KTM resurrected itself from near-financial ruin in the early 1990s to its current status as a major power in off-road sales and a solid member alongside the big four for competition sales. Part of its fast track to health was paying attention to "niche" parts of the market, including producing some uncommon engine displacements. Now that it is bigger, KTM is sticking closer to established norms for displacement, but it still has a 300cc two-stroke and 400 and 450 EXC four-strokes! The company isn't being whimsical; this is evidence that it is paying attention to customer preference, even if that customer is something of a minority. In the United States, there is a 450cc class, but a number of Eastern riders-including some guy named Mike Lafferty-prefer the 400, so KTM imports them in limited numbers. On the other hand, the 300 has a stellar reputation as a tractable, reliable off-road powerhouse. We wondered whether either of these off-road displacement oddballs was the true tight trail weapon or if that honor belonged to a "normal" 250 or 450. To find out, we sent our two resident off-road oddball editors out to determine the result.
The 4OO WinsIn the movie Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner's character is told that if he builds a baseball field, people will come. With KTM, it appears to be somewhat reversed: If people want a specific bike, KTM will build it. The evidence is the 400 EXC. From the outside, you can't really distinguish KTM's four-strokes. Externally, the castings are the same, but the bore and stroke ratios are very different. The 400 and 450 off-road models use the same bore (89mm), but an 8mm-shorter (64 versus 72) stroke makes the 400 rev more freely and feel lighter than the 450. Compared with the 450 SX and its 63.4mm stroke, larger titanium valves and more radical ports, KTM's MXCs and EXCs have longer-life stainless valves, yielding top end lives that modern Japanese four-stroke engines can only dream of. The 400 used in the KTM rebuild story (Dr. Dirt, March '04) had more than 20,000 documented miles on the stock top end!
We aren't going to dwell on the chassis, since as with all KTM models, the 400 shares virtually all of its chassis systems with the 450 EXC (November '04) and 525 MXC (February '05) we tested previously. These off-road bikes are wonderful in stock form. We set the sag, installed hand guards (as much to protect the hydraulic clutch as to shield our tender digits) and went riding.
Even though I race occasionally, I'm a trail rider. I find myself less patient when waiting around to ride trails marked and required, and more eager to spend a whole day logging miles on trails I want to ride. I like bikes that allow my best speed but don't beat me up, such as the KTM 400 EXC. For Western trails, I prefer the 450 or 525; yet the 400 is better than the 300 because the linear power and slower-handling chassis allow me to hit more lines perfectly, and the tank has more range despite its smallish 2.1-gallon capacity. And I hate to admit it, but the E-start gives me more riding miles/hours before my right knee starts bugging me.