Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

·RIDING IMPRESSION 1996 KTM RlXe 400 and 620 By Kit Palmer TM's Scot Harden promised us that the new '96 R/XC dual sport bikes - the 400 and 620 are much improved over last year's models. Not that the '95 R/XCs were junk, or anything like that, but what Harden was really telling us - as we unloaded the '96 400 and 620 R/XCs in preparation for a long day in the saddle (our first ride on the bikes) - was that they had cured the R/XC's nagging carburetion problems; problems we certainly experienced on a particular ride late last year. To make a long story short, we spent more time stalling the engine and kickstarting the friggin' motorcycle - in this case the R/XC620 - than riding it. This was particularly strange when you take into account that Harden had said before we rode the bike that, at that time, they had squashed a particular stalling bug in the new, EPA-friendly and "jetless" 36mm, flat-slide Kwik Silver carburetor. When we first rode the '95 R/ XCs earlier that year, we complained that both bikes surged slightly at steady throttle settings, but our biggest concern was stalling, something that both bikes clid all too well. And stalling led to hard starting, a combination worse than beer and chocolate chip ice cream. Harden called a few months later and said they had found the crux of the stalling problem and had a "modified" R/XC620 waiting for us to try, and we went for it. Any excuse to go ridlng, you know.. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of "those" days when it would've been more fun riding the chair back at the office, as the 620 still had the tendency to stall every time you chopped the throttle and grabbed a handful of brake simultaneously, and then the bike would be just plain hard to start. We gladly handed the bike back to a perplexed Harden, who then returned to the KTM offices in San Diego and promptly went searching for answers. So, here we are, seven months later, and Harden is giving us the same promises as before. "We've got the carburetors clialed in and the bikes are even easier to start - honest," he said. We are pleased to report that Harden made good on his promise this time - after our fullday ride on both the '96 400 and 620 R/XCs, not once did either bike stall or take more than one or two kicks to get them started - hot or cold. So what was the problem with last year's bikes? According' to HardenL the carburetor's slide fork - a pressed-in piece - did not seal properly on some bikes and raw fuel would bypass the metering needle and dump into the intake, thus flooding the motor. KTM sent a notice to all '95 R/ XC owners to have the carburetor inspected and, if need be, Kwik Silver would fix the problem free of charge. Harden's quick-fix on our bike was a dab of epoxy around the seal. Unfortunately, the epoxy he used wasn't gas tolerable and clisolved, bringing us back to square one. "The sealing problem varied from bike to bike," said Harden. "Some owners had no problems at all, others clid." '96 R/ XC owners need not worry. A tighter seal and a new O-ring with a dab of gas-proof epoxy (as an insurance sealer) has seemingly cured the stalling problem on the '96 R/XCs. Case closed. There are other changes to the '96 R/ XCs, as well, one of which is designed to enhance the ease of starting the SOHC, four-valve, liquid-cooled 'motors, which are nestled in chrome-moly steel frames. For the first time, both bikes fea.ture an automatic decompression kickstart sys- Ie low we're' , (Left) The KTM RlXe 400 and 620 . In their element on the dirt and in the mountains. (Right) A narrower layout makes body position changes a breeze. (Above) The 400 Is still down on power but a night in the garage will solve that. (Left) Horsepower makes the 620 more pleasurable to ride, and a new automatic d'1liompresslon systems makes both the 400 and 620 more pleasurable to start. tern, which does exactly what it is designed to do - make starting easier. Even if you're used to bikes with rightside-mounted kickstarters, you can kick with your left leg while perched on top of the bikes, even on the 620. One of our testers still preferred to stand alongside the 620 and give it a good crank with 'his right leg, but just for the sake of it, did prove a couple of times that he could start it from the seat. Luckily, KTM did not do away with the manual decompression lever on the handle!?ars, which is a good thing, eSl?ecially after you've laid the bike upside down on a hill and need to kick the bike , through a couple of times to clean it out. As mentioned, both the 400 and 620 are easy to start, just slightly less easy than pushing a button. When cold, you Simply turn on the choke, kick through a couple of times with the decompression lever pulled in, and then one or two good kicks after that should do the trick. Just like last year, the I<1wik Silver IT carb does not come with a tooUess idle adjustment, but you can purchase - for about $35 from KTM - a remote idle knob that lets you adjust idle speed with your fingers. The bikes we rode had the remote idle screw knob installed. Some gay, the finger-operated idle adjuster will be a standard item. Other changes to the engines Include new lighter and stronger pressure diecast engine cases, and a new cushioned clutch hub with new friction plates. Much' thought went into making the .R/XCs slimmer. The gas tanks on both bikes are narrower, as are the seats and radiators, which are now less vulnerable to damage from trail obstacles. A closer look reveals a new heatshield protector on the two-into-one exhaust pipes with a Supertrapp sparkarrestor end piece; a new Mikuni petcock, and new DOT Super Traction Control Michelin tires fitted onto the rims, which feature lightweight spokes and nipples. The suspensions on both the 400 and 620 feature a few significant changes. Up front, 45mm, non-inverted KTM Magnum forks have been revalved and incorporate an all-new compression cartridge for more progressive suspension action through its 11.8 inches of stroke. The hard-core off-road dual sport riders will appreciate the fact that the fork lowers have 20mm less underhang below the front axle, which will certainly come in handy over rocks and ruts. In the back, the fully adjustable Ohlins shock, offering 13.0 inches of wheel travel, has a new compression and rebound valve setting for more adjustment range, and new cooling fins plus a 20mm longer reservoir help k~p the oil temperature more constant to maintain consistent performance. The new R/XCs also come with sturdy, plastic hand guards, which is something even the off-road-only KTMs don't have. Nice. Claimed dry weight, you ask? A hefty 287.2 pounds for the 400 and 290.2 for the 620. As is the case with most dual sport rides, ours started off on pavement - a short jaunt to the nearest filling station first, followed by a 10-mile hop to our planned dirt road turn-off. The first thing I noticed was that the 400 felt a little more comfortable on the pavement than last year's bike. There seemed to be less vibration and, as a whole, the bike just felt smoother, which most likely had to do with the plusher suspension, new clutch and tires. The 620, however, didn't feel much different, still a little too harsh for lengthy pavement riding; and we could still detect some surging at high throttle settings. Once on the dirt, I was immediately clisappointed with the 400's power, or the lack thereof. It really came as no surprise, since the '95 400 was down on power, as well, but, for some reason, I was expecting a bit more power out of the '96. Wishful thinking, perhaps. The bike is just too choked up even to come close to performing to its potential, but it is street legal. (By the way, all R/ XCs sold now are considered "50-state" bikes). To make matters worse, the transmission's five-speed gear ratios are simply set up more toward on-road riding than off-road. Case in point: First gear is too low and second is too tall, apd this really becomes evident on any kind of an incline. Almost as soon as you let· out the clutch, the motor is already screaming and begging for you to shift into second, but since the gap between the two gears is so spacious, once you do click up it up a cog, the motor bogs and suddenly changes its mind, wanting you to go back to first. Rev, bog - rev, bog. There just isn't enough bottom-end power to pull second gear properly, unless you put the clutch to heavy use. After a while, you start ignoring first gear altogether when going in and out of turns, especially on two-track dirt roads; instead, the rule of thumb is never downshift below second gear and just slip the hell out of the

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