The term
"four-stroke" is something that we are all hearing more often than
ever. Since Doug Henry debuted the Yamaha YZ400F in '97, the world has been on
fire to produce the latest and greatest four-stroke motorcycle on the market.
And speaking of setting the world on fire, KTM has made the "Big Four"
become the "Big Five". They have rocketed into the charts with their
efforts of producing excellent two and four-stroke motocross and off-road bikes.
 |
| The
hydraulic clutch is a device that the "other four" companies
should employ. |
To boast their efforts,
they manufacture a 400 & 520 EXC, MXC, and an SX. The EXC is their enduro
related model, coming with a headlight, taillight, electric start, wide ratio
transmission, among other features. The main difference with the MXC, is the 3.5
gallon fuel tank, close ratio transmission, and no headlight/taillight
configuration. Lastly the SX is the full on motocross model of the KTMs. They
feature 48mm forks, and a WP shock with high and low speed compression
dampening.
We had the opportunity to
test a 400 EXC in the woods of IL, home of the infamous Moose Run. And home of
ISDE man, Tim Taber's
Fun Mart Cycle Center, the KTM / Honda / Yamaha dealership that made
this test possible.
Did we like it? Is all the
hype of KTM's four-stoke prowess true?
| Before
the Button was Hit |
 |
| Even
though the EXC has a few extra pounds of equipment, jumping MX style
still wasn't a huge dilemma. |
The KTM motorcycle has
forcefully made it's mark in reliability and quality of the products produced.
As we scanned over the bike before our initial test ride, we noticed the
attention to detail, and the abundance of aftermarket components that come stock
with the machine. For example: Magura oversize handlebars, a four-way adjustable
handlebar mount, a fuel tank where the level is actually visible, o-ring chain,
hydraulic clutch; we could go on for a while.
| 4
Stroke Style; a Focus on the Motor |
 |
| KTM
needs to rethink their concept behind the seat cover. After a few rides,
it looks 5 years old. On top of the fact that we didn't like the slick
feeling of the vinyl. |
Our immediate reaction
after riding the bike for a short amount of time, was simply...WOW, this is fun!
And wait until you get the bike into sixth gear in a field, the 400 flies. But
once we had some time on the bike in the tight woods, the ORC testers had to
rethink our initial reaction slightly. The 400 has a motor which is slightly
difficult to describe. It has great torque, but it isn't an arm-pulling force.
The KTM is mellow and controllable. What made the mellow characteristic obvious,
is when we hopped back on our staff KTM 250. The 250's abrupt power will
actually pull your arms out of there sockets (especially if you have the power
valve set to activate very abruptly, as we do). This proves the user-friendly
power of the KTM 400 4-stroke.
Where the motor would work
the best is in fast 3rd-4th gear woods. If the RPM is kept high, this bike can
be deadly. The 400 EXC really wants to run at high speeds. Much of our testing
grounds consisted of tight 2nd gear timbers. In all reality, the 400 EXC's
characteristic of agility allows the bike to be navigated through the tight
woods easily enough to hang with the ever-popular, nimble KTM 200s. The useful
torque comes in especially convenient when a sudden uphill comes out of nowhere;
just lug the bike in any gear, and the obstacle will most likely be conquered
easily. Personally, for the Midwest hare-scrambles and enduros, I'm not so sure
a 250 or 200 2-stroke KTM wouldn't be the better choice.
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