Another Excellent Oddball From Ktm

ANOTHER EXCELLENT ODDBALL FROM KTM

KTM is following its oddball-sized 300, 400, 540, and 550 enduro machines with a new 440 MXC two-stroke. Our short time on a pilot-production here in the U.S. for finai settings before being shipped back to Austria for production, suggests we can look for the bikes to have a wide spread of power, with more revability than the typical Open-class mount The enduro version of the engine-which has a different head and ignition than the MX version-makes torque like KTM's monster 550, yet it makes a smooth spread of power to substantially higher rpm than the 550 wants to turn. The bike is incredibly thin, feeling more like a Honda CR500 than anything else. The new WP suspension used by KTM feels plush and very impressive. Both versions of the bike wi1I he in U S showrooms in November

Jimmy Lewis