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Article and Videos By: ATV Source.com
KTM 450 & 525 XC -- "ATV Source.com's First
Impressions"
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Nuts & Bolts
The motorcycle industry has been spoiled by
KTM’s incredible attention to detail for some
time, but we ATV riders are finally getting a
taste of the goods. The XC quads are no
exception when it comes to trick bits, odds, and
ends. Take the front brakes for example. Instead
of mass produced stock stoppers, KTM mounts up
Magura four piston (180mm) floating hydraulics
with wavy rotors to boot. In the rear we again
find a high quality Magura system, only this
time a single piston caliper slows a more
massive 200mm rotor. All of the brake
lines are steel-braided. Lightweight
aluminum Douglas wheels are found all around and
mounted to them are Maxxis Razr tires. If
all of that weren’t enough bling for a stock
machine, KTM goes a few better by including an
aluminum Magura handlebar that mounts to an
adjustable aluminum stem. That’s right- no one
size fits all logic to be found on this machine.
Other goodies that come standard off the
showroom are fully adjustable A-arms (caster and
camber adjustable), Magura hydraulic clutch
(steel braided lines naturally),
performance-oriented aluminum exhaust system,
kick-up foot pegs, gripper seat cover, clear
coated graphics (not just stickers), 3.5 gallon
fuel tank, easy-to-remove warning & safety
stickers, and a stock tether cable/ kill switch.
Never has a stock ATV come quite as race prepped
as the KTM from the showroom floor. We’re
sincerely hoping all of the other manufacturers
take note.
Now the Good Stuff
Any true rider will tell you that races are won
and lost by man and machine, not by spec sheets
and product brochures. In keeping that in
mind, we were forced to ignore the
mouth-watering specifications of the KTM XC and
to take it out in the real world for testing.
Going into the torture-test, we were already
well aware of the fact that these quads had the
hype, they had style, they had the backing of a
proven company, and they certainly had the spec
sheet to go along with the anticipation
emanating from everyone involved. But would they
deliver where it matters most- out in the dirt?
To find out we had to treat this test as if we
were riding any other ATV. We couldn’t go
in with any premeditated biases or prejudices.
The KTM XC would have to stand or fall on its
own merit and performance on the trails, in the
woods, and on the track. It is a dirty job, we
know, but somebody had to do it.
The KTM 450XC is a high-flying machine
and is very maneuverable once in the
air. |
Climbing On
From the saddle, even at a dead standstill, it’s
quite clear that the KTM means business. While
not quite as squatty, long, and flat feeling as
the Suzuki LTR450, the KTM XC feels pretty thin
around the knees. The gas tank is much
less intrusive than its 3.5 gallon capacity
would indicate. The reach to the bars is
especially natural if not slightly higher than
usual; this results in an elbows-bent posture
and a very welcomed attack stance from anywhere
in the saddle. With the touch of the handlebar
mounted button, the XC fires to life nearly
instantaneously with an exhaust note quite
reminiscent of an aftermarket equipped 450 race
bike. It purrs very steadily at idle, with a
smooth hum that almost convinces the pilot that
there’s nothing to be afraid of. Touching
the throttle, even with the slightest flick,
sends the engine screaming. This kind of
throttle-response quickens even the pulse of the
most confident riders, and had us leaned over
the side of the quad to make sure we didn’t
misunderstand the press data claiming these
things are carbureted!
The clutch is smooth and one-finger steady
throughout its entire throw. We stepped it down
into first with a bit of apprehension that
accompanies all first-rides on a high
performance model. Easing the clutch out,
power begins pouring into the wheels immediately
and continues to build until the clutch is fully
released. The throttle isn’t nearly as
light-switch sensitive as it appeared at idle
but stabbing the rubber-coated thumb lever is a
lesson in humility regardless of what gear
you’re in. The bottom end is short and punchy
and leads to a mid-range that is downright
violent. Holding gear too long results in
ample over-rev but to reach the limits of the
power spread in each gear means having nerves of
steel as you pass through the meat of the
powerband (the mid-range). This machine builds
revs so quickly that it can become a real
challenge to keep all four wheels planted in
technical terrain. The quad simply wants to pop
off of every terrain imperfection. We took a few
laps around our outdoor track then parked the
twin orange XCs for a little tuning.
If you happen to come up short, the
KTM's suspension is excellent in soaking
it up. |
In case you missed it earlier, the KTM XC quads
are some of the most customizable machines we’ve
ever encountered (stock or modified)! Everything
from the camber and caster of the A-arms, to the
width of the rear axle, to the positioning of
the handlebars, to the nearly infinitely tunable
suspension. The bottom line is that if you
are not happy with the way the KTM feels beneath
you, you have only yourself to blame. After
setting the sag, we fooled around with the
suspension until we took enough compression out
to make it small-bump sensitive. In doing so,
the machine’s personality changed dramatically.
The XC would hug the ground more effectively
without giving up any of its brutal (yet
addicting) bursts of power. Regardless of the
terrain, it never took more than a slight blip
of the throttle to get the back end to break
loose. This is a quad that likes to be steered
from the rear.
On the track, the KTM is a surprisingly stable
flier. It simply does not require excessive
body-English to stay level and bringing the
front end down for smooth transition-landings
required little more than a tap of the rear
brake. We used (and abused) the clutch for
several laps without a hint of fade. The brakes
too, are absolutely spectacular at bringing
these beasts to a halt. They took a bit longer
to burn in than most test-quads we’ve ridden but
afterward, the modulation and fade-free
performance was incredible.
 |
450 VS 525
You may be wondering why this test lumps the two
machines together into a single report. To that
we must confess that physically it is nearly
impossible to tell the two apart. If it weren’t
for the displacement stickers on the sides, more
than one test rider would be uncertain as to
which machine they were mounted atop. The 525
engine makes a bit more torque from the bottom
and sounds like it is revving more freely on the
top. To be honest, however, it is not a night
and day difference going from one model to the
next as we had initially anticipated. We suspect
that the difference may be far more apparent
once top speeds were involved (something our
test didn’t get into). The possibility of
sneaking the 525 into the 450 class is
definitely a legitimate concern. Race
facilities will need to pay careful attention
during registration.
Conclusions
We are no stranger to performance ATVs. In fact
we've ridden modified
LTR450s, KFX450Rs, and even a Yamaha Banshee for
comparison sake. There is little doubt that the
KTM XC can be picked up from the dealership and
successfully raced before making it home. It is
truly a competent racer in fully stock trim.
While our time with the 450 and 525 XC was
limited, it appeared to favor a run-and-gun
style of riding. In other words, riders who
aren’t afraid to wring it out hard before
slamming it into a corner, only to get back on
the throttle quickly, will benefit most. The mid
range is so strong on both models that there are
few quads we’ve sampled that will be able to
drag race the KTM into the next corner. The only
negative to the new KTM quads (if it can be
considered one) is the simple fact that KTM has
not taken beginners, recreational-riders, or
even intermediate racers into consideration when
they decided to get into the ATV game. These are
race-bred performance quads, make no mistake
about it. Even our amateur racers
commented on the brutal nature of the power
delivery and the overwhelming tuning
possibilities. If you doubt your skills on any
other 450, steer clear of the KTM! This is a
purpose-built machine that makes no apologies
for its intent.
After even a short ride on either the XC 450 or
525 it becomes alarmingly clear that KTM didn’t
simple come to play, they came to win.
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