VOL. 52 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 15, 2015 P177
K
TM left no stones unturned
when redesigning its 450
SX-F, which is basically the
same bike as the 2015 limited
edition Factory Edition, the
base model for Ryan Dungey's
championship-winning factory
bike. The new KTM is remarkably
light, compact and slim. It's still
two pounds lighter than the Husky
and Kawasaki, five pounds lighter
than the Honda (which used to
be the lightest bike in the class),
seven pounds lighter than the
Suzuki and 10 pounds lighter than
the Yamaha. And it managed this
with electric starting! Amazing.
The KTM has evolved into one
of the best-turning bikes of the
group. It's a point and shooter,
and you never have to second-
guess what the front end and the
rest of the bike are going to do.
Whether you're railing a berm or
diving to the inside, the KTM's
front end doesn't twist or slide
and has a very fluid feel. It's worth
noting that the KTM is the only
bike that comes fitted with lighter
Dunlop MX32s, the rest MX52s.
Compared to previous KTM
models the power delivery is
noticeably mellower, but it still
has gobs of torque. It may not
be as strong off the bottom as
the Yamaha or Kawasaki but the
KTM has a more controlled feel,
which means you work less so
you can ride harder, longer. You
