Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128130
2001 KTM 400 EXC • job testing bikes for Cycle News, and rode many a KTM with nary a mechanical problem cropping up. Still, I felt that a year of hard labor on a Katoom was required for me to fully regain my trust. In addition to several trail rides and local events (including the District 37 Big Six 29 Palms GP and the VCMC Enduro in Gorman), I entered the bike in the events you see it campaigning on these pages. Each event on its own was a bike-beater, and believe me when I say that the KTM was not babied. Mechanical work was limited to washing, oil changes, filter cleanings, and the installation of a few aftermarket parts (I kept such updates to a minimum, as the bike is extremely effective in stock form). Despite the liberal abuse and conservative maintenance, the KTM pulled through amazingly, and when my time was finally over with the EXC, it felt like an old friend. It was with some regret that I handed it over (with stock chain and sprockets still in place!) to KTM's Tom Moen, and I mentioned how impressed 1 was with the way it had withstood the abuse through so many outings. "That's not the extent of it," Moen replied. "Before you got it, this bike completed Dirt Rider magazine's 24hour endurance test, and all 1 did was change the oil and air filter before I gave it to youl" Needless to say, that bad taste in my mouth is iong-gone (but I do have a bad case of saddle sores). eN By CHRIS JONNUM ~ometimes I think we should :::. install a revolving door on the Cycle News garage, what with the inordinate number of bikes that go into and out of our building. That's a good indicator of the similarly inordinate number of bike tests we publ ish for our readers, but the downside is that our time with each unit is necessarily limited. Logistics make this problem impossible to overcome in every case, but early this year, my street-bike-testing cohort Blake Conner and I agreed to each hang on to and ride one model for as long as possible. You'll be reading about Blake's mile-weary Suzuki GSXRlOOO in an upcoming issue, but for now, i'jl give you my thoughts after a year of abusing my poor KTM 400 EXC enduro test bike. Part of the reason i chose this Austrian machine is that I had a bad past experience with a KTM, a 1991 300 EXC that was the best enduro bike I had ever owned - when it worked. Unfortunately, the times that it broke were far too numerous, and I had a bad taste in my mouth when I ultimately sold it. Soon after, I landed a 32 NOVEMBER 14. 2001 • cue With two 120-mile days, this ISDE Qualifier is noted for being a toughey, and I've always wanted to take a shot at it. Armed with such a competitive enduro weapon, I decided to go for it this year, and the 400 proved to be the ideal steed. Having already become familiar with the KTM in a few local outings, I installed a Big Gun Quiet Series pipe before Idaho. I'm a huge fan of quiet pipes, and this is a good one. It's only a tiny bit louder than the ultra-quiet stocker (it easily passed the Qualifier's stringent sound test), and provides a little more hit off the bottom without sacrificing the controllable delivery. I wasn't interested in repairing nats on the trail, so I slipped a pair of Michelin's foam Bib Mousses into a new set of Ml 2 tires. Because I'm so tall, and the EXC is a bit cramped, I ran the adjustable handlebar damps all the way forward and bolted on one of Alan Randt's tall Enduro Engineering seats (like Mike Lafferty uses). I had a set of Fastway's platform-like titanium pegs sitting around the office. so I installed them in hopes of alleviating sore arches on the nine-hour days. Acerbis' standard MX handguards were also installed. More than in any of the other events, the KTM saved my life in Idaho. After I became fatigued (about midway through day one!), the smooth motor absolutely dragged me around the rugged course, tractoring up the steep indines and over fallen trees. On the occasions when I did manage to stall it, the infallible electric starter saved time and prevented further exhaustion. Maintenance? One fresh air filter. Failures? The right handguard cracked off during a cold-morning tipover, and I slightly tweaked the rear brake lever on a tree stump. • e n e _ s