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/126398
water. The airbox now nestles in the middle of the frame with filter changing by removal of the seat. Included with the frame changes are an extruded aluminum swinga rm and a full-floating rear brakel An extruded aluminum arm offers more strength for less "eight than a more conventional w r tded -u p aluminum swingarm. We all know the advantages of a fu' t-floa ring rear brake. KTM 's is rod actuated for better re sponse . Quality is evident everywhere with things like rubber " 0 " rings on the pivots of the brake torque arm . Up front there's a new conical front brake to replace the older full-width hub unit. Top quality Sun rims are laced to the hubs at each end of the bike and shod with Metzeler 3.00 x 21 inch front and 4.50 x 18 inch rear MX/Enduro tires . Front forks are Marzocchi's latest 11 inch travel air/spring leading axle forks. The lower slider legs are ca st magnesium. painted brightorange to match the rest of the frame . The orange frame is accentuated even more by the new design fenders , , gas tank and side panels of PCV plastic. Nowhere is there a trace of fiberglass left. The beautiful looking ' tank stickers will probably peel off "Yery couple of races, but it is easier to replace or leave off the stickers when worn than to have to put up with the even . worse hassle of repainting a fiberglass tank. There are' so many other neat goodies on the bike, you just know the KTM engineers didn't sleep nights thinking them up : folding brake and shift levers, kill button. deep cleated self-cleaning foorpegs, adjustable heavy -duty aluminum. chain- guide , nylon lock nuts everywhere, plastic front numberplate with cable guards. Magura's new gear-drive throttle assembly, and a sidestand which clips off the frame when you're ready to ride ..c1ips back on instantly when you're back in the pits and want to give the chain a quick oiling. In fact. nearly everything about the new MC·80 is fantastic. It 's good enough to last through the next four years and any additional . suspension travel increases which may come. The only drawback to the new Me 80 is the engine. which is massively outdated and heavy . Now don't get me wrong, it's still a good powerplant as far as performance. In fact . it is still one of the best and quickest engines in the 250cc class, featuring a powerband that is wide and powerful, backed up by a 6-speed gearbox. The problem lies in the fact the engine needs to .be downsized and lightened similar to the designs of the other -manufacturers like Maico , Honda and Yamaha . And the countershaft . sprocket needs to be relocated closer to the swingarm pivot .so suspension . travel can be increased in the future with just the addition of longer shocks , without the fear of chain problems. KTM cleaned up their act by designing a new constant rate suspen· sion geometry. and the onl y limiting factor to the whole design is the seven year -old engine. We didn't have a chance to find out how much the new MC ·80 weighed. but with the new frame that is ligh ter and narrower by 2 inches and the numerous lightweight parts - aluminum swingarm, magnesium forks , hubs and engine cases . the bike probably isn't much heavier than 220 pounds. That's a good ten pounds less than the present 250cc rnotocrosser despite the increase in suspension travel. A new conical front brake replaces the hub unit prevlouslv used. 47