VOLUME 56 ISSUE 42 OCTOBER 22, 2019 P107
"The KTM has really smooth power,"
one tester commented. "It kind of
sneaks up on you; it doesn't pull that
hard, but it gets you going quickly, and
you're going faster than you think."
While it's not the hardest hitting or most
exciting, the velvety pull of the engine
makes great power just about every-
where, amounting to a very adaptable
range for a variety of testers. "You can
either wind it out pretty high or lug it
around, and you'll still have power.
Across the board it's very smooth,"
another tester said.
Also scoring high marks for versatility
is the WP XACT air-sprung fork, which
received some revalving to flatten out
some harshness. The ability to tailor
the air-spring rate to each tester is a
clear advantage in settings such as a
shootout, and the Austrian duo took
full advantage. The KTM's suspension
was praised by some, but other testers
commented that a harsh feeling still
remains, particularly on downhill jumps
or flat landings. "KTM has continued to
improve the settings, but the fork seems
to be better in rough conditions than
smoother conditions with flat landings,"
one tester said.
The WP fork seems to perform best
when it stays busy, such as on Glen
Helen's choppy hillsides, where our
pro testers marveled at how it sliced
through bumps with plush comfort while
staying up in the stroke. But on down-
hill jumps or flat landings, it was less
compliant.
Handling was another area where
the KTM was hot and cold, with some
calling it "predictable in all conditions,"
"really balanced," and "planted," while
others found nagging issues with the
front-end behavior. "It felt like I was
fighting the KTM to turn," one pro tester
said. "It handled really good going into
bumps, sweepers, rollers, but when I
sat down, it wanted to push out."
In the end, the KTM struck a great
chord with some but not all of our tes-
ters. It's worth pointing out, again, that
all three of our top picks were mixed
bags, and the KTM only takes third
place by one point.
Ride Review:
2020 KTM 450 SX-F
https://magazine.cyclenews.
com/i/1149641-cycle-news-2019-is-
sue-30-july-30/78
