Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1056041
2019 DUAL-SPORT SHOOTOUT COMPARISON P94 The bottom line on the KTM 500 EXC: If you want a perfor- mance dual-sport machine that has done it all for a decade, and done it exceptionally well, the KTM is the best choice. It can hang with the Honda on dirt roads only giving up a bit of comfort. It can rip with the sporty Beta in the tight stuff and not be off by much. It delivers the stron- gest power in a proven package with the most range. It does ev- erything on the aggressive scale as well as the 450-sized bikes but with the added torque of an extra 60cc. It has a proven track record of durability and plenty of dealership and aftermarket sup- port. This bike can be converted into a woods weapon or a rally racer. It defined the buy-one-bike market when it was introduced and it still holds the throne. CN ENGINE: Liquid-cooled, 4-valve, .............. Liquid-cooled, 4-valve, Unicam, .......Liquid-cooled, 4-valve, SOHC, ...................Liquid-cooled, 4-valve, SOHC, DOHC, 4 stroke, single 4-stroke, single 4-stroke, single 4-stroke, single BORE X STROKE: 95 x 60.8mm ............... 96 x 62.1mm .........................................95 x 63.4mm ................................................95 x 72mm DISPLACEMENT: 431cc .............................. 449cc ......................................................450cc ..............................................................510.4cc COMPRESSION RATIO: 11.95:1 ................... 12.0:1........................................................11.8:1 ................................................................NA IGNITION: Kokusan, DC-CDI w/ ............... DC-CDI .....................................................NA ....................................................................NA dual map selection FUEL SYSTEM: 42mm EFI ......................... 46mm EFI ..............................................42mm Keihin EFI ..........................................42mm Keihin EFI CLUTCH: Wet, multi-disc, hydraulic Wet, multi-disc .......................................Wet, multi-disc, hydraulic ...........................Wet, multi-disc, hydraulic TRANSMISSION: 6-speed ........................... 6-speed ...................................................6-speed ...........................................................6-speed FRAME: Molybdenum steel ...................... Aluminum ...............................................Molybdenum steel .......................................Molybdenum steel FRONT SUSPENSION: 38mm Sachs ........ 49mm Showa USD, fully adj. ............48mm WP Xplor, USD fork, fully adj. ......WP Xplor, USD fork, fully adj. USD fork, fully adj. REAR SUSPENSION: Sachs, single ........... Showa, single shock, fully adj. ..........WP link-mounted single shock, ...............WP PDS, single shock, fully adj. shock, fully adj. fully adj. FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: 11.6 in. ................. 10.5 in. .....................................................11.8 in. .............................................................11.8 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: 11.4 in. ................... 12.4 in. .....................................................13.0 in. ............................................................13.0 in. FRONT BRAKE: 260mm, single disc ....... 260mm, single disc .............................260mm, single disc .....................................260mm, single disc REAR BRAKE: 240mm, single disc .......... 240mm, single disc .............................220mm, single disc .....................................220mm, single disc FRONT WHEEL: 21 in. .................................. 21 in. ........................................................21 in. ................................................................21 in. REAR WHEEL: 18 in. .................................... 18 in. ........................................................18 in. ................................................................18 in. TIRES: Michelin Enduro ............................. IRC GP21/22 ..........................................Continental TKC 80 .....................................Continental TKC 80 WHEELBASE: 58.1 in. .................................. 58.9 in. ....................................................58.9 in. ...........................................................58.3 in. SEAT HEIGHT: 36.6 in. ................................ 37.1 in. ......................................................38.2 in. ............................................................37.8 in. GROUND CLEARANCE: 12.6 in. .................. 12.4 in. .....................................................14.6 in. ............................................................NA WEIGHT (WET): 275 lbs. ............................. 303 lbs....................................................263 lbs. ..........................................................260.5 lbs. FUEL CAPACITY: 2.1 gal. ............................. 2.01 gal. .................................................2.2 gal. ...........................................................2.3 gal. S P E C I F I C A T I O N S 2019 BETA 430 RR-S 2019 HONDA CRF450L 2019 HUSQVARNA FE 450 2019 KTM 500 EXC-F ($10,499) ($10,399) ($11,099) ($11,199)