Chris Barrett
6'1"/175 lb/Pro
All of these five brands can be set up to suit any riding style. However, there are still some significant differences in the details, and straight out of the box, I prefer the Honda.
The Honda has an excellent motor. It's set up with plenty of bottom-end, which pulls through the midrange. This allows the rider to pull a higher gear through most turns. The suspension kept the tires on the ground and worked great in all situations. The new steering damper kept the bike stable even at high speeds and helped it corner excellently in all types of turns. Suzuki ran a close second. With an equally fast, capable motor and excellent handling, the only aspect separating the Suzuki from the Honda was ergonomics. I feel that the Honda setup was just better suited for my 6 feet and 1 inch frame.
I ranked Yamaha behind Suzuki because the motor seemed to be lacking some bottom-end when compared to my top two brands. However, the Yamaha was still capable of pulling third in most turns, and also had excellent handling. The ergonomics of the Yamaha felt similar to those of the Suzuki.
Kawasaki ran fourth because it, too, seemed to be lacking on the bottom. The motor was good mid through top-end, but the shifting felt notchy. The Kawasaki had decent handling and the ergonomics felt similar to the Honda, which was more comfortable for me. The suspension felt good, but it had some problems kicking on fast, sharp jump faces.
The KTM had a fast motor and a smooth, consistent clutch feel. However, the gearing seemed short and the ergonomics felt spread out-even for me. These issues aside, my main complaint with the KTM was with the handling and suspension. I had to fight to keep the bike where I wanted it, making the bike unpredictable. KTM just needs some suspension work to help the shock and fork keep up with the fast motor.