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5KTM LC4400 and 620 R1XCs
By Kit Palmer· Photos by Kinney Jones
d on 't envy th e manufacturers
wh en it comes to building d ual
s port m o torcycl es . Th e y' r e
st uck betw een the p roverbial
rock and a hard place as far as
trying to please the dual sport crowd.
On one side of the fence, you have d ual
s porters who basicall y want a simple
motorcycle to carry them aro und town
(Above ) The KTM RlXC 620 and 400 can
now be sold legally in California, thanks to
the new American-made, jet-less
carburetor.
(Right) Even though the 400 RlXC is only a
few pounds lighter than the 620, It feels
significantly less intimidating on the trails ,
much of which has to do with Its mellow
power output.
(Lett) The 620 hits
harder off the botl om
than the 400, isn't really
all that much harder to
start and only costs
about $100 more.
20
and perhaps get them to and from work
but can be ridderrin the dirt when the
u rge strikes. On the other side of the
fence - the side I hap p en to be on - you
have people w ho want full-on dirt bikes
that are truly "barely" street legal. These
people do n't care how well they perform on the pavement, as long as they
can be thro wn around on the dirt with
relative ease an d can be ridden through
town without worrying about getting
