so i ran right out and bought the issue. Terrific test is right! they did a thorough comparo, using different tracks, riders, skill levels, the works. I think the 150 won but i'm biased (the pro's went fastest on the 150 so i'm happy) but regardless, the 150 did very, very well. What's amazing is that in this day and age, the supposedly antiquated 2 stroke can spot the 4 stroke $1,400 msrp and a 73% displacement advantage and STILL win!!! The way the article reads, it's so close between these two that i'd imagine the 250SX would absolutely annihilate the 250SX-F, which in my way of thinking would be the fair comparison, not this one.
They did make a big deal out of the 4 stroke's torque curve and i'll admit the dyno shows that its got several ft/lbs on the 150 until the higher revs. That translates into what all the riders said - that the 250SX-F is easier to ride out of corners. But again, it's got 73% more engine for fucks sake!
Now more than ever after reading this test, we need an apples-to-apples, mano-y-mano 2stroke versus 4 stroke comparo.