Specifications
MSRP: $8898
Wet weight: 320 lb
Seat height: 36.0 in.
Seat-to-footpeg distance: 20.9 in.
Ground clearance: 10.8 in.
What's Hot!
Power. Lots of power delivered in insane proportions.
The fuel injection is spot-on and makes for crazy-good throttle response.
This bike is quiet and sounds good, too!
For a big bike it feels small and is easy to move around on.
What's not!
Throttle control mandatory.
Those tires will let you down on the street no matter how well they work on the dirt!
What? No skid plate? We don't need no stinkin' skid plate.
Turning radius of a semitruck.
The EXCs
KTM's Street-Legal Dirt Bikes
We aren't going to get into how good these bikes are. They're great. Need some more? Check out our 450 off-road comparison (May '08 issue, 450 XC-W(R)) or our test of the 530 XC-W(R) (March '08). These EXCs, the 530 and 450, are the same bike with a few tweaks to make them legal for a license plate. What we'll talk about are the differences and how to make both bikes as potent as, or maybe better than, the off-road-only bikes. Wait, since you'll be legal to ride places that require street-legality, they're automatically better due to versatility.
The biggest difference for these bikes is the final gearing. They come stock with a 15-tooth countershaft sprocket and a 45-tooth rear sprocket. That's great for running down the highway and not having the motor spin up, but it will cook your clutch and make the bike overheat (from clutch heat) off-road. The first step is to go to a 14-tooth countershaft, and we suggest getting a 48-tooth rear sprocket while you're at it. That way you don't even have to adjust the chain; just flip the axle block and you're ready to rip with gearing that has a low first gear and enough speed in sixth to run at more than 80 mph. If you could care less about highway cruising, you can go even lower on the gearing.
Step No. 2 is to take a drill and put a hole in the carb vent tube collection box, or you can simply take out the drain bolt; that way it doesn't fill up with spent gas and make your bike run like a turd. While you're at the hose routing, there's a crankcase breather hose that plugs into the side of the carb. Unplug that and plug the hole in the carb, a KTM coolant drain plug (part No. 0910 100003) is the most sano way. Now route that hose back down where the carb vent hoses go. This stops your bike from filling the carb with oil in tip-overs, long downhills or in extended high-rpm running.
If you think your bike needs a little more snap off the bottom and you can live with a few more decibels of sound, there's a stuffer in the muffler that you can trim. We rode it both ways and found it was OK on the 450 but we preferred the stock setup on the 530. Only cut off the smallest piece or you will have a raspy, too-loud beast on your hands and that's irresponsible. While trimming things, lose the large hanger off the rear fender extender. Or you can wait till the rear tire tears off the whole thing for you. And that chain guide atop the swingarm, if it isn't already gone, it will be soon. It isn't a bad idea to relocate the horn, too; it helps the bike run just a bit cooler.
Our bikes ran flawlessly with the stock jetting but required some tuning on the fuel screw. An externally adjustable screw is a big help, and our recent experiences with adjustable-squirt leak jets would make even the pickiest rider happy.
What we will tell you is the difference between the 450 and 530. It is torque. If you like to lug a bike and short-shift your way to momentum, the 530 is the choice. It doesn't feel as heavy as in the past when compared to its little brother, mostly because you don't have to rev it much to go the same speed. It runs on the highway a gear higher and will leap from 50-70 mph where the 450 takes some time to speed up. But if you like to rev a bike and ride with a little more aggression, then the 450 is a better choice. Rev the 530 and you get a heavy-feeling bike and a lot of wheelspin. Rev the 450 and it stays light and flickable and starts becoming very fast, feeling quicker than the 530. Otherwise, these bikes are identical. Great suspension, strong brakes, durable as anything and almost ready to race. Or if you've followed our steps, they're good to go.
Now you have an EXC that's every bit of an XC-W(R), only you can go get milk on it and then haul beans on the weekend.
Specifications
MSRP: 450 EXC, $8448; 530 EXC, $8748
Wet weight: 255 lb
Seat height: 37.5 in.
Seat-to-footpeg distance: 20.5 in.
Footpeg height: 16.8 in.
Ground clearance: 12.7 in.