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/128134
2002 Open-Class Four-Stroke Motocrossers Cannondale X440S vs. Honda CRF450R vs. Husaberg FC550 vs. KTM 520 SX vs. Vertemati C500 VS. Vor 530MX VS. Yamaha YZ426F BESF HANDLING: fX}@fJiJc{}@ BESF BRAKES: w@[fD@@ Trying to get all of our testers to agree on a best-handling bike wasn't easy. Most of our discussion centered on cornering, and we had a variety of opinions. Some of our testers liked the Yamaha, while others liked the Honda. Even the Vor's name came up a few times. We finally agreed - some reluctantly - to give the Honda the win in this heavily debated category. Maybe we should've just tossed a coin. Why the Honda? Mainly because the CRF just feels lighter and more maneuverable than the rest - just point it and go. The Honda can rail an outside berm and is just as willing to cut to the inside. You can plant the Honda in a rut and it will stay there. Need to make a mid-air correction? No problem on the Honda. This makes a lot of sense, since the Honda is by far the lightest bike in the comparison. Still, some riders felt more comfortable on the Yamaha. One of our Pro testers thought the YZF handled best, calting it "really quick and easy handling." and adding that "it turns sharp and goes anywhere you put it." Another Pro tester said, "The Yamaha felt a tad heavy but was very stable," while an Intermediate·level tester insisted that the Yamaha was best in the sweepers and sandy berms. The Vor rated highly among our testers in this category. Everyone was quick to point out how quickly the Italian bike steered and how light the front end felt. "This bike goes inside or outside," said one tester, "And it feels very stable." Both the Husaberg and KTM handle well, too, but the former bike just feels a little on the big side and requires a bit more muscle to get it to do what you want (it's heavy compared to the other entrants), and the KTM just felt a little skitterish up front. "It wallows around a little bit," said one tester of the KTM's front end. Most of our testers had good things to say about the Cannondale's handling, at least when it comes to railing an outside line. One tester said, "Entering a comer, you want to find something to put the tires up against, get settled in, and then pin it!" Everyone pretty much agreed that the Cannondale is fairly stable at speed and holds a straight line, but it isn't as nimble or as maneuverable as some of the others (namely, the bikes on our Handling Podium). In other words, when you're trying to force the 'Dale inside and don't have anything to use as a berm, you'll have a task ahead of you. Our main Pro tester described the Vertemati's handling as "real nervous and jittery," and he noted a tendency for the bike to "stand up" in the turns. but you've got to like how the flat layout provides so much room for moving around on the bike. Handling Podium 1. Honda 2. Yamaha 3. VOR Always an important category, braking is especially vital when it comes to four-strokes, as there's invariably more girth to haul down from speed (and often more speed from which to haul them down). No surprises here. Just like the two-stroke CRs, the CRF450R has outstanding brakes. They're strong, progressive and have excellent feel. As usual, Honda reigns supreme when it comes to reining in a big four-stroke (come to think of it, the CRF's light weight probably doesn't hurt in this category). The KTM also has good, strong and positive-feeling brakes (again, the light weight helps here), but it didn't take long for the front Brembo unit to start squealing. The big Husaberg also features Brembo binders, and despite its ample weight, getting the FC hauled in was a breeze. That said, it did share one complaint with the Vor and Vertemati (both of which also use Brembos) - a sometimes hard-to-find rear-brake pedal. The Yamaha has good brakes, too (like the Honda, it uses Nissin binders,), but the front unit still has a flat, vague feeling that lacks initial bite. This is also the case on twostroke YZS, and is partially due to the different brake-hose routing. Braking Podium 1. Honda 2. KTM 3. Husaberg "THE ELECTRIC STARTER ON THE CANNON DALE DID NOT SEEM TO MAKE THE BIKE FEEL MUCH HEAVIER THAN THE OTHERS.II (Above) Bench-racing and bali-smacking at the post-shootout hootenanny. (RIght) Some accuse Cannondales of being unreliable, but our X440S never missed a beat. A new-generatlon X440 is expected soon, but for now, this is the most affordable bike of the bunch. 8 DECEMBER 12,2001 • cue I • n e vv s The bike has come to be taken for granted, but Yamaha's trusty VZF is still among the top in Its class. BEST STARTING: @@[JiJ[JiJ@[JiJ@@O@ Again, this category takes on added significance when you're talking about four-strokes, which have gained a (mostly deserved) reputation as being reluctant to fire up. Being the only electric-starting bike of the group, the Cannondale easily won this category. No one seemed to care about the extra weight of the C'dale's electric starting system, but everyone did appreciate the ease of just pressing a button and suddenly hearing the big engine rumble to life. After three days of testing and a lot of engine-starting, the Cannondale's electric starter continued to function perfectiy, never hesitating to bring the X440S to life - hot or cold. Of all of the kick-start bikes, the KTM was by far the easiest to start. In fact, the big Katoom is easier to fire up than most 250cc two-strokes and even some 125s! Starting the Austrian machine is a "no-brainer" - just pull the lever out and kick. You don't even have to mess with hot-start levers or knobs (since it doesn't have either), or with locating top-dead-center (since it has an automatic decompression system). Just kick and go, but remember to kick gently. Start at the top of the stroke, and a smooth, efficient kick is all that's needed. The Honda is the next-easiest. Like the KTM. the Honda features an automatic decompression system, but it utilizes a hot-start lever on the left handlebar, and we just got in the habit of using it every time. Again, like the KTM, the Honda requires a smooth kick. The forward kickstarters on the Vor and Verternati had some of our testers a little leery, but once they got finished scratching their heads and gave the design a try, they found the Italian bikes to be fairly easy starters. Having to pull back and push down on the Vertemati's kickstart lever to get it to retum to its original position was a little tricky to figure out at first, but, again. once you got it figured out, no problem. Both bikes started easily, and neither had hot-start buttons or decompression levers with which to hassle. Even though the Yamaha - the only bike that did not utilize an automatic decompression system - usually started on the first kick, it didn't get too many high marks from our test riders. After getting used to just hopping on the other bikes and kicking, having to go through the tedious starting routine with the Yamaha (you know, pull in the decompression lever, kick a bunch of times, find TDC, and kick like you mean it) just became tiresome. We're not calling the YZF hard to start, but it can't compete with the placers on our Starting Podium. The Husaberg was the only bike that we actually dreaded starting. Most of our testers did not like the left-side placement of the kick-start lever and thought the lever itself was way too tall, making it doubly awkward to use. Plus, our test bike was always tough to start when cold, sometimes requiring 15 minutes in the mornings. When hot, the 'Berg was fairly easy to start. Starting Podium 1. Cannondale 2. KTM 3. Honda