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/127180
For a limited time only, KTM 's 1988 four-stroke 600 enduros are priced to move! And they will move you! Li ghtweight , ultra re liable and powerfu l, these liquid -co ol e d , OHC b ikes are the ulti m ate trail b lazers ! W hether y ou're a racing pro or a weekend fun-seeker, they 've got the g uts .to get you to the top. Th ey've been completely updated to ' '89 e ngine and graphics specifications a nd carry a 6-month warranty on engines and transmissions. On ly the Yamaha comes with an inverted forlt. Kawasaki and Suzuki have large 46mm stanchion tubes. while Honda stuck with 43mm units. This became a pparent on the tra ck when we could grab the next gear sooner on many parts of our test course, particularly one long, gradual uphill. The Honda is definitel y a revver that loves to be screamed, making it very appealing to th e Intermediate and Expert-class ed rider. Riders in th e Novice and Beginner range will al so like the topend power but might have a tough tim e keeping the motor in the rev range. If yo u' re not on top of th in gs all of th e tim e, th e Honda has th e tenden cy to d rop off the pipe quickly, so it's good practice to keep a finger close to the clutch lever at all times . Like the Honda, th e Yamaha has a po werful motor but has a more forgiv ing powerband, It isn 't quite as fast as the Honda on top, but it does have more bottom-end and a wider m id-range spread, making it easier to ride. It just doesn't pull as hard on top like the Honda does. The Kawasaki's powerplant is deceivingly strong, but not as fruitful as the Honda and Yamaha. The KX has a snappy and hard-hitting, yet super-smooth pow er delivery. Throttle response is crispy clean and it has by far th e easiest-to-manage power of the four l25s. It doesn't feel as fast as last year's KX, or the competition, but it is; it's just 10 times smoother which makes it feel slower. Its motor will appeal to a wide range of riders , but an Expert will want more revs. The Suzuki has , without a doubt, the best bottom-end of the bunch and strong mid-range,' but it si m p ly needs more power on top. It 's still fast enough to be competitive, but you need to take advantage of its strong low-end pull. On tight tracks and on short start straights th e Suzuki is lethal, but on more wid eopen tracks, you'll wish it had more power on top. There' s definitely potential there, it just may take some modifications to find it. Transmission All four sh ift well , a lt ho ugh th e . Kawasaki 's transmission seems to take longer to break in than th e o the rs. After a few hours on th e KX, mis sed shifts became less frequent. The Honda 's transmission works flawlessly, as does th e Suzuki's. The Yamaha 's gearbox works well , too, and has the shortest shift lever throw of the four. We had no real co m plai nts abo ut the clutches o n any of the bikes. The Suzuk i and H onda clutches had th e lightest pull, but th e H onda's clu tch was a tad on the grabby side. The Yamaha 's clutch had good feel as did th e Kawasaki 's, but o ne tim e it got hot an d faded a little bit on us. The clutch (and front brake lever ) on th e Honda is the mo st comfortabl e of the four. Front suspension Three of th e four bik es come stock with conventional forks , with th e Yamaha having th e only upsidedown design. The KX almost came wi th an inverted for k but Kawasaki decided to go with a bigger ' 46mm conventional fork at the last minute. Good move, for th e KX has th e best fork action, in stock condi tion, of th e bunch. Although the other three aren 't far behind, the KX's massive forks have the smoothest and most progressive action. T he RM's fork is