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:
