01 KTM 400 EXC vs 99 KTM 250 EXC
jeb
and was extremely happy with the move for the tight woods riding we do here in
the upper midwest, USA. Much less tiring, much less vibration. I've raced that
bike in HS and enduros for the 2 summers I've owned it and I really love it.
It's been very reliable and I've literally thrown the accessories book at it
along with an Enduro Engineering shock revalve. I had just done a topend (KTM
OEM parts), put sprockets and DID Xring chain, new tires, blah, blah, blah as I
didn't think I'd be getting a new bike.
The new KTM 400 EXC is a bike I literally stumbled across a bit over a month
ago at my local KTM dealer. It had been sitting there unspoken for more about 2
months. Since the shop owner is in our dirtbike club he offered me such a great
deal that I seriously doubt anyone in the country did better. I was planning on
buying this bike next year after the hype and prices died down a bit. I
couldn't say no, though, so home it came. I've since equally tossed the
accessories book at it (tires, moose tubes, wheel spacers, skid plate, 18mm
offset applied upper and lower clamps, Scott's billet sharkfin, 13:52 gearing,
EE handguards w/moose mounts, SSS, Kstyle graphics, steel clutch line, Holeshot
easy pull clutch lever, IMS proseries pegs, etc). The suspension is stock
except for a PDS 3 spring out back.
I had put 35 slow miles on it up here in MN so that I could do the first oil
and filter change and have it broken in before the planned trip down south.
I decided to start the first loop as close to the fast group leader/trail guide
as I could. I think I started the first loop in 3rd place. I was instantly at
home on the bike. Everything felt right and I was riding it well. I was able to
hang with the leader
in either 2nd or 3rd spot all day, every day. I was extremely impressed with
the bike.
The power is perfect. That's the best overall description for it. It's sort of
the 250EXC of the 4 stroke bikes except it hooks up a bit better while railing
corners. You twist the throttle coming out of a corner and the power is great
but the back wheel doesn't always break loose. It just drives you through. You
can make it break loose with just a stab of the clutch, which I did a bit of,
but it's no faster to do that. However, it wheelies better and easier than the
250, at least in 2nd and 3rd gears. I'm not saying that it likes to pull the
front up whenever you twist the throttle. It's not that 380 or Yamaha 4xx type
of brutal power. It's just a bit more low end torque that helps keep the front
end up if YOU want it. With the 13:52 gearing, I was having to shift a bit
earlier but it was not a problem. I never even got into 6th gear. I'm very
impressed with it. The stock exhaust note is just right, too, IMO. Loud enough
to be cool but is easily drowned out by the Yamaha 4xx's in the group.
The suspension is the best I've ever ridden on. The PDS3 in the back was a
perfect choice for me at ~205 lbs. I took two clicks off the fork compression
clickers at lunch the first day and never touched them again. This bike is
plush and planted. Extremely sure footed and confidence inspiring. Probably has
something to do with the motor as well but I felt like I was going faster that
I ever had and it was great!
That 4 stroke luggability just can't be beat in the slick stuff or for
hillclimbing, either. ALL of the 2 strokes I rode down there (lots of people
wanted to swap on the trail to demo the 400) were harder to control. It was
pretty wet so you needed a careful throttle hand with the 2 strokes. That
showed me that it was just easier to go faster on the 400 and is probably why
it felt so planted.
On some small jumps we did at Chadwick, MO., I found it was best to land with
just a tad of rear bias. It wasn't that the forks bottomed, it was just a bit
harsh at the end of the stroke. I may play with oil levels a bit. Of course, I
was running 15+ lbs of pressure in the front tire to avoid pinch flats (all
rocks at Chadwick) so that may have been part of it, too. No fork flex that I
was able to feel or notice. I was a bit worried about that going to 43mm's from
my 50mm's.
I never noticed any weight penalty. It feels the same in braking and in lifting
it onto the stand as the 250. It didn't push through corners like a WR400 I
rode down there did. The steering is great with the applied clamps, too. Tight
turner and yet stable with the SSS. I have the forks pulled up about 10mm above
the clamps, too.
And the seat foam is way softer than the 98's and 99's we've owned. No monkey
butt after 6 straight days of riding. Man, was that a welcome revelation!
Did I mention how much I love that happy button? It was fun to tease 2 stroke
and 4 stroke guys with that. Awesome and well worth the 10 or so pounds it
costs. It started very well everytime. I did have the battery connection come a
bit loose at one point so I did actually kick start it a couple of times, too.
No drill, just kick. Easy starter.
I learned a trick from an 00 400EXC rider. When the bikes cold, the ebutton
doesn't always start it. It still spins the motor but not quite fast enough.
Pull in the compression release lever before you start cranking and let the
starter get the motor spinning good. Then release the lever and it'll start.
Cool! Thanks Mike. I knew that release lever must be used for something. I see
the Yamaha guys using a lot but you sure don't need it for much on the KTM's.
There are no vibes down low. When you wind it out you start to feel some vibes
at about 2/3 throttle on up but it's not bad, IMO. If you don't like, just
shift.
I don't think the 250 will see much more riding time. It's a wonderful bike and
I loved it but it just isn't the wonder bike this 400 is. I'm waiting until my
first long course hare scrambles to make sure, though. That's the real test for
me. There's nothing like 2+ hours of full on race pace to point out
shortcomings. I know fuel capacity is not good. I got from 17-22mpg out of it.
A long course HS is about 50 miles for us I'll have to pit with the 2.4 gallon
tank. My 250 did not have to and neither will the other guys in my class. Oh
well, a bigger tank is suppose to be out this summer and I wasn't planning on
running the whole HS series anyway.
If you haven't guessed it by now, I'm very impressed with this bike and I could
not be happier that I own it. Hide your checkbook when you test ride one,
though.
jeb - John Brunsgaard
je...@att.nospam.net
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