Dirt Rider Torture Test

Most of our difference of opinion on the motor stems from our being blow away by the milder (and far cheaper to build) engine we tested in 2007. This '08 engine is clearly faster but takes more thought to ride than we are used to with an X. That in no way diminishes the pro-caliber level of prep and detailing this bike exhibits.

Like the JCR 450, the 250X chassis is as good as it gets. The details of performance, protection and day-long comfort are all amply addressed. As a package this bike is amazing, with suspension so good that it made life tougher for the other bikes in the test.

If you ride at a level that demands high-rpm pull like this X, start with a CRF250R. It would be cheaper and faster as well as lighter (unless you need an electric starter or a wide-ratio gearbox like we prefer for any type of off-road!). This bike clearly shows that you need to communicate what you really want when working with a performance shop. Precision Concepts gave us what we asked for. -Karel Kramer

#117 Rocky Mountain MC/Pro Cycle
KTM 530 EXC
Gentle Giant
So why would a company bring a street-legal model to a hard-core off-road test? Simple: The 530 XC-W(R)s are in such demand that even a KTM dealer can't get one. But, fortunately for all involved, the street-legal EXC version is so close to an XC-W(R) it didn't take much to heave-ho the street stuff for this test. Off-road specialists Pro Cycle KTM (of Saint George, Utah) set up and modified the suspension, and off-road superstore Rocky Mountain MC (of Payson, Utah) took care of the other accessories.

As you might expect from the biggest bike in the test, the 530 motor generated a lot of buzz. Not the vibration kind, the talk-in-the-pits sort. Remember the old commercial line, "Where's the beef?" It's here.

I put down my fastest time on the drag-race hillclimb on the 530, and Jimmy had to change his method for the third-gear roll-on test: "Power was super strong and it was hard to keep the wheel down even in the third-gear roll-on. The torque made the initial roll-on easy. When revving you had to use throttle control, not just pin it." But the beauty of the new KTM single-cam engine is the blend of power and control. Pro Cycle changed the gearing to off-road specs, dialed in the jetting and added the Lexx MX spark arrestor/muffler, so they didn't mess up a good thing. The power came on smooth and strong without hitches or leaps, and was modulated with a great hydraulic clutch. To top it off, that tranny has a wide-ratio six-speeder in there, so top speed will never be an issue.

Despite the potential for brutishness, it never happens. Guest test rider/freestyle Godfather Mike Metzger isn't a physical giant, but he drew the 530 for the EnduroCross section: "No complaints. Power is powerful but smooth. Easy to put where you want it."

The motocross test is another arena where a dualsport bike converted to an off-road bike should not shine, but it did for Jesse. "The big-boy KTM was like a gentle baby. A huge baby, but gentle just the same. It was easy to ride, the power wasn't surprising or aggressive and the handling was decent. The tank was dif. cult to ignore for hot lap, and the other off-road bulkiness was noticeable as well. But when you ride a 530, you have power to make up for it. The bike ran flawlessly and delivered a power that works for moto. It's mellow enough but big enough to do what you need."

On the heavily scrutinized GP test it was obvious that Pro Cycle was going for a trail/desert suspension setting but it managed anyway.

Jimmy: "This is a big bike with more of a trail suspension setting. This bike bottomed more than others, but it never did anything scary and I never needed more from the motor. It was really fast-so fast that the thing I noticed the most was that the brakes weren't as strong and didn't bite as much as the stock KTM ones, and I wanted more (usually I want less but I'm getting used to strong brakes again). The speed and weight of this bike taxes the brakes! Pretty impressive from a bike that could have a license plate."