MXA frowns on new 450SX

[70sMXer]

Just read the first magazine test I have seen published on the new 450SX. Motocross Action didn't have much good to say about KTM's newest big-bore thumper. They say it is way under powered, typical poor WP suspension, steering geometry is wrong, gear ratios are wrong, etc, etc, etc.

I wonder, is the bike really as bad as they claim it is???

One point I will totally agree with is the issue regarding the number plates. When will someone at KTM wake-up to the fact that KTM race bikes need number plates that you can actually put numbers on???

Very dissapointed, had high hopes for this new model :-(

[JAFChE]

...and I believe everything I read too! ?

[cappra2]

Take what mxa says with a grain of blue salt.

In mx racer coverage of the nations cup the first two bikes into the first corner at glen helen are ktm 450,s real slow not barccalounger slow just slow. HA HA HA HA

Brock Sellards managed two second place finishes at las vegas in the four stroke class must be really slow not barcalounger slow just slow. HA HA HA

Wait till some of the real magazines test it and the riders actually get to say what they think.

[ktm520]

MXA . . . please, they need to change it to YXA (Yamacross Action). i don't even buy that mag anymore. hell, i won't even pick it up at the newstand and flip through it.

[dp400]

I know there are alot of guys waiting for there 450 SXs and they're hearing all this misinformation on how slow the 450 sx is. I haven't ridden a 450 sx but I just put a short stroke (big bore)450 kit in my 400 MXC and it sure isn't slow ?. I've read some posts from guys that had 400 EXCs and went to the 450 EXC (long stroke) and say there really isn't THAT much more power - more torque and stronger mid. Well I can tell you my 450 is like riding a completely different bike. There is much more torque (can pull a taller gear and instantly barks when you snap the throttle) and it just flat out RIPS! I'm sure the new 450 SX is even that much faster than my MXC. I don't know how it will compare to the other 450s but I don't think anyone will be dissapointed. I think the KTMs might feel slower than they are because there is no hard hit ( thank god) but just hard pulling smooth power!

Ride On

Dan

[wfoskidoo]

I wouldn't believe anthing in MXA either. They are pretty biased towards Yamaha

[SWD6]

In the mid 80s MXA said Honda was all there was. Every magazine in 1988 said the Suzuki RM 250 was the best except MXA!

[rmacdona]

Rev magazine loved the 450!

Rick

[Parx_400]

i only read cycle news, transworld, and racer x. the rest are crap.

parx

[PUMPKIN_HEAD]

Does anyone know what Playboy thinks of the new 450SX? Anyone? Anyone? ?

[johnmix_2]

They loved the front fender (nice curves)

[RCannon]

MXA is silly. I think most of the mags are. How would you guys write the articles, though. Rev is ok, but written at a very basic level.

Imagine if the 2001 KTM (or whatever) had an article that ended with "This is the greatest bike ever, there is nothing we woud not change". Story (and career) OVER!!!

I think during the 80's the bikes were way different design wise. Maybe an honest, meaningful comaprison was valid. Remember when Yamaha had the radiator on the bars? Honda with the 23 inch front wheel? Now, the KTM rear suspension is about the only original thought out there. I think the articles are for entertainment only, and a way to help their advertisers sell the goods. How many more articles does Dirt Bike need on Big Bore KTM's from Thumper racing????

I think price and service is why I buy a motorcycle now. Looking at our local KTM shop, they must be doing one hell of a job. The place just remodeled. It is not quite the largest, but the shop is un-real. If your in Utah, it is worth a look. It is called the Cycle Shop.

I dont work there or even own a KTM. I buy all my accessoried from them, but I am just a customer.

[RCannon]

MXA is silly. I think most of the mags are. How would you guys write the articles, though. Rev is ok, but written at a very basic level.

Imagine if the 2001 KTM (or whatever) had an article that ended with "This is the greatest bike ever, there is nothing we woud not change". Story (and career) OVER!!!

I think during the 80's the bikes were way different design wise. Maybe an honest, meaningful comaprison was valid. Remember when Yamaha had the radiator on the bars? Honda with the 23 inch front wheel? Now, the KTM rear suspension is about the only original thought out there. I think the articles are for entertainment only, and a way to help their advertisers sell the goods. How many more articles does Dirt Bike need on Big Bore KTM's from Thumper racing????

I think price and service is why I buy a motorcycle now. Looking at our local KTM shop, they must be doing one hell of a job. The place just remodeled. It is not quite the largest, but the shop is un-real. If your in Utah, it is worth a look. It is called the Cycle Shop.

I dont work there or even own a KTM. I buy all my accessoried from them, but I am just a customer.

[SPUTTER]

Ahhh Luke, they were seduced by the blue side of the force. With it comes power, but at what cost? I hear their words and want to turn away, but I can't, for I too have fallen under that dark spell. ?

[YZF01]

Do not be disappointed on this model at all. I recently rode a friends 450sx and it hauls a** and handles good. Comparing his old 02 400sx to 03 450sx the 400 was more like 250f power while 450 was in another league. I'm going to ride it again and might be trading b/c it is was decieving fast maybe just b/c of the quiet exhaust. The only dislike was the gearing and front fender would smack front wheel kinda scary when I didn't know what it was. Overall very impressed but I will let him ride more to make sure there are no problems.

[dp400]

Tell your 450 buddy to put the EXC fender brace on his SX - the brace holds the fender up and won't let it hit the tire.

[molotov_billy]

Unfortunately, dirt rider was just as biased in their '125 shootout.' The first thing they did was change all the tires on the bikes to what the KTM came stock with. And then to protect their 'poor wrists', they changed all the bars to what the KTM comes stock with. What a crock of [censored]. I stopped reading after that

[mxaddict]

Unfortunately, dirt rider was just as biased in their '125 shootout.' The first thing they did was change all the tires on the bikes to what the KTM came stock with. And then to protect their 'poor wrists', they changed all the bars to what the KTM comes stock with. What a crock of [censored]. I stopped reading after that

LMAO!! Man I hope you are kidding...haha! That was hilarious!

[Orange]

I only got a few hours on the new 450 before winter set in, but DP is on the money. It is sooo smooth it doesn't feel fast. I'm coming off a 520 and don't feel underpowered at all. They're right about the gearing (too tall), bars (too low) and number plates (too small).

The handling is a personal preference. The KTM style suits me well. I like to move around, so getting forward to turn is second nature. How I get through a turn is determined by how I set up for it. For the first few laps the inside line always seems crowded, so having a bike that likes the outside line is an advantage for me. I rode a CRF this fall and didn't care for the handling. It worked best for me if I stayed centered on the bike, which I don't like. It's not right or wrong, just different.

Fortunately, KTM and other manufacturers don't seem to pay too much attention to MXA and what they consider the perfect bike. If they did, we'd all be riding the same bike with different colored plastic.

Me, I'm changing the bars, throwing in 5th and 6th and adding a couple teeth on the rear. Oh yeah....and a back rest for my Barcolounger! ?

[mxerhale]

Yesterday being the third ride on my 450SX (or Barcolounger)I can give a little more insight now. I put a 52 tooth sprocket on the back and it helped immensely along with a 20mm spacer under the bar clamps (I'm 6' tall). I brought out my old 426 for a direct comparison and boy what a difference between the two, the KTM has a much lower center of gravity, remarkably more snap right off idle, and better pull down the straights. I swapped bikes with my buddies who ride a '02 CR250 and '01 YZ250 and they both came back on my 450 saying how sweet the whole package. Specifically they both thought the motor was super easy to ride fast and the ergonomics were perfect, they also said it's a bike they could go fast on in any conditions because it was so user friendly. Just FYI one is a desert racer and he's 5'11" 195lbs and the other is a fellow motocrosser and he's 6' and 225lbs. Apparently MXA doesn't know bikes quite as good as they thought! Oh yeah, we also did the cursory drag races a few times and the 450 consistently pulled everybody no matter how I came off the line.