Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

This is where th e big b ik e is in its el ement, gobbling up miles and spitting them out , nary m i ss in g a beat the entire t ime . On Soda Dry Lake , we had ample opportunity to open up the Adventure a nd let it breathe, and it effo rt lessly accelerated up to the 98 mp h poi nt a nd h o v er e d ther e for n ea r l y a min ute before its p il o t lost nerv e a nd ba c k ed off. W ith a b rav er r ider at t he h el m , c ruising well over th e ce ntury mark wo u ld ha v e b e en absol ut el y no p ro bl em . Lik e t he n o rma l 6 40 , t h e Ad ven t ure is se t u p woefully so ft, and we 'd i mme d i a tel y i n s t a ll s t i ffe r sp ring s fron t a n d r e a r w e re w e t o b u y thi s m achin e. And bu y it w e would . It c osts o v er a grand more than it s standard sibling , but we fe el that the ad ded p izzazz a n d i n c r ea se d l o n g- di s t a n c e comfort make the h igher price j u stifiable. Both of these bikes are b uilt for adven ture, an d the o ne w ith tha t w o rd i n its name is b etter -su it e d for that pu r p o s e . Aft e r a ll , m any bi k e s a r e bet t e r f o r t ight w o ods - sh r edding o r a g g r e ss i v e w hoop-hammeri ng, . bu t g o o d luck o n finding a bike that w ork s b ette r than the LC4 a nd t he Ad v e n t u r e for all-day e xplo ration rides. You might as well get the one that's most comfortable in -that re a lm , and put up w ith it when it gets out of it s element. No matter wh a t , yo u ow e i t t o yourself to t ak e a rid e of the sort KTM organiz ed for its Mojav e Mad ness soiree. There's noth ing like idling into town , dus ty and w ind -burned after p uttin g i n yo u r seco nd of t he day 's two 100 - m ile sti nts ac ro s s a h a r sh and inhosp itable d esert, k nowing you j ust ex perienced more ad vent ure th a n Okay, so we didn 't really get to hang out with Fabrizio Meoni, the Italian winn er of this year's Dakar Rally , but we did get to ride a pretty close approximation to the bik e he did it on -a 2001 KTM 660 Rally. KTM's Scot Harden brought along one of these $2200 Factory Replicas for the Mojave Madness adventure , and after consistent nagg ing, he agreed to let me take the helm for a 30- m ile portion of our final day's route. The model, whi ch is availa ble for purchase, is considered a part of KTM 's LC4 line, and its motor is indeed loosely based on that familiar powerplant (the m otor-mount points are th e sam e, for exam ple) . Th e center cases are also simil ar, though they' re bigger around the crank. Said crank is also different, as is the ma in bearing, and the clutch is both hydra ulic and larger in size. All of this decreases oil capacity, though cylinder displacement is increased to around 660cc. Th e bik e is of course a single (the eagerly awaited LC8 twin is not yet being raced ), but it's got a separate exhaust pipe for each of the t wo ports . The Rally gets its own frame, which is strong er around the steering head and sw ingarm p iv ot, and features a Kawa saki -esqu e perimeter design with no backbone (to acco m mo date th e airbox, which is displaced from the tra ditio nal location by the relocated battery and top shock mount) . That shock 's spring has different valving and a stiffer, 7.5 spring (as com pared to 6.6), but its link and pull rods are standard . The 48mm inverted WP fork used by KTM' s M.X GP riders is utiliz ed (with 5.0 springs); it has a clo sed cartridge and a 30mm axle (com pared to 20) . The Rally boasts an impressive 14-gallon fuel capacity , thanks to four different fuel cell s (two fro nt and two rear) . Riders have the opti on of run ning all four tanks together , or separati ng the front and rear units. An d if a single cell is damaged in a crash, it can be quick ly disconnect ed from the rest of the system so that only minimu m range is sacri ficed. Th e fairing protects an electric road-book holder and a larqe-dis play, mu lti -functi on ICO speedometer (there's also a GPS holder). and is easily removed via four Dzus fasteners that hol d it to the tank. A Scotts steering dampe r also comes standard , and Acerbis Rally guards are mounted. To keep the rider comfortable over long dis tances, the seat features two layers of foam and a leather-like cover , and the foot pegs are extra -wi de . To minimize wind res istance, there's a low , street- bike- style front fender. A huge , carb on- fiber skid plate protects the engine, and inc orporat es a holder for an emergency transmitter and pair of water tanks (per rally guidelines ) totaling approximately a gallon and a half of capacity . The Rally com es set up with tum signals and Michelin dual -sport tires, but much lik e Meoni's, the bik e we rode sported knobbi es and no blinkers. KTM claims the dry weight to be 34 5 pounds. When you climb aboard the Rally , your brain tells you you're on what we assume is the most expens ive production dirt bik e in exismost of the people staring at y o u w ill in a lifeti me . Of course you could always ente r th e Dakar Rally and go for t he u lt imat e in adventure. B ut this w ay is m ore fun , CN • Special roller -typ e rocker arms (roller at cam .side; valve-adju sting screws wi ball-swivel feet ) • Small , light crankshaft. fully support ed in low-fri ction roller bearings • Nika sil-coat ed cylind er barrels for tight piston clearance • Water-coolinq wi thermo stat-controlled cooling circuits • Refined lubricating circu it incl uding 2 oil pumps • Compact electric starter • • Spark plug is centrall y located in comb ustion chamber & a peripheral squish band forces the com pressed mixture directly to plug (cl aimed to aid torque) • Stainless-steel main silencer • Chrome-mol y cradle-type frame wi double downtubes & refined powder-coating (removable subframe & alum inum swingarm) • Aluminum , Pro-Taper-lik e (large-diameter, no crossbar) Brembo handlebar • WP inverted mu lti -adjust er wi 26 x 26 adj ustment optio ns The testing crew takes a much-deserved lunch break at Dumont Dune s on day one . tence, but once yo u ja b the starter button , your right wrist doesn't give a dam n. Sure, you start off with aforced and artificial sense of calm, clic ki ng the bike smo othly and carefully up through the gears, but soon enough, you 're moving along so rapidly that the scenery in your periph eral vision begins to blur. Th e twin pipes throb loudly and stron gly , begging the rider to throw caution to the wind and let the motor breathe, and having such a comfortable cock pit and sizeable dashboard lends a sense of security norm ally reserved for auto m obil e driv ers. I found m yself finding excuses to stop every few miles, allowing the group to pull ahead so that I could let the motor yell for extended mom ents - such a thrillln g sensation that i literally joined in the yelling , gleeful in the ecstasy of the power -testi ng hand -grip and the wind pressing goggle s against face. That aforementioned sensati on of security is not entirely false, as the Rally is so stable and plush that crashing it would prob ably take some effort. Every few mil es, the dirt roads we rod e presented sharp-e dge rain ruts, which acted like booby traps and harshly bottom ed the suspension of the norma l LC4s we were riding. But on the Rally , there's no need to even slow; in fact , you ' re better off actua lly blipping the throttle, hitting each wash-out with the power on and allowi ng the glorious suspension to supply and effortlessly absorb the obsta cle. Way too soon , my tum on the Rally was up , and it was time to hand it off to another journalist. I didn't ride it long enough to notice a single negative characteristic; in fact, it was one of the most invig orating experiences a motorcycle rider could hope to have, and it stands out more vividly in recollection than any other part of the three-day rid e. And although it wa sn't reall y Meon;'s per sonal ma chine, tha t' s probably a good thing, considering the cond ition that bike must now be in after enduring nearly a month of abuse during the Dakar Rally. KTM 640LC4j640 Adventure R ENGINE , , . . . . . • . .Slnqle-cylinder, liquid-cooled four -stroke wi 4 val ves, overhead cams £, roller rocker lever DISPLACEMENT • . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . • . . . . . ..625cc BORE x STROKE . . . . . . . . • . . . . . • . .. . .. . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . , 101 x 78mm CLA IMED PEAK HOR SEPOWER , . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . .. .48.3 hp @ 7500 rpm CLAIMED PEAK TORQUE .. .. . . . •. . • • . .... ..... .. . . . . .38.4 Ibs./ft. @ 5500 rpm COMPRESSION RATIO : , .. " , .. , , , . . , . .11.0:I MAIN SILENCER .. . .... ... . . . • • . .... , .. , .Stalnless-steel HGS 4 wi spark arrestor STARTER _.Electric & kick FUEL 92 + octan e unleaded CARBURETOR Mikuni BST 40 LUBRI CATI ON • . . , ,.." , Pressure circu lation w/2 Eaton pum ps ENGINE OIL " ." , " _ I Ow 40 SAE PRIMA RY DRIVE _. .. . . . • . .• . . • . . . , •. , •.•• . .. ... , . . . ..... • ... .... . . .30 :8 1 A NA L DRIV E O-rin g 520 chain & hard ened aluminum sprockets TRAN SMIS SION .5 gears, wide-ratio CLUTCH . . . . . • . . • . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . ... . . . . .Wet multi-disc IGNITI ON .. • , .••.• , .... .•.. " •• •• . .. . . , , , Kokusan DC-COl 4K2 SPARK PLUG , , , _........ .. .. . .. .. .. ...•..NGK DR8 EA BATTERY . . . . . . . ... . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . .12V 8Ah FRAME •.. . .. . . . . . . .•. . .Chrome-mo ly bdenum tubular wi removable steel subframe HANDLEBAR . . .. . . .. . •. . .. . . . . .Large-diam eter alum inum Brembo wi no crossbar FRONT SUSPENSION .43mm (48mm on Adventur e) inverted WP fork wi 10.6 in. travel REAR SUSPENSION , WP bleed -adj ustment monoshock wi strut , Pro Lever link & 11.8 in. travel (12.6 on Adv enture) FRONT BRAKE . .. . . . .. .... .. ••. •. _ _.Hydraulic Brembo wi single 300mm disc REAR BRAKE , _ Hydra ulic Brembo wi single 220mm disc FRONT WHEEL , ..Aluminum 1.60 x 2 1 in, 0 .1. 0 rim ; chrom ium -pleted M5 smooth-skirt spokes REAR WHEEL . . •. . .. . ... ... .A1uminum 2.50 x 18 in. 0 .1.0 rim; chrom ium -plated M5 smooth -skirt spoke s; torqu e-damped, powder-coated hub FRONT TIRE ... . ...• .••..• ... ... . ... .. •... . .• . ... .... .90/9 0 x 21 dual sport REAR TIRE •.. . .. , _• . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . • . . . • . . . . 140/ 80 x 18 dual spo rt RAK E/TRAIL Approx. 27°/ Ap prox . 124mm WHEELBASE .. .... . .... . ..... . .. . .•. . . . ... .. . . . , A pprox . 59.5 in. GROUND CLEARANCE , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .•.. 14.0 in. SEAT HEIGHT . . . . . ... .. . .. .•. .• , . _ , ,37.6 in./36.8 in. , Approx. 5,0 gal./ Approx. 7.4 gal. FUEL CAPAC ITY . •.. . . . ... . . ... .. , , CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT , ,.._ Approx. 299.8 Ibs./Approx. 339 .5 lbs. SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE _. . ... . .. ... .• __ .$6998/$8 198 c u e I e n e vu s

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