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/127590
eNEW BIKES ~ 1994K TMs ow-er-valve-Iess 440 added to '94 fleet By Kit Pa lmer h e Au strian manufacturer KTM will offer another full lineup of offroad and MX models for 1994, and the newest of the 13 models will be the mid-sized 440 mod els - the M/XC an d E/ xc , PI u s, th e 600 LC4 - already KTM's lar ges t four-s t ro ke model - is now even bigger. The thumper received a 60cc increase in displacement, and is now called the 620 LC4. In addition to the new 440 models and the new 620 LC4, the rest of the KTM models also feature many sign ificant changes. Of the 13 models, there are seven different displacement sizes: 125, 250, 300, 400, 440, 550 and 620cc, two of which are four-strokes - the 400 and 620 LC4s. The E/XC designation identifies the 125, 250, 300 and 440cc enduro/cross country models, which can be easil y distinguished by their headlights. The 300, 440 and 550cc M/XC models a r e designed for either motocross or offroad use; they don't come with head- T A brand new displacement-size KTM ha s joined the Austrian-bred fleet for 1994ยท the 440. It will be available in two forms - M1XC for motocross and offroad racing, and ElXe which is aimed towards enduro competiton. l ike its b igge r broth er th e 550, th e 440 d oes not incorpora te an ' exhaust power-va lve in its water-c ooled, two-stroke engine. Once aga in, KTM offers two lC4 fou rstr ok e d isp lacement machines in either EIXCor M1XC forms. One is the new 620 (shown), which has been bumped up 60cc over last year's m odel, and the oth er is the 400, which made its debut last year. Both models featu re all-new plastic. 34 lig hts but can be easily distinguished from the SX (motocross-only) models by th e bolt-on spark arres ters on their silencers . The SX KTMs come in two di fferent displacement sizes - 125 and 25Occ. KTM also has plans to introduce tw o dual sport models - 400 and 620 LC4 R/XCs - next spring. The new 440 moto r is based on the already-existing 550 engine, and like its bigger brother doesn't use an exhaust power-valve. In theory, the absence of the many moving parts, such as valves, hin ges, springs and all of the other integ ra l parts that ma ke u p an ex ha ust power-valve, greatly red uces engine maintenance and increases reliability. It is KTM's theory (and Honda's as well) . that a bike of this size doesn't require a power-valve. Kawasaki's KX500 is the only Open-class ma chine over 300cc that uses a power-valve. Overall, the 44O's liquid-cooled two- stroke engine has been tuned for a more mild power delivery, whic h KTM claims makes the bike easier to ride, as well as maintain. The following chassis and engine changes apply to all 250 SX and E/XC, and 300 M/XC and E/XC models. Chassis-wise the frame geometry is no tably changed . The swingarm is 10mm shorter, the steering head angle has been red uced by half a degree, and the steering head has been p ushed forwa rd 16mm. The aim is to move the center of gravity rearward for "improved" overa ll handling, plus a more roomy feel. The radiators and gas tan k have been lowered 20mm in an effort to lower the center of gravity. A inverted White Power fork features a new Intern a l Bleed Sys te m (IBS) to contro l d a mping. KTM claims the IBS sys tem allows for a wide r range of effective external damping adjustment. KTM will offer two strictly motocross mode ls, a 250 SX (sh own) and 125 SX. All the '94 KTMs featu re White Powermade Internal Bleed System (lBS) forks and Bleed Adjustment (BA) shocks. The $4748 su ggested retail price of the 250 SX is, for the fi rst,time, cheaper than some compara ble Japan ese models.