Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

1996 KnI620 LC4 !WC ''THIS IS NOT A LEAFY PLANT:' I TIiOUGHT TO myself after swapping my way off the trail It was only a small crash, and I'm not sure it even qualifies as such since neither the bike nor I ever contacted the ground. Both I and the KTM were propped up quite nicely, if uncomfortably, by this stiff bush1ike thing. My ego wants to think that it was the tiny dose of street bike put in the 620 LC4 to make it a livable bea t on the tarmac that sent me astray on the rough trail. Except that you'll have a really hard time finding the road-going 1996 KTM 620 LC4 RlXC half of the dual in this dual sport. List Price $6.778 Firs~ let me say that this was a 1996 model Displacement 608.6cc since the electric-start ''>7s weren't quite ready Engine type Liquid-cooled, yet, and as such was lacking the one amenity single-cylinder four·stroke that all the other bikes were equipped with: a Bore " stroke 101 x 76mm starter motor. Gotta love kicking on a big-bore Compression ratio N/A four·stroke single - with your left leg. no less. Carburetion 38mm Qwik Silver II At least after the bike was warmed, starting Ignition ElectroAic was always trouble free. Cold mornings, howTransmission speeds 5 ever, were a different story and we never Starting system : Kick quite got the ritual down. Anyway, with the Fuel capecity 2.3 gal. ''>7 this won't be an issue. . Wheelbase 59.5 in. Once under way you don't miss the elecRake/trail NI A tric start at all. and because of the light weight Seat height .........•.......37.0 in. - 290 pounds dry - you become glad it's not Front tire 90/90-21 there. 1his bike flat hauls in the dirt and in Rear tire 130/80-18 this group is unrivaled for trail work. Front wheel travel 11.8 in. The fuUy adjustable 45mm Marzocchi Rear wheel travel 13.0 in. forks work great, as does the Ohlins shock, Front brake Disc also fully adjustable. From slow, rocky trails Rear brake Disc to high-speed two-track, you feel in control. Final drive '.' Chain After a while you take for granted just how Claimed dry weight 290.2 Ibs. good this bike is on the trail, then you ride one of the heavy ones, with their soft suspension and considerable heft, and you want to go ri~t back. The 608.9cc four-valve single has gOod. power and would hang with any of this bunch blasting from comer to corner. On some of the slower trails the bike ran h~ the temperature light coming on more than once. Once speeds picked up it cooled right off, but it was the only bike of the bunch to behave this way. OveralL the wide-ratio five-speed gearbox worked well fifth plenty taU for 65-mph freeway cruising. The only hitch was the wide gap between first and second gears, which was a bit difficult to ride around. Second gear was too tall, and though the motor would pull the gear at lower rpm. there was a lot of driveline lash and noise. Though gearbox feel was nolchy, shifting was positiveno critical shifts missed. The rear brake demands a soft touch and so treated works well. The front, while good in outright power (one finger needed), tended to howl. The real downfall of the KIM is its unrefined road-going personality. A hard seat and excessive engine vibration make even the shortest hauls a challenge. Coming'over the Ortega Highway on our long ride home, I found myself alternately standing up to get off the cinder-block seat, and sitting down with my feet off the pegs trying to avoid the high-frequency vibes attacking my arches. In the'end, this is a bike for the serious dual-sport enthusiast who primarily rides off-road. Even with electric start coming for ''>7, what you're looking at is a serious dirt machine made legal for the tarmac. So while the law won't be broken when you ride this one on the street, you might be. -MatkHoyer !y, that turned into a rock-infested, cobby downhill that led down into the wash that is Coyote Canyon. We blasted down the beautiful wash, complete with its "Not a Through Road" signs (yeah, we knew) until we reached the other side of the closed area. Trails to nowhere are still trails. We were pleased.. The ride back out was just as fun and the long. challenging. rocky downhill was now a long. challenging. rocky uphill. The uphill definitely got our hearts pumping and we were all happy to stop for gas again in Anza before heading toward Idyllwild, our next destination. We traveled east on Highway 371 until we intersected Highway 74, at which point we headed north toward Mountain Center. Along the way we took a short fire-road loop that led to the top of Thomas Mountain, which overlooks Lake Hemet, and came back down to meet Highway 74 just before Highway 247 in Mountain Center. After topping off our tanks again we set out on Highway 247, our destination being a fire road outside of Idyllwild that would lead us down into San Jacinto. We all had some more road racing-style fun underlining just how capable these modern dual sport bikes, even with DOT knobbies - on 247 until a few of us almost lost it hitting gravel that had been laid down due to recent snowfall We wish we could say we rode in snow, but it was aU melted by the time we got there. 1rm Honda XR65ll (Right) Managing editor Mark Hoyer found his niche on the KTM, while (below) CN editor Paul Carruthers was at home, on the pavement, on the KLX. Marl< had sustained We eventually got to our dirt descent and after a few photos we were blazing down the fire road. Fire roads are a blast to go up because gnvity seems to help you slow down and control your slides better, but going down is another story, especially when the road has waterbars (erosion-«mlrol mounds of dirt) running across it like this one did. So, you'd come flying down the road, hit one of the waterbars and use it as a nice jump, only to have to slow down in huny to make the next descending tum. Let's just say we aU had a few dose calls, with Jeff and Paul sampling the soil on mOre than a few occasions. By the time we reached Highway 74 again near San Jacinto it was almost sunset and we aU still had to get home. Compounding the time problem. was a flat tire while coming down the mountain. After shoving a front tube into the Honda's rear tire, we were ready to split up and head OUI separate ways. Kit and Kinney were all smiles as they realized they both had about a half-hour's ride home from this point, while the rest of us still had to get to Orange County, some two hours away. Kit and Kinney hopped on the 79 and took it to Interstate 10 west and were home in no time. The Orange County crew, on the other hand, took the chilly (okay, freezing) Highway 74 through to Interstate 5 and up into Orange County. Paul and Jeff pulled off in Lake Forest, while Mark and I continued 'back to Huntington Beach. When we finally lifted our sore rumps off of the seats, we looked at the odometer on the KTM and realized why we were feeling so dilapidated: We had traveled 498 miles during the past two days. We consider ourselves lucky because we all made it in one piece, as did the bikes (whew f), but who knows about the future. One collarbone, three ribs and a knee have been broken by two people in the CN office smee the ride. What's next?fN bike's shifting. For some reason I seemed to have trouble getting the bike to WHEN I FIRST SAW THE XR ON mE STAND IN CAMERON's GARAGE, I IMMEDIupshift at peed. ately knew which bike [ wanted to ride on the Cycle News dual-sport My big chance came adventure. But, since I'm not an editor at CYCle News, [ knew I wouldn't on day two and I quickly get the chance to pick and choose what bike I'd be riding - at least inicalled dibs on the XR. tially. Kit Palmer (who has been at Cyde News for well over a decade) Finally, [ was going to get would get first pick and he'd choose to start out on the KIM 620. Even to ride the bike that I'd though Cameron Coatney had only been been eyeing since the with the company since March, he'd still evening before our get second pick by virtue of the fact that 1997 Honda XR650L adventure had begun. But he'd installed the DOT knobbies on all of before [ ever turned a the bikes. Thus, Cameron opted for the List Price $5,399 wheel on the bike [ discovered my one and only dislike ATK 605. Mark Hoyer, who helped Displacement 64Occ about it - it's too taU. Right from the s~ I realized that Cameron put on the tires (or so he says), Engine type Air-cooled. the XR was a bit tall for my 3O-inch inseam - given the would pick third. And it was then that single-cylinder four-stroke fact that it comes with a seat height of 37 inches. This the Honda XR650L was snatched up. Bore "Stroke 100 x 82mm didn't present too much of a problem on-road - both That left Cycle News editor Paul CarCompression 8.3:1 paved and fire - but it was a problem for me when ridruthers and me with the Kawasaki Carburetion .42.5mm CV ing on rocky single-track trails. KLX650 and Suzuki DR650, respectively. Ignition Solid State CD But other than not being able to touch the ground Even though Carruthers is the editor, I Transmission speeds 5 except with my tippy toes, I felt the Honda was a great took it upon myself to decide for him Starting sy_m Eleetric overall dual sport bike. Unlike the DR. I clidJi't experiwhich bike he was going to ride. I'd Fuel Capecity 2.8 gal. ence any shifting problems with the XR and the power already taken the liberty of strapping all Wheelbase 57.3 in of the engine seemed adequate, although a tad more of my gear on the back of the Suzuki DR, Rake/trail 27°/101.6mm would only make the bike that much better (clitto for leaving him no choice but to take up resiSeat height ...•......... _ 37.0 in. the Suzuki and the Kawasaki). dence on 'the Kawasaki. My reason for Front tire 3.00·21 The thing I liked most about the Honda was the doing this was 'simple: For the last two Rear tire _ .4.60·18 overall quality of its construction. For a production bike years I'd been given a KLX650 for the Front wheel travel ...•...... 11.6 in. the styling and detailing of the XR650L is about as good annual Cycle News dual sport ride and for Rear wheel travel 11.0 In as you could ask for. And whether on the street or in once I wanted to try out something new. Front brake .........•....... .Disc the dirt, the XR is solid. Fortunately for me, Carruthers didn't Rear brake .Disc In the end, 1 figured out that if I actually had to seem to mind my choosing the KLX650 Final drive Chain spend my hard-earned cash on any of the bikes we for him since it's a great bike for the paveClaimed dry weight 324.1 Ibs. rode, I'd spend it on the XR In addition to being the ment. After aU, the first part of the ride best-looking bike, and a solid performer on- and offwould be on the winding paved roads of road, the thing that ultimately sold me on the Honda Ortega Highway. , For some reason, [ ended up staying with the Suzuki for the first day was its quality. an area where it is unmatched. of our two-day ride and my only complaint with the DR was with the

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