(Top) The KTM's motor delivers awesome power at low rpm. (Below)
The stock aluminum-alloy megaphone silencer weighs just three pounds.
The narrow seat and tank layout makes it easy to move arou nd on the
KTM. The rear suspension linka ge s (inset) have handy Zerk grease fittings.
. suspension, narrow layout and comfortable ergonomics.
O ur day on the KTM was spent
al most entirely on one of the gnarliest , roughest, whooped-out, hardpacked tracks we know of and,
although we didn't have another
bike to directly compare the KTM
to, we felt we could ride the KTM
around the track just as fast as we
could on any two-stroke big-bore
MXer ; maybe even faster since four stroke power is easier to manage on
slick, hard-packed ground than
explosive two-stroke power-:-But the extra weight is noticeable
and we worked 'up quite a sweat on
the KTM. Most of the weight isIelt
when landing off jumps and in the
turns , though strong power and
smooth-working suspension helps
make the extra pounds seem less
noticeable.
.
Jumping the KTM is extremely
fun. It launches off the jumps evenly
and remains very stable in the air.
Touchdowns were more cushy than
we expected. With a rather light 160
pound rider on board, we never
bottomed ei ther end, and the initial
part of wheel travel didn't feel overly
stiff, either. Again, suspension was
extremely good.
We had no problems slowing th e
big KTM for the turns. Both the front
and rear discs were extremely powerful but not the least bit grabby.
In the short time we had on the
KTM, we liked the LC4 very much
and would like to spend many more
hours 'on it. It seems to have the
motor needed to win races against
the two-strokes, as well as the
suspension.iand its $4100 price tag
isn 't out of the park.
•
Water-cooling is ' handled by an electric water pump, which means at
low rpm, the water pump keeps pumping coolant at high velocity.
The SOHC· motor has a full
pressure gear pump, dry sump
lubrication system.
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