension settings and mapping, while the GasGas MC250F was made quieter to pass the impending 109dB sound requirements for AMA Supercross and motocross.

As always, every bike included here has been tested by riders of all skill levels, on the same tracks, with the same goal—to find out which 250 four-stroke truly rises above the rest. Our goal isn’t just to crown a winner. It’s to break down the strengths and weaknesses of every machine so you can decide which bike fits you best.