KTM 450 EXC

KTM 450 EXC - The bike to beat? KTM’s 450 EXC, a former CW Ten Best winner and long term testbike on which we racked up nearly 5000 off road miles. Yes, from a hard core performance standpoint, the 450 EXC is king, but there are other factors that ultimately knocked it off the top of the podium in this tight contest, and not without a lot of heated debate among testers.

Without doubt, the Katoom’s 450cc engine is snappiest of the group and that makes it feel the most like a recebike with lights. The motocross inspired engine hits the instant the rider cracks open the throttle, delivering, crisp, powerful acceleration. As long as you’re at low altitude, anyway! Once we were over about 7000 feet, jetting was way off and the EXC would pop, stall, carburete poorly and even refuse to start sometimes. EFI is proving its worth, and the KTM, the most expensive bike in the test, ought to have this feature.

Chassis performance, meanwhile, was excellent, albeit focused toward racing with its taut, motorcross like WP suspension. For fast guys, that combination is exactly right but for other, the plusher, more compliant suspension of the Husky or Beta was preferred, especially for more casual trail riding
There is no denying that at full speed, the EXC is the all around best handling bike of the group, allowing crisp direction changes on tight single track yet remaining composed on hight speed fireroads. It was also the lightest bike in the test (265 pound dry) and thus the easiest to handle in all situations, from post crash pickups to tight U-turns.