KTM has made this
bike as easy as
possible to turn
into an extreme
enduro race bike
FUELLING
There are three fuelling/engine maps to choose
from, but only two can be on the ECU at the same
time. I chose to have the sport and standard
maps added to mine, with the soft map being the
third. I’d definitely recommend getting the Power
Parts map switch as it makes switching between
the two much easier as the connector to do it is
situated under the tank – not very handy. Out of
the two I prefer the sport map. This is because
it’s the richest, which makes the power more
instant, whereas with the standard map there is
a slight hesitation on the very initial part of the
power. The standard map still has its positives,
such as when it is exceptionally slick – this is when
the softer power off the bottom gives it grip you
wouldn’t believe.
CHASSIS
The EXC is equipped with the WP Xplor fork
and PDS non-linkage shock, which I think this
makes for the ideal extreme enduro set up. The
fork is very plush which absorbs rocks and roots
nicely with no deflection putting the bike off line.
46 KIWI RIDER
I’m a fan of the PDS rear shock, I think it works
very well for this type of riding. I find it gives
good feedback and gives a bit more ‘pop’ when
preloading the suspension to help get over logs
and other obstacles. Also, there isn’t any linkage
hanging down to get caught up which I think is
another plus.
Handling on this bike is rather impressive, it is
very nimble and often tricked me into thinking
I was riding a 250, or something even smaller.
However the handling does fade a bit towards
higher speeds, but could be made to handle
better quite easily. Just going up a spring rate
front and rear would improve its handling and
make it a good enduro and cross country bike
too.
KTM has made this bike as easy as possible to
turn into an extreme enduro race bike. The only
additions I’ve had to make are a radiator cooling
fan and some plastic wrap-around hand guards
to keep those clutch and brake levers safe. Both
of these bolt straight on from the Power Parts
catalogue – making it ‘easy as’.