VOLUME 56 ISSUE 37 SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 P101
ride, but can one of
DR-Z400S—beat out or at least
ever made—the KTM
find out.
W
e know what you're
thinking—isn't compar-
ing the Suzuki DR-
Z400S to the KTM 500 EXC
like comparing figure skating
to cage fighting? Yes, figure
skating and cage fighting are
both sports and both produce a
winner after all is said and done,
but that is where their similari-
ties quickly end. It's kind of like
that with the Suzuki DR-Z400S
and the KTM 500 EXC. They
are two very different machines
but are designed to achieve the
same result—fun—at the end
of the day. So we wanted to
find out which bike can actu-
ally provide the most fun. The
answer seems obvious at first—
the KTM, of course. It's high
tech and regarded by many as
the dual-sport bike by which all
others are judged. However,
we weren't so sure and asked
the question: Can you have the
same amount of fun on the old-
school and loveable DR-Z400S
as you can on the new-school
and racy 500 EXC?
Both bikes fall into the dual-
sport category but, as men-
tioned, they are two entirely
different animals. One has a
five-speed transmission, the
other a six-speed. One has
398 and the other 510.4 cubic
centimeters of piston displace-
ment. One weighs well over
310 pounds, the other barely
hits 260 pounds. One relies
on a carburetor for fueling, the
other modern-day fuel injection.
One has a suspension system
that is nearly two decades old
in design, the other about as
modern as you can get. One
is made in Japan, the other in
Austria. One sells for $6749,
the other $11,199.
BY THE CYCLE NEWS STAFF
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER
