VOLUME 57 ISSUE 47 NOVEMBER 24, 2020 P67
day. It's one of my all-time favor-
ite forms of motorcycle sport.
Don't be a pansy. Try it some-
time. And I think this was my best
result ever. I will be hard-pressed
to recall a more enjoyable GNCC
trip than my four laps of Indiana
fun this fall, that's for sure.
So, what makes this particular
125 so dreamy to me? Plainly, it's
my favorite motorcycle platform
(KTM XC) with an extra dose of
fun applied courtesy of an engine
you actually have to engage in.
If you're a romantic, like me (wife
leaves room laughing), you live for
this stuff. You want to be part of
the experience and in touch with
all points of what's going on in
your propulsion process.
You have no choice but to be
engaged with a 125 and a carbu-
retor. The clutch is your throttle
to some extent, and the left foot
lever is very busy. It's amazing to
try to be that in-tune with some-
thing for a couple hours. And if
something is just terrible with the
bike in this experience, you're
going to notice it very soon.
You know what's wrong with
the 2021 KTM 125 XC? Noth-
ing. The KTM crew swapped
some jetting to the SX specs
to sharpen the response a bit,
and I switched the e-start but-
ton/kill switch locations on the
handlebar for the dead-engine
start. Otherwise, I raced a stock
(Left) The KTM
125 XC feels right
at home in the
woods. It lives
for single-track.
(Below) The KTM's
Brembo brakes are
already great but
even better on a
lightweight 125.
beauty queen at the GNCC, and
I like her that way. I even ran the
stock Dunlop AT81 tires even
though I'm not super in love with
those. Thankfully, Indiana's dirt
is basically glue that holds your
tires down.
Did you catch that e-start
button reference above? Yes,
this is an electric-start 125 (with
