ATK 260 Evaluation Report (long)
Jeff Deeney
1999 ATK260LQ Evaluation Report
Now that I've had the ATK for 2 months, I feel I can offer a decent
evaluation. I've had the chance to ride the bike in a variety of
different terrain and have gotten everything pretty close to dialed in
for my riding style.
Before I go any further, I should give a little background about myself.
I'm a 40ish mechanical engineer. I'm 6' tall, weigh 165#, and have a
34" in-seam. I have blue eyes, dark hair, love the outdoors and listen
to Barbara Streisand while quilting. (Whoops, sorry about the last
part:-)
All the stories you've heard about engineers are probably true. I am
very detail oriented. Even with a new bike, I seem to spend at least as
many hours doing service and improvements, as I do hours riding. I tend
to keep all of my vehicles in top shape and will own them for many
years.
I've been riding dirt bikes for 30 years. I've ridden Honda XRs since
they first came out in '79. The last 15 years have been spent on the
big-bore XRs. I've never raced MX, but I have tried two enduros. I
prefer to ride very technical single-track trails. In Colorado, this
means lots of rocks and trees.
Why I picked the ATK 260LQ
Being the retentive engineering type, I have been considering my next
motorcycle purchase for over a year. I had the choices narrowed down to
the Kawasaki KDX220, the KTM300 EX/C, or the ATK260LQ. Last summer I
had the chance to ride a demo ATK. I was very impressed with the
low/mid-range power. Having become a torque-snob from riding big XRs,
it was the first 2-stroke I could recall riding that I felt really
comfortable on.
This summer I had the opportunity to ride the Kawasaki and the KTM.
Even with the torque pipe, the Kawasaki felt very weak on the bottom and
mid-range. In addition, the KDX pipe protruded uncomfortably into my
leg. The KTM also seemed to lack low-end power and had quite a bit of
vibration. In the KTM's favor, they do have the best front suspension I
have ever tried for rocky trail riding.
The combination of features, power delivery, and price sold me on the
ATK. In July I purchased a 99 260LQ from Funwheels
(http://www.funwheels.com) in Longmont Colorado. Brad and Nancy were
very knowledgeable and gave me a price well below list without any
dickering. Additional information on ATK motorcycles can be found at
http://www.atkusa.com
Riding Impressions
This is a tall bike. I have a pretty long inseam and cannot flat-foot
both sides of the bike. It's a little taller than my XR600. The
advantage is a relatively spread out riding position, making it very
comfortable for long rides, and easy to stand up on. The tall bike also
provides plenty of ground clearance in the middle.
Speaking of comfort, the seat is exceptional. Despite being somewhat
narrow, the foam is thick and about the perfect consistency, much like
Honda XRs used to be. In these days of rock-hard KTM, YZ400, and XR400
seats, it is nice to know that someone still remembers how to make a
good seat. Compared to modern motocross bikes, the seat does have a
rather steep forward section to accommodate the tall gas tank. Since
I'm used to similar seats, this does not limit me from sliding as far
forward as needed for corners. With the 3.2 gallon tank, the fuel range
is at least 70 miles at a brisk trail speed.
Once you get used to the left side kick starter, starting the bike is
fairly easy. When cold, pull the choke and start the bike with the
throttle fully closed. When warm, give a hearty kick with the throttle
open one quarter. The kick start lever measures only 6 inches in
length. While about the size of a KX80, I've never had too much
difficulty getting the bike started. Because of the high placement of
the kick start shaft, a longer lever would interfere with the low-riding
gas tank.
Power delivery is everything I remembered. With the power valve set at
the middle position, mid-range and top end power is great. The bike
loves to grunt along trails in the mid-range. When needed, the top end
pulls very hard. The bottom end is adequate (remember that I'm a XR600
torque "snob"). I am learning to adjust to the increased use of the
clutch on slow technical hills.
The six-speed transmission shifts very smoothly, with or without the
clutch. Neutral is easy to find. First and second gears are closely
spaced. When shifting into third, there is a moderate jump in ratios so
you need to make certain the RPM are high enough before the shift. On
open roads, you quickly find yourself in sixth gear. The claimed
top-speed with stock gearing is around 85mph.
The clutch pull is reasonable. I have yet to experience any slipping of
the clutch. The low first gear and good low-end power also means that I
haven't had to slip the clutch very much. As per the recommendation of
Funwheels, I'm running 20oz of ATF in the transmission. The oil is
changed after every ride. The magnetic drain plug has done a good job
of picking up the break-in debris.
There has only been one situation in which I caused the engine to
overheat enough to boil out a small amount of coolant. This was on a
2-mile single-track climb with downed trees and switchbacks. The bike
was running high RPM in first and second gear with a tail wind. When I
get around to it, I will probably attach a KDX overflow bottle under the
left side panel.
Handling in the tight woods is great. The bike turns quickly and
easily. Unlike the XR, I now find that I can avoid getting sucked into
deep ruts. The suspension seems to be geared more toward motocross
terrain than for rocky trails. Both ends gobble up whoops and jumps. I
was able to find suspension settings that worked well for any track
conditions.
My biggest suspension complaint is the compliance of the front forks in
rocky conditions. I waited for the suspension to get through the
break-in period and switched to 5W Bel-Ray HV1 fluid (the factory
recommends 10W). With the compression dampening backed all the way to
the softest setting, the front is still feels somewhat harsh on rocks
and tree roots. It's close, but not quite to the level I have
experienced with KTM forks. I will be sending the compression clickers
in for revalving this winter. A moderate reduction in the high-speed
compression dampening will be needed.
I only did one trail ride without a steering dampener. The bike seemed
somewhat nervous in rocky sections. Since I already had a WER dampener
on my XR, I ordered a new mounting kit and transferred the unit to the
ATK.
The brakes work well. The front binders are strong, without being
touchy. The rear works well, but will sometimes chatter on rough
down hills. The position of the rear brake pedal seems to be set for
Sasquatch. I'm used to brake pedals positioned under the ball of my
foot when my arch is on the foot peg. The ATK requires me to either
actuate the rear brake with my toes, or move my heel onto the foot peg.
Being accustomed to halogen lights, I find the ATK headlight to be very
weak. The standard bulb is 35W. I once finished a ride just as it was
getting dark out. I think the ATK light would have been inadequate if I
had to rely on it. I will look into upgrading to a halogen unit from
the ATK DP bikes. The 160W lighting coil has plenty of juice for larger
lights.
Engineering Details
The first thing any self-respecting biker-geek has to do with a new
motorcycle is tear it apart before the first ride. Here are some of my
observations on the construction of the motorcycle.
The bike comes with very nice components. The frame is a beautifully
powder coated chrome-moly alloy. Hubs are gold-anodized billet aluminum
from Talon. Brakes are Brembo (same as the latest KTMs). Plastic is
UFO. Pro-Taper handlebars are standard.
The swing-arm is also chrome-moly. In my opinions, many Aluminum
components on dirt bikes are largely a marketing tool. A properly
designed alloy steel element will be every bit as light and strong as an
aluminum component, and will not be subject to the same fatigue problems
as aluminum. The ATK swing-arm is very well designed. While steel is
more likely to corrode (rust), the thick power coating is very resistant
to dings and scratches.
As mentioned, the kick starter is on the left side of the motor. The
drive sprocket is on the right side of the bike.
The power valve on the motor is a very simple and robust design. A
diaphragm controls the power valve. One side of the diaphragm is
exposed to exhaust port pressure. The other side contains a coil
spring. By varying the preload on this spring, you can control the
operating point of the power valve. This adjustment is easy to perform
externally. The power valve reportedly needs very little maintenance.
When service is required, it only requires two bolts to disassemble.
The liquid cooled Austrian-made Rotax motor is very compact.
Displacement is 251cc. The transmission is a 6-speed. Clutch is
actuated with a standard cable. The drive and kick-start sides are
reversed from just about any other motorcycle. The cooling system
appears to be oversized. ATK claims it is sized for a 500cc motor. The
carburetor is a 38mm Mikuni flat-slide. Intake is standard reeds.
The bike comes with a 3.2 gallon gas tank and a very sturdy aluminum
skid plate. These are items that I would have had to purchase for any
other motorcycle that I was considering. Because of the fuel tank
position and standard frame geometry, both sides of the tank require a
fuel petcock with a cross-over hose. The fuel tank also forms very
sturdy shrouds for the radiators.
The chain guide appears to be made from relatively fragile sheet metal.
Upon closer examination, I found the older aluminum guide had been
replaced by a tough stainless steel design. While the metal is somewhat
thin, stainless is very tough. The flexibility of this design will
allow it to take some serious abuse, yet pop back into position.
The front suspension consists of 46mm Paioli forks. These are standard
(non-upside down) units with very little under hang below the axle. The
rear suspension is a linkage-less Ohlins shock placed on the left side of
the swing arm. Both front and rear suspension has adjustable compression
and rebound dampening.
The rear suspension uses a linkage-less Ohlins shock mounted on the left
side of the swingarm. The 99 unit is not PDS, but the 00 models will
be. The linkage-less system greatly simplifies maintenance chores.
The rear fender is nicely braced with aluminum supports. This allows a
sturdy mount for a fender tool pack. The side panels have cutouts for
grab handles. In a relatively low-speed crash, one of the side panels
broke. Upon closer examination I discovered a design flaw on a
reinforcing rib of the side panel with a sharp corner that resulted in
high stresses when pushed in. I modified the replacement side panels to
eliminate the sharp corner on the internal reinforcing rib.
The lower triple clamp incorporates adjustable steering stops. I
removed the lock nuts to allow the bike to turn sharper.
Access to the spark plug is very easy. Large cutouts in the sides of
the gas tank make it very easy to access the spark plug.
Changing the main-jet can be done by removing the plug on the bottom of
the carb. Access to pilot jets and needles is best accomplished by
removing the seat and gas tank (a total of 4 bolts). The air filter is
a nifty one-piece unit that has the carb boot molded onto the filter
foam, eliminating the need for any clips or bails. The one-piece filter
makes the use of filter-socks very easy. I'm a little concerned about
water resistance with the large vent hole in the bottom of the air box,
but I've yet to experience any problems in fairly deep water crossings.
Changes that I've Made to the Bike
Since the ATK came loaded with many of the features I needed, there
weren't a lot of big-ticket items that I had to add. My list of
modifications for trail riding included the following:
-Shark fin for rear disk
-Universal pipe guard
-Bark busters & UFO plastic hand protectors with Sun Line pop-off kits
-Rear brake master cylinder guard (homemade)
-Handlebar holder for fuel bottle (homemade)
-Rear fender mounted Moose tool roll (modified)
-WER steering dampener
-Hydraulically actuated rear brake switch (to make street legal)
-Brake Snake rear brake pedal
Quality Defects
Upon receipt, I discovered a number of relatively minor quality defects
in the ATK. The majority of these defects I simply fixed myself. When
asked, my dealer was very good about standing behind the product. Some
of these items could be considered minor (remember, I'm anal :-). In my
opinion, none of these items should have been present in a new bike. In
order of severity, here is the list of items that should have been fixed
at the factory:
1. The front rim-lock was an incorrect size(too narrow) and the bolt
was broken off. I discovered this defect on a pre-ride check.
2. As received, the front fender was rubbing on the frame down-tube. I
had to insert some extra washers on the rear fender bolts to provide
adequate clearance.
3. One of the Protaper bar mounts was reversed, placing one side
further forward than the other.
4. The gas tank mounting bolts didn't align well with the frame. I
elongated the hole in the left mounting bracket to make things fit.
5. A number of wiring defects were discovered. According to the wiring
diagram, the rear tail light was mis-wired (reversed polarity, not a
functional problem). The main wire from the voltage regulator had a
very weak crimp connection, causing it to pull loose when working on
the wiring. The headlight wire was poorly routed, traveling over the
radiator instead of through the frame with the rest of the wires.
6. The mounting holes for the left seat/side panel aligns poorly with
the frame. Once again, I had to elongate mounting holes to ease the
frustration of assembly.
7. The main hose from the water pump was kinked, partially restricting
water flow. By trimming 1/4" from the length of the hose I was able
to eliminate the kink.
8. The rear chain guide was misaligned. This resulted in excessive
wear of the wear block on one side. A slight bending of the chain
guide corrected the problem.
Design Defects
A prospective ATK owner should know that these bikes have a history of
requiring small changes. Here is my relatively short list of items that I
"re-engineered" for my 260:
1. The kick stand angle. As shipped, the kick stand points about
20degrees forward when in the downward position. This angle is really
awkward and places a good deal of unnecessary stress on the kick stand
bracket. Examination of used ATKs showed early cracking of this
bracket due to the forward angle. I removed my kick stand and built up
enough weld at the top to bring the kick stand back to a normal angle.
This really should be fixed at the factory.
2. When you raise the kick stand it stops hard against the swingarm with
a nerve-wracking "TWANK". ATK really should have put some type of
cushion on stopper between the swing arm and kick stand. My best
solution is to wrap a piece of heater hose around the kick stand and
zip-tie it in place.
3. Although I didn't experience any failures, I was warned about the
weak factory shift lever. Although it has a folding tip, the tip
bracket is only spot-welded in place. A moderate hit has been know to
break off the tip. I replaced the shifter with a sturdier after
market unit from a mid-90s YZ125.
Summary
I am very pleased with the 260LQ. It's a great trail bike and should be
very competitive in any enduro. In fact, I plan on trying a couple of
events next year. It seems to be very well built and I anticipate that
it will hold up well to hard use. Maintenance looks to be easy to
perform.
With a little work on the front suspension, Ill have a great all-around
bike. While I plan on keeping my XR600 for long desert rides, I don't
see it getting a lot of use in the mountains.
Leav Home
Wow, that's a detailed report. I was wondering how the 00' CR250 is. Would you
mind buying one and writing up a report like that <G>? You need to become a
dirtbike tester for some of those magazines, or atleast give those guys some
advice on how to conduct a review. The ATK sounds nice, I feel like I own one
now.
-Franky
98 CR250
Gary Solomons
--
Gary Solomons
1995 KTM 400 EXC
1985 Suzuki LT50
DoD #2023
http://homepages.msn.com/YosemiteDr/garysol/homepage1.html
Jerry Puckett
<snip>
>listen to Barbara Streisand while quilting. (Whoops, sorry about..
Geez, and I was worried about the rubber gloves at Pearl Pass. <vbg>
Jerry
Wesley Grass
--
AKA, the "Trojan 5-shots".
Wes
Jeff Deeney
: >1999 ATK260LQ Evaluation Report
: Would you mind buying one
Therein lays the problem.
: and writing up a report like that <G>? You need to become a
: dirtbike tester for some of those magazines, or atleast give those
guys some
: advice on how to conduct a review. The ATK sounds nice, I feel like I
own one
: now.
No problem here. If someone could take care of the first item for me.
Yeah, I get a little torqued reading some of the reviews. No offense to
some testers, but many of them seem either ill-informed, or beholden to
the manufacturer. I often think an engineering education should be a
requiste for being a motorcycle tester :-)
Prior to purchasing my ATK, I could only find one test article on the
net. I don't recall the last time I saw a write-up on ATK in one of the
magazines. It would appear that the publishers avoid the ATKs in all of
their shoot-out articles. It makes me suspicious that they are in the
pockets of the big manufacturers. On the other hand, it could just be
that not that many ATKs are out there (sort of a chicken & the egg
thing).
-Jeffrey Deeney- DoD#0498 NCTR UTMA BRC COHVCO AMA
j...@fc.hp.com '85 XT600-Willy '88 XR600-Shamu '99 ATK 260LQ
We don't stop riding because we get old, we get old because we stop
riding.
Jerry Puckett
Wesley Grass wrote..
> AKA, the "Trojan 5-shots".
Oh, I wouldn't know - being the fine mid-western flat lander that I am. You,
however, as a recent graduate of the Mustang Ranch...........:-)
Jerry (he who fears rubber glove wearing ATK riders) Puckett
Wesley Grass
--
Yeah, well, it would have been nice if I'd graduated .............
Wes (he who fears rubber glove wearing ANYTHINGS) Grass
guary...@my-deja.com
I wish we could all write that kind of reviews for the bikes we own, and
get them on the RMD page (hint David...)
As soon as I get free time, I'll post something like that on KTM's 250,
300 and 380. Magazines reviews are often like ' yeah, when you jump that
40' double the suspension bottoms, so go for the $600 Pro Circuit fork
rebuild...etc...etc'.
I often go for the DIY jobs, clean the bike with a toothbrush and spend
more time assembling-disassembling-for-no-reason-at-all than riding....
but all that is for a future post.
Guaryzzzpode
KTM 300 exc 98
XR 200 91
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
W Scott Aldrich
{snip excellent eval}
Great job Jeff! That was one of the best evaluations of a bike that I
have ever read. It sure would be nice to find articles like this when
looking to purchase a bike.
--
Scott