Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

cy. Fortunately, the noise and emissions requirements of the United Sta tes including California - are no more strict than those in countries like Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where ne arly half of the KTMs sold are for dual sport. Again , filling out the paperwork was the major chore. With a historic reputation for producing serious, race-ready dirt bikes, KTM's approach to dual sport really shouldn't be surprising. The Austrian company feels tha t a dual-sport bike should really just be a dirt bike - in disguise. They start with what is basically an off -ro ad-only LC4 E/XC, and perform only the changes abso lutely necessary to ma ke the bike stree t legal. And while some of the Japanese manufacturers may p refer tha t you think otherwise, those required chan ges rea lly aren't all that extensi ve. Accord ing to KTM, many of the more limiting featur es of Japan ese dual-sport bikes are incorporated not to satisfy the government, but to appease th e manufactu rers' lawyers. While KTM has d one quite well over the past few years, they still d on 't p resen t nearly as tempting a target for potential litigators . as the Jap an ese. The Austrian company can get away with not making some of the changes, even in the sue-happy States. That said, it should be s tressed that both R/XC mod els are 100% certifie d str eet legal by th e government; KTM did n' t try to "sneak" anything by the bureaucrats. The only way you'll get prised us was the fuel tank. Some may find this an odd thing to point out, but most Japanese dual sp ort bikes come w ith metal tanks, not the sano plastic cells fou nd on their dirt-only mo dels. With the KTM R/XCs, the customer gets the same 3.0-gallon nylon tank that comes on the dirt bikes. Why can KTM get away with this, while the "big four" can't? According to Harden, fuel tanks are another area where the part gets chosen based on product liability concerns, rather than some government mandate. Most companies spec the metal tanks because they make it harder for the fuel to explode in a crash, especially when combined with a lockable gas cap. The only requirement that must legally be met is that the tank doesn't allow excess amounts of fuel vapors to pass through the skin. Fortunately, KTM's full-coverage tank shrouds pro" d u m my switch." The R/XCs come stoc k wi th a Six-Days type centerstand, and whe n it'sdown, the rear wheel is lifted off the ground. Talk about id iotp roof! Many times, th e Japanese will make cost-cutting mods to their dual-purpose bikes, often replacing tric k aluminum pieces with heavier steel units. Not so with the KTM. In fact, last year's E/XC LC4 had a steel kicks tart lever, while th at of the '94 R/ XC is aluminum. (The E/ XC will soon get the new aluminum lever as we ll). Every rule has an excep- (Above) The triedand-true LC4 motor powers both machines. Compared to the 620, the 400 has a smaller bore and a shorter st roke. (Right) The alrbox lid , which houses a tiny battery, was added so th at the bikes would meet emissions tes ts . (Far left and left) Without delving Into the motors, th is Is the only visible difference between the 400 and the 620. On the tra il, the distinction Is easier to make . tion, and with the R/XC, it's the suba ticket on a stock KTM R/XC is if you frame. KTM tra ded their dirt bike's alu br eak a traffic law. minum sub frame for a steel on e on the As mentioned earlier, the required dual-sport bike, but not to pinch penchanges are minimal. KTM adds the reqnies. Many dual-spotters carry passenu isite re ar-view m irrors and turn si ggers periodically, and KTM didn't want nals, in ad dition to a halogen headlight the subframe to bend under the adde d bulb and brake light. The plastic headtonnage. The subframe features brackets light cowling and rear fender are unalfor passenger pegs, bu t the pegs themtered. Also added is a slightly larger selves don't come standard. speedo unit, whose face houses signal, Speaking of pegs, KTM di d n't give neutral and high-beam in di ca tors. To their R/XCs the sagging, rub ber-mountpower the electrics when the bike isn't ed units found on so m any other D.P. running, a tiny battery rests in an indenm achines. Still, they recognized that tation in the airbox lid . The airbox lid, vibration can be more of a problem wi th itself, is an item not found on KTM 's pavement riding, and thus ad ded rubE/XC dirt bikes. As with the E/XCs, ber dampers to the pegs - not on the electric starting is not an option on the mounts, but on the su rface, w he re th e R/XCs. rider's foot sits. The pads are easily When it came time to spec the tires , removable with a wrench . Like the KTM again went the dirt-oriented route, E/XCs, the R/XCs come standard with opting for Pirelli 's stellar MT21 rubber, a rear-wheel cush drive, to reduce front and rear. The Pirellis have a much shocks to the hub when accelerating and mo re aggressive knob pattern than most shifting on pavement. dual-sport tires, especially those on Engine-wise, not many updates were stock Japanese bikes. The Domino conrequired. Of primary importance was trols and Brembo brakes are no different reducing the decibel level of the bikes, than the E/XC's, though a tum signal ' and the muffler was the obvious place control cluster was added to the left side to start. KTM chose a massive steel unit of the bars, and a keyed ignition resides . that cuts the noise significantly. It has no alongside the speedo. As on the dirt packing to replace, using a network of bikes, the steering head tube has a lock baffles instead. The silencer features an to help avoid theft. internal spark arrestor, but because it Most Japanese dual-sport motorcyhas not yet been approved by the U.S. cles have a switch that the sidestand Forest Service, KTM had to add another pushes in when raised. With such a spark arrestor - this one an external unit switch, the bike can't move forward by Supertrapp. Smokey the Bear himself under its own power until the sidestand should be happy with dual spark is retracted. You won'tbe going anyarrestors. where with the stand down on the In 'o r d er to meet the emissions KTM, either; but not because of a bogus ;" requirements, KTM leaned ou t the jetting on both the 400 and 620 R/ XCs. In addition to receiving a lid, the airbox ven t is sealed as well. KTM also p u t taller gearing on both the 400 and 620 dual-sport bikes, a change m ad e to lower rpms and reduce emissions. The only other engine charige was done no t so that the bikes would m eet the government requ irem en ts, but so that they wo uld sta nd up to mi le after mile of flat-out st ree t abuse. KTM felt that greater oil capacity was warran ted to increase reliab ility, so they incorporated the fra me as an additional oil reservoir. While the D.P. bikes re tai n their wet-s ump system s, the 500cc of additional volume p rovided b y the frame reservoir allows the oil to cool more efficien tly (KTM's dirt-only fourstrokes again carry their fluid in th e crankcase exclusively). Perhaps mo re import ant than w hat has been changed, how eve r, is what hasn't been altered to make the R/XCs str eet lega l. Many of the dirt models' best featu res rem ain untouched on the R/ XCs, a tr ait th at is all too rare with typ ical dual-purpose bikes. On both mo d els, WP's 4057 Internal Bleed System inverted fork handles the front suspension chores, and a WP 4681 BA sh ock cushions the rear end. These are the sam e susp en d e r s that come on KTM's top-notch enduro and motocross machines - not some cost-cutting, nonad justable units. Not only that, but the spring rates and suspension settings are identical to those on the LC4 dirt bikes. Another unchanged item which sur- tee t th e cell from the ultraviolet rays which cause said evaporation. On bikes sold in California, the gas cap-mounted vent line runs to the charcoal canister, anoth er item included only on bikes in the Golden State. THE REMEDY , After Harden gave us a brief technica l r u n -down on the bikes, we fired them up and headed out of KTM's El Cajon offices, n ea r San Diego . I was happy to discover that both the 400 and the 620 we re easy to bring to life, even without an electric st arter. Rel uctant starting is a sin to begin with, but on a dual-sport bike, it's downright unforgivable; the only thing more embarrassing than sta1ling the motor at a green light is watchin g the line of cars in your rearview mirror grow as you flail away at th e kicks tart lever . Fortuna te ly, th e KTMs seem downright eager to come to attention. Some riders m a y w ish for electric-starting capabilities, but as for me, I'll take the wei ght savings any da y. Just follow the normal four-stroke , drill: Pull in the compress ion release lever and push the kickstart lever thr ough its stroke several times; let the compression release out an d p ush the kickstart lever until it stops; pull in the compression release leve r again and push the kick start lever jus t a bit more; let out the compression re le ase lever, bring the kickstart lever back to the top of its stroke, and give it a healthy kick. It's simpler than it sounds, and the bike should fire on the first or second try admirable, considering the lean jetting. When cold-starting, pull the handlebarmounted choke lever all the way back before performing "The Drill" Because of the lean carb settings, both bikes are cold-blooded, so leave the choke on for several minutes while the motor warms up. We had best results when we turned the choke off after the first few miles. Even warm, the lean jetting is noticeable on the KTMs. The bikes seem eager

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