Son Of A Dungey
Photos by Simon Cudby
The 2016 KTM 450SX-F is no surprise. With the release of the Factory Edition bike late last year KTM signaled to the world what they were up to for the following year with its premiere motocross bike. Getting a Supercross championship in its maiden season was gravy. Now the US market will get the KTM motocrosser it has been waiting for, a bike that has evolved quickly and really taken the racing world by surprise.
Like the entire SX and XC line the engine and chassis were developed from a clean sheet and on the same time line. The design team had free range on the project and was very influenced by the race teams both here and in Europe. With constant development from the computer models and then underneath test riders on tracks, modeling was quantified and results were modeled after. Losing weight , better handling and more power were the goals, lofty indeed.
It started with the weight loss to a claimed 225-pounds and we’ve seen these bikes on a scale, believe it. Where did all that extra motorcycle go? Well seems the KTM guys got a little bicycle-like in their work starting with using a lot of grams to describe how each part dropped mass. Especially inside the engine a focus was made to make the cases more compact, the spinning stuff lighter and smaller while still having that KTM durability. There are so many small changes to the engine, you’ll have to wait for a full test to see the list, and for us to determine how this will effect durability over time. The chassis is no different with its smaller, slimmer, lighter and more flat profile. There has been much made of KTM’s decision to stay with the WP 4CS front fork instead of going over to the WP air-spring fork that will come on the European spec SXs but KTM made it clear it was confident in its experience with the 4CS and their improved setting from years previous.
When riding the 450SX-F along with all the other KTM SXs at a multi-bike introduction it does feel bigger and and heavier, as expected. But when you recall memory of other 450s the KTM is light feeling all the time. The bike feels small and short yet roomy and easy to move around on. It has a very planted feel to the ground and was pretty forgiving even if suspension settings were not perfect. You can feel the balance of the bike and small changes to the sag setup (KTM has put an imbossed SAG mark on the rear fender to make checking the ride height even more consistent) or even to where you sit on the seat can change the character of the ride. We never felt any kind of instability. It will dive into a turn on the front wheel and steer with confidence, even on the brakes. It works the middle of the turn like it is on rails or you can slide it with the power. Then on exit the bike rocks back on the rear and you can control direction with your hips, the front never touching earth.
The magic in all this seems to be the incredible drivability in the motor. No more are we going to be confused with the KTM 450SX-F being smooth and very powerful without feeling powerful. This new engine has some additional character and some ferocity as well, even in the standard ignition map. It has a big-bike big-piston torque and power pulse on the bottom that typically comes with a heavy flywheel feel and sluggish response. But this engine is nothing like that as it lights up and revs, well like a 350cc motor making 500cc of power. It rips yet it is smooth and controllable all the time. There are two gears for any situation in the five-speed gear box. Shifting was great and the clutch action allowed all the control you’d need. The 450 really resists stalling which is good since the Li-Ion battery isn’t the fastest at cranking the bike to life. And the Launch Control takes some training for the rider to learn how to use it, you have to hold the bike wide open on a now lower rev limiter to take full advantage–it was difficult to do, especially on the 450.
The suspension was tough to find fault with on the Ironman National MX track as it never got rough enough to challenge the bike. If riders were in the target weight range and over 160-pounds on jump takeoffs it held up and the bike resisted bottoming front and rear when the landings weren’t right. Rider’s lighter than that and it would kick on the choppy ground needing additional setup. For sure compared to other WP 4CS forks there was much less harshness especially in the mid-stroke. The addition of the rubber mounted bar could mask a lot of this—and quell the vibration. The SX-F is overall much more pleasant to ride for sure.
Like all the bikes we rode at the intro KTM has really nailed it with the new SX and XC-F platforms. But I was most impressed with the 450SX-F as far as improvements and heading in the right direction of where open-class MX bikes need to go. Lighter, faster, better handling and most of all easier to ride!
SPECIFICATIONS
Engine Type: Single Cylinder, 4-Stroke
Displacement: 449.9cc
Bore/Stroke: 95.0/63.4 mm
Compression Ratio: 12.75:1
Starter/Battery: Electric Starter / 12V, 3Ah
Transmission: 5 Gears
Fuel System: Keihin EFI, 44mm Throttle Body
Lubrication: Pressure lubrication with 2 oil pumps
Primary Ratio: 31:76
Final Drive: 13:48
Cooling: Liquid Cooling
Clutch: Wet Multi-Disc DDS-Clutch, Brembo Hydraulics
Ignition: Keihin EMS
Frame: Central Double-Cradle Type 25CrMo4 Steel
Subframe: Aluminum
Handlebar: Neken, Aluminum Ø 28/22mm
Front Suspension: WP Suspension USD 4860 MXMA 4CS
Rear Suspension: WP Monoshock 5018 BAVP DCC with Linkage
Suspension Travel Front/Rear: 300 mm/11.81 in; 300 mm/11.81 in
Front/Rear Brakes: Disc Brake 260 mm/10.24 in; 220 mm/8.66 in
Front/Rear Rims: 1.60x 21, 2.15 x 19 Excel
Front/Rear Tires: 80/100-21”; 120/90-19” Dunlop MX32
Chain: 5/8 x 1/4 in
Silencer: Aluminum
Steering Head Angle: 26.1º
Triple Clamp Offset: 22 mm
Wheelbase: 1,485mm ± 10 mm / 58.5 ± 0.4 in
Ground Clearance: 370mm / 14.6 in
Seat Height: 960 mm / 37.8 in
Tank Capacity, Approx: 7.2L / 1.9 gal
Weight (without fuel), Approx: 101.9 kg/ 224.7 lbs
3 Responses to “2016 KTM 450SX-F Test Riding Impression”
Jimmy Lewis
If you have good questions about the 2016 KTM 450 SX-F, let us know and we’ll try and get answers.
KingGedoRah
Hello, your article is quite interesting, and helpful for understanding the pros and cons of the bike. But I was wondering if you had any opinions on the design of the bike. for example ergonomics of the bike, or functionality of the body panels and rear panels. Any durability issues with the parts of the bike? and what improvements you would like to see in the next KTM SX from a design stand point.
Jimmy Lewis
We would have to have the bike for a full test to get into this, we have only ridden it for a couple of sessions at a single location. Our tests are much more detailed and require that we have the bike for some time so we can comment on these types of questions. Hopefully we will be getting some of the 2016 KTMs soon for full tests.