VOL. 52 ISSUE 9 MARCH 3, 2015 P51
So, it's pretty much up to you
whether you think the extra two
pounds is worth the risk.
Surprisingly, the KTM's
hydraulically operated clutch
gave our left hand a little bit of
a workout. It has a somewhat
heavy pull…well, it's not that
it's heavy but more like it wants
to spring back too much,
so you're kind of fighting it
at times. It's somewhat hard
to explain, but, for whatever
reason, once you get into the
rocks or other challenging
obstacles at a slow pace, your
left hand will definitely feel the
strain after a while, more so
than with the Yamaha's clutch,
which has a light pull and ex-
cellent actuation.
Both bikes have outstanding
suspensions, but they have
their own distinctive person-
alities. The KTM's suspen-
sion has a plush, almost soft
feeling, while the Yamaha's
suspension feels a little on the
stiff side at both ends. The
KTM's ride is impressive on
the slower rocky or rooted ter-
rain. None of that cush is lost
at speed, either; it has excel-
lent stability on faster, wide-
open ground. At moderate
speeds, though, you'll notice
some midstroke harshness
from the KTM's WP 4CS fork,
which transfers some stress
to the rider's arms. However,
you can adjust a lot of that out
pretty easily and almost on the
fly with the WP's large clicker
dials on top of both fork caps—
compression is on the left and
rebound on the right. Simple.
The Yamaha is fitted with
the same KYB Speed Sensi-
tive System fork that's on the
motocrosser, though tuned dif-
ferently for a softer ride. Initial
stroke, although good, didn't
(Left) Smooth controllable power makes the
KTM a good choice for long rides on tight
and technical trails. (Right) Even though
both the KTM (pictured) and Yamaha are
considered race bikes, they also make
super-fun trail bikes. Electric starting and
kickstands make life much easier on the trail.
