2016 KTM SX/XC Riding Introduction
Riding the new bikes in Crawfordsville, Indiana
Photos By Simon Cudby
KTM’s goal for the 2016 SX and XC bikes was to make them lighter, better handling with more power. And of course we say why not? Well it isn’t that easy to do. Especially across eight all-new bikes. Sure KTM got a head start by showing the early release Factory Editions, mostly so they could race them in the current year Supercross and Motocross series, but it was pretty impressive to have an all-new 125/150 two-stroke and 350cc four-stroke revealed so quickly after the 250cc and 450cc Factory Editions. And then there are the XC off-road race bikes, thought in reality they are not all that far off from the SX bikes. Hence KTMs riding introduction having all these eight bikes available to ride at the same time and same place so we could see how similar they are and at the same time pick apart the differences.
We will post up individual impressions and link to them here as we digest through the information and put that together with what we feel is the most thorough testing we could do in the two days we have to ride these bikes. For sure when we get back to familiar territory we will do full tests on as many as we can, but for now this is a head start on what the 2016 KTM SX and XCs are all about.
The new chassis was designed with an emphasis on balance so needing to make setup (clicker) changes is in theroy less important and changes in track conditions or styles of tracks will not change the character of the bikes. Or even variations in skill level. Additionally the shared chassis between all the bikes (125 to 450) differs only in suspension settings for the intended rider weight and use. The interesting thing was that KTM had the option, from very early in development, to choose different frame geometry for every different model. In testing they were so close between each they just averaged it out and have a single frame/swingarm/linkage package. There is not an ill-handling bike in the bunch and we were surprised at how similar the bikes handle (aside from weight feel) and how much leeway you can have in the ride height/sag setting and not have the bike act funny.
The flat seat really lets you get forward on the bike–and then even if you don’t it tells you that you are too far back visually. Being a short bike overall you really feel how your weight is affecting the handling. But even being short the bike did not feel cramped. Nothing stuck out or bothered us in moving around on the bikes. And yes, designers took a long hard look at the bikes from the perspective of the rider to make them feel correct.
The rubber mounted bar may be the biggest change to the suspension and comfort feel of the bikes even though the suspension is changed quite a bit too. There was a lot of work put into the WP 4CS fork and getting the shock to match–but a lot of the issues with the suspension have been rider feel related, many called it harsh. The bikes ride at least as good as one could imagine going to a rubber mounted front triple clamp would yield. We suspect the suspension is better but it is going to take a rougher track to get to the final conclusion.
Launch control on four strokes is a bit different than the competition in that it is a time based system and also limits the revs when the throttle is held wide open on the gate. It takes some learning to get it tuned into your start technique and we will practice with it more on each bike individually.
A map switch on the four-stroke SXs sits inside the air box and comes with three settings pre-installed into the ECU. A handlebar mount switch allows you to go between two different maps on the fly. It is slightly noticeable on the 250, and makes quite a difference on the 350 and 450, but we didn’t feel the need on the 450. Yes, every engine is impressive in its own right as well.
There is a lot more to learn during our second day of testing. And if you post up questions in our comments section below we’ll do our best to answer the good ones!
Links to the individual bike riding impressions:
9 Responses to “2016 KTM SX and XC Test Riding Impression”
Robert Quesenberry
You forgot the “F” in your title. No mention of two strokes in this article. Got me all excited for nothing 🙂
Jimmy Lewis
The title was pretty general and if we were hoping to be riding an XC two-stroke would we out of place?
Jimmy Lewis
The location of the headstay was, according to the chassis project leader, 100% for the handling of the bike. Though this was the first time that the chassis and engines were all being designed at the same time and together from concept, so one would imagine those considerations were looked at. KTM seems, in this author’s opinion to have engineers who work on bikes and consider ease of maintenance into the design of the bike, they all seem to ride and work on bikes aside from their real job.
Fans are not standard on the XC.
The linkage is not any more protected and in fact seems to hang down a little lower than in the past at full extension. Here the theory is that in the majority of cross country racing hitting on rocks or log crossings is not an issue and the performance advantage of the link position far outweighs the possible downsides.
Tyler
Does the 450 XC have different map settings?
Tyler
Does the 450 XC have different map settings?
Jimmy Lewis
It does but you have to install the map select switch to use them.
Dave Grunklee
can fans be mounted to the new 350sx as eaily as xc?
Jimmy Lewis
I’m sure they can.
Jimmy Lewis
You are right in the middle and your ratios make it hard to give a clear answer. Since the biggest thing I find with the MX bike on the trails is the gearing, specifically the taller first gear being more of a problem than the XC box being wide on the track (this new XC does not have wider gear box) the suspension has to be the deciding factor. I found that the XC handled the track much better then the SAX handled off-road. And the XC responded better to stiffing up the the SX responded to softening. We currently have a 350XC-F so maybe looking for that test will answer some questions about how the bike really works on tracks we are familiar with.