In a refinement year, you'd think a suspension overhaul and major motor character enhancements would be enough. Especially since KTM has the control and style market more than cornered with its juice clutch, radical braking power and gnarly graphic treatments. But for '09, that game is stepped up, too.
New levers and master cylinders for both the brake and clutch side make another nice addition. The clutch is now less-funky feeling with a normal sized lever, and the front brake system (which is all new down to the caliper) is smaller, lighter and easier to modulate. The braking power is still there, though, trust us. The clutch lever also features great position adjustability and boasts fold-away crash-damage resistance.
We've given this orange ride the First Test treatment over here at the Dirt Rider shop, for sure. We're generally in love with the bike, mostly because it works so nicely for all of us and secondly because we love any bike with electric start.
2009 KTM 450 SX-F
MSRP: $7998
Claimed dry weight: 231 lb
Actual weight (no gas): 234 lb
Actual weight (tank full): 247 lb
Seat height: 37.9 in.
Seat-to-footpeg distance: 20.9 in.
Footpeg height: 17.0 in.
Fuel capacity: 2.1 gal.
| JETTING | STOCK | DR |
| Main: | 185 | Stk |
| Pilot: | 42 | Stk |
| Needle: | OBDTP | Stk |
| Clip position: | 5th from top | Stk |
| Fuel screw: | 1.5 | 1.25-1.75 |
Other notes: Fuel screw setting is critical for smooth bottom. It varies track to track.
| SUSPENSION | STOCK | DR |
| Fork - | Compression: | 18 | 13-15 |
| Rebound: | 21 | 22 |
| Shock - | Low-spd comp.: | 15 | 11-14 |
| Rebound: | 24 | 26 |
| High-spd comp.: | 1.25 | 1.5 |
| Sag (mm): | | 110-113 | 112-120 |
Other notes: Static sag should be at 33-40mm (very important with proper race sag!)
Modifications We'd Like To Try: Bridgestone 403/404 tires, clutch master cylinder off of the KTM 125. Put on the right color number plate backgrounds-duh!
Opinions
KTM is making improvements every year to keep this 450 competitive against the Japanese machines. The first improvement over the '08 model that I noticed was the suspension. When I was riding around and checking things out I immediately noticed how plush the bike was. It was smooth and supple. I was impressed. That was not a characteristic of last year's machine. But when I picked up the pace from 70 percent to 100 percent, the suspension couldn't keep up. Especially at speed on big jumps and bumps.
The fork and shock were a bit soft overall, and on decel the fork would blow through and rebound back, making the front end really nervous. The shock was surprisingly stable in big rollers and didn't give that bad rebounding feedback that Japanese bikes sometimes give. But when accelerating out of a corner, the rear squatted down and rode at the bottom of the stroke, which was harsh on acceleration bumps.
The KTM shined on flat sweeping turns or sharper turns with no ruts or berms. The front end stayed planted, and the rear tracked right behind it. The only issue I had was in rutted corners. The front end wanted to climb out of the rut to the inside in an oversteer.
The most impressive thing on the bike for me was the motor. This thing rips! The delivery is smooth and responsive. Then it transitions strong up into the mid and keeps delivering ponies to the ground all the way to the never-ending top-end. I could ride this bike a gear lower or a gear higher or even two gears higher, and the orange machine still pulled me around. I think with some suspension mods focused at keeping the bike's handling up to speed with the awesome engine, this bike could be a more aggressive machine and really put a hurt on its competition in the class.
-Ryan Orr/5'10"/170 lb/Pro