The Torture Test - KTM 450 XC-F

Right from the very beginning this bike was the one for me. It was so nimble through the tight and twisty trails. Clutch work in the tight sections was made soooo easy with the hydraulic clutch. The suspension was great whether it was on the trail or on the motocross track. The ergonomics were, in a word, perfect. Everything was right where it needed to be. To top it off the bike is very quiet, making it even more enjoyable, and especially on the trails.
Dana Berg

The KTM 450 XC had zero glaring issues, great ergos, smooth power and well-balanced suspension. I got along with this bike instantly on track and trails and had no complaints.
Nate Evans: 6'1"/215 lb./Vet A

We went out in groups to test these bikes, and I wasn't the only one in the group to notice how comfortable I immediately was on the 450 XC. It wasn't even close. The XC is strong but civilized, crisp without being edgy and just what the Doc ordered for a long day in the saddle - and it doesn't matter where the day is. I'm happy on the trail and blown away how much I like this on the track. The power and weight of an MXer with the civility of a KTM off-roader: Bi-polar in a good way.
Karel Kramer: 6'1"/225 lb./B rider

I am so picky about how a bike's low and middle RPM jetting that this KTM was just throwing me for a loop. I was turning the adjustable fuel screw every time I got on the bike and I never fully got it tuned how I know it could run. That little glitch in jetting takes away from the handling, the traction, the ability to have confidence in really technical trails, to go into and come out of turns on the track. Everything. And it wasn't really that bad, but in this group of near perfect bikes, especially at the end of the comparison, it was a booger. I know I could tune it out but then there was this nearly identical bike, the XC two-stroke, the did everything the 450 does, but just a little better for my kind if riding, so I lost a little affection for the 450. If you like to feel like your bike had big power that slaps you in the face, then this XC can easily accomplish that. If you have some tonnage and your weight dictates you need a stiffer suspension setting and a more aggressive tug, this bike does that. It is set up to do everything and for quite a few of the bigger guys this was "The" bike in the Torture Test. For some reason I, and a lot of our test riders who have riding experience that spans much farther than just the California desert, see how the advantages of the two-stroke has made it a much more versatile machine. Especially when you consider real trail riding and tighter enduro racing along with your track days.
Jimmy Lewis 5'10"/185 lb./A rider

We get a lot of crap from internet know-it-alls about our claimed bias towards KTM. We also get it from KTM-crazies about the same bias towards Honda, from Yamaha kooks towards our Kawasaki bias and from Kawasaki yo-hoos about our Yamaha bias. The point is we ride and test every bike made by every manufacturer. The reason KTM has three bikes in the top six of our Torture Test is because they currently build the best "all-around" off-road/race/ride/track/trail bike. That bike is the XC. The 450 XC for me is second place to the 250 or 300 two stroke. The four stroke is harder to make quiet, boils over more on good trail rides and doesn't tickle my fancy like the e-start two strokes do. Universal traits across this line include light weight, comfortable ergos and smooth power. In fact, there are a lot of times I prefer this 450 to the 450SX motocross model. If I was a buying a KTM 450, this would be it for sure. The 450 suffers from finicky throttle response and that's about it. I just prefer a two stroke in this case.
-Jesse Ziegler