2019 SUZUKI DR-Z400S VS. 2019 K TM 500 EXC
C O M PA R I S O N
P104
We prefer having better grip and foot support than risk having numb feet, so the rub-
ber blocks were tossed into the trashcan. Otherwise, we left both bikes box stock.
Our daylong ride required a mixed bag of elements: pavement, dirt roads, single-
track, technical trail, and anything else we could find in between.
Since most of us don't have an OHV staging area in our backyards, dual-sport
rides tend to start out on the pavement, or more specifically out of driveways, like
ours did. Usually, there's a meeting place, such as someone's house, a gas station,
or any place where there is hot coffee and doughnuts. These are all common meet-
ing places for dual-sport buddies before the real fun stuff begins. If that meeting
place requires a long haul on the pavement, however, you're day could already be
getting off to a rocky start, especially if you're on the EXC. No new news here but
the KTM isn't a street bike; it's a dirt bike. It doesn't like the street, it doesn't want
If off-road
performance is
your thing, the
KTM reigns—no
surprise here—but
if you're more
about the ride,
then the Suzuki
rivals the KTM
when it comes to
pegging the fun
meter.
