Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

way from Europe, and every bike has al ready been sold. The missing link? Sure, the Open class may be dying in motocross and endures, but there are no class distinctions in trail riding. And according to KTM, trail rid ing is what 440 customers do the most. KTM's other Open-elass bikes - the 300 and the 550 are both proven contenders in the racing world, but neither lend themselves to casual play-riding. "The 550 is a good bike, but it just doesn't work well on the trail," says Moen. "We wanted to get back to a simple motorcycle that still made good power, bu t not an intimidating type of power. Whe n we we re designing the bike, we tried to env ision wha t the customer was going to be like. We figured he'd tend to be an olde r ride r w ho was a littl e more casu al. H e might take th e bike out racing on ce in a w hil e, but nothing serio us. We purposefully mad e the sus pe nsion a littl e on the soft sid e, because we figu red these riders might weigh a little more and wou ld be sitting d own a lot. The bike can be raced on a mo tocross track, or you could use it in ha re scra mbles, but just for fun." The 440 may be a trail bike, bu t the new bodywork and sea t give it a n extremely racey-looking lay-out, especially for an Open bike. While Honda's CRSOO and Kawasaki's KX500 both have cobby, dinosaur ergonomics, KTM's bigbores are quite similar in appearance to their sleek 250s. Not only does it look good, the 440 is also very comfortable. The midsection is narrow and the flat seat makes it easy to slide back and forth on the bike. The full-eove rage radiator shrouds are trick, but, as usu al, we had problems with ou r boots catchi ng on the lower edge. Hand ho les are incorpo rated into the side panels, making it easy to lift the bike onto a stand. The stee l, left-side kicksta rter is p reh istoric-looking and a little awkward to use, but the bike usually starts on the first kick. KTM got what they were hoping for with the 440; the new powerplant is very reminiscent of the 350, only better. We spent a lot of time riding KTM's old 3505, which we found to be perfect for tractoring through slimy, technical sections. The 350's stumppulling torque and tractable bottomend power was tough to beat when the going got tough, and the 440 also performs well in these situations, with a tr act ab le typ e of power that rem inds th e ri d er of a four- stro ke. While mor e hy per engi ne s are sc re aming a n d sli p pi ng around, th e 440 hook s u p a nd ch ugs right on through . Also like the 350, the new bike revs out extremely well, thanks no d oubt to the short stroke. When the terrain opens up, a slip of the clutch will have the rpms up in no time. Unlike the 350, however, the 440 has no "fla t spo t" in the middle. Sure, the sweet spots are the bo ttom and top ends, but if you choose to ride in the midrange, the KTM will be happy to oblige. In the suspension department, KTM also got what they were hop ing for, though we wonder if it is really what the customer wants. The softer springs definitely cater to a "sit-down" style of riding, but quickly become overtaxed when th e bike is ridden hard . If you plan to trail ride at a fairly sedate pace then the KTM could be right up your alley, bu t anything more will require a switch to heavier-duty coils, both front and rea r. The 440 has a long-feeling chassis that is quite stable at speed, but it can be a ha ndful w hen the trails tu rn tight. Still, you can get through tigh t (Left) Th e shortstroke 440cc engine is reminiscent of KTM 's popula r 350. It features a broad, evenly d is tributed spread of power. (Below) Look closely at the hole in the radiator shround and you'll see the trick ne w thermostat tha t is a standard featu re on th eKTM. turns very qu ickly by bra ke-slidi ng the rear end, which also used to work well on the 350. We like the Brembo con trols, and feel they 're a big improvement over the old Magura uni ts. The sano sidestand works well and d oesn't flop aro un d. In addition to trail ridi ng, we tried the KTM at the Glen Helen O HV Park motocross track, and as Moen had warned us, it was a little out of its element. First and second gears were way too low, and the b ike was se ve r e ly undersprung. Oddly enough, though, we felt the bike showed great potential for MX work. The motor worked best when short-shifted and rid den a gear high, but it rev ved o ut with a p lomb when we didn't have time to shift. With a stiffer set of springs, th e Ka toom would perform quite well fo r a Vet rider, or even in the Open class; just avoid first and second gears. Cft W1u1e Cycle Newsbelieves theforegoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reviewers only and should not be relied uponin determining the performance or safety of the vehide(s). The reader should make his or her own investigati n o hough we had been told the newest KTM was essentially a motorcycle for trail riding and having fun, I go t the im pression while play-riding that it wo uld also work welI for desert racing. To test my theory, I en tered the 440 in the final AMA Natio nal Hare Scram bles of the yea r, in Wickenburg, Arizona. The Wickenburg course was extremely fast by eastern ha re scrambles standards, wi th libe ral use of d irt roads and sandwashes p u tting speeds more in the realm of a typical southern California d eser t race . The loop, which was to be completed five times, was 20 miles in length. Due to a recent lack of precipi tation, the ground was dry and slippery, and dust would de finitely be a factor . I showed up a day ea rly and tried the KTM out on the short jetting loop, to get an idea of what I was in for. Right off the bat I could tell that the jetting was too rich .for the area's elevation, which ranged from 2500-3000 feet, so I brought the bike over.to KTM's Scot Harden who had not only loaned me the bike, but had also been 'coerced into providing pitsupport.l-{arden went one . s tep leaner on the pilot jet and 'dropped the needle a T 15

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