Enduro Shootout
Enduro Shootout
CW COMPARISON
TRAIL RIDING AND TIME-KEEPING IN THE 250 CLASS
JOE'S IDEA OF AN ENDURO BIKE IS A little bit different than Bob's. And Bob has the wrong idea, if you ask Fred. See, Fred takes his enduro bike out to hare scramble races, with the intention of win-ning the 250cc B class. Bob is faster, will go racing with Fred sometimes, but prefers trail riding just the same. And Joe, he never races, he’s content just getting out into the sticks on his dirtbike. But then there’s Joe’s wife Cindy, she rides, too, arid....
This is the typical dilemma that arises at enduro shootout time. What is the best enduro bike, and who is it best for? Well, good news and bad:
There’s a bike for every Joe, Bob and Fred out there, but it's going to be hard to choose.
We rounded up the five readily available 1995 enduro bikes, the Husqvarna WXE250, the Kawasaki KDX200, the KTM 250 EXC, the Suzuki RMX250 and the Yamaha WR250. To put the bikes on an even playing field, modifications in the way of single-walled exhaust pipes and competitive muffler/spark arrestors were installed on the bikes that needed them, and in the case of the Yamaha WR, lights were added. We would have liked to have padded the group with the ATK H20 Bullet and the Honda-based CRE 250, but the former is still under development, and the latter was unavailable in 1995 form in time to make the test.
W'e tested in the widest variety of conditions that we could find, mostly on mountain trails, but with a few desert loops thrown in. Our test crewranged from A to C enduro riders, from wide-eyed teenager to seasoned Senior Expert.
This is what we found out, bikes listed in alphabetical order:
HUSQVARNA WXE250
A revised, easy-to-ride package is the best way to sum up the Italian-built Husky for 1995. A new-, thinner seat and a reshaped fuel tank graced with beautiful and strong two-piece shrouds give the WXE a modern, easy-tomove-around-on feel. The frame received extra gusseting for stiffness, and a new footpeg position; otherwise it is largely unchanged. Power delivery is smoother than the already-impressive 1994 model’s, thanks to a new ignition curve.
To bring the WXE’s motor to life, we swapped the stock double-walled exhaust pipe for an Up-Tite racing single-walled unit, retaining the standard muffler and spark arrestor. The word “broad” does not even come close to describing the power characteristics of the Husky. It has no hits, no surprises, just pull. The torque starts right off idle and grows continuously throughout the powerband. The clutch is for stopping and tricky, lower-than-first-gear situations only. Oddly, the Husky’s smooth power is more like what is expected from a four-stroke than any Thumper we’ve ridden lately. Very impressive.
The WXE seems to also have more of a front weight bias than any of the other bikes, resulting in a front end that really sticks in the turns. On the debit side, overall handling is a little sluggish, certainly not the cut-and-thrust feel of the KDX or RMX. For some riders, this isn't at all bad, and the WXE is by no means a handful in the woods-it just takes a little more force to make quick transitions. The suspension gobbles up all that a rough trail can throw its way, though the hard seat foam does little to absorb anything.
The biggest news for the Husky is the stoppers. The new Brembo setup stops as well as-if not better than-any bike in the class. The nagging points of the WXE are a notchy transmission, a clutch that drags and a too-short kickstarter that gets hung up in the footpeg. Tall riders also felt a little cramped on the WXE, but this was blamed mostly on the bend of the handlebar.
Get some softer seat foam, and this is the first choice for the mature rider who likes his bike to do the work so he can just concentrate on riding.
KAWASAKI KDX200
The little KDX is missing one thing: Fifty extra cubic centimeters of displacement. Other than that, the only 200cc bike in this shootout has everything that an enduro rider might want-if you don't count the wimpy non-O-ring chain, that is. For 1995, the KDX is all-new, not exactly a copy of the hybrid KX 1 25-framed/"KDX200motored bikes that were appearing at races, but close. A steel, perimeterstyle frame with redone bodywork puts the KDX in the Thin Club, plus the conventional fork keeps the bike on top of the trend wagon.
We equipped our KDX with an FMF pipe and muffler, then welded on a Sparky. This boosted the power to competitive levels, especially in the tight terrain, but the little 200 was no match for any of the 250s in the faster zones. It never got outclimbed, just outpowered. The best feature of the KDX's redone motor, like the KMX's, is its beginner-friendly power and heavy flywheel effect. A solid-feeling clutch and transmission received praise, although the motor tended to get hotter that any of the other bikes, probably due to the flogging it was getting in order to stay with the 250s.
Power deficit aside, this is the besthandling bike of the group. Kawasaki is on to something here. High-speed stability is rock-solid, yet you can still slice through tight woods. Experts will need to upgrade the suspension; aimed at Novices, it's too soft for faster riders, and the fork lacks rebound adjustability. Seat height has gone up an inch, but with the thinner chassis, the KDX still was favored by riders who like smaller bikes.
Here is aperfeet choie e f o r a Novice bike that-thanks to an extensive aftermarket following-can grow with a rider's ability. Another big plus is the 200’s $3995 suggested retail price, making it one of off-roading's best bargains.
KTM 250EXC
KTM knows enduro bikes. The EXC was the only bike in our shootout that needed zero modifications-it's A-level competitive, right now. Stock equipment includes an effective pipe, quiet muffler and spark arrestor, an O-ring chain, lights and an odometer. In fact, the only thing missing was a set of handguards, and they were included in the customer-care kit. And not only is this bike a racer, but you could trail ride it, too.
Up front is the most noticeable change to the EXC. The conventional Marzocchi front fork is back, but fear not the horrible performance of past KTM/Marzocchi units-they got it right this time. Small changes to the motor keep the internals current inside their five-year-old shell, though power is not one of the KTM's strong points.
The engine produces good low-end torque, has a flat midrange and then comes back alive with a surge on top. This style of power seems to be a trend in enduro bikes built in Europe (the CRE 260 we tested last year was nearly identical) and it works better and better as conditions turn for the worse, especially for Expert-level riders. But it leaves others working hard in the faster sections as they try to stay on top of the midrange lull.
The new suspension is mostly responsible for the KTM’s success. One word really describes it: adjustable. The bike could easily be set up for any rider or condition we ran across, even motocross. The Öhlins shock and Marzocchi fork have a phenomenal range of adjustment. especially for an enduro bike. The only disadvantage of the new fork is the overhang of the lower legs, which can get caught in ruts, though this didn’t happen often. Both ends were progressive and resisted bottoming well.
Transmission spacing is near perfect, though shifting could be a bit better. The clutch likes to drag when its cold and heats up quicker than others when abused. Another bother was an overly hard seat and a kickstand that gets in the way of some riders’ boots. But pluses for the bike are many. This is the only bike that comes with high-quality graphics that were meant to last longer than the ride home in the back of a pickup. The EXC has the roomiest layout of the bunch and all sizes of riders felt comfortable. though our short-legged testers had a hard time reaching the ground. The EXC’s fuel tank is thin, easy to slide around on and holds 3.2 gallons of gas, good for an easy 60 miles.
SUZUKI RMX250
Suzuki is the holdover in this crowd. Largely unchanged from the original RMX and still only graphically updated from last years bike, it has been six years since the RMX was all-new. Its once light and agile feel has now been bested by some of the other bikes, and its thin, large-capacity fuel tank and and top-flight suspension is commonplace for enduro bikes. We hate to say it, but the RMX is getting old.
Our Suzuki, fitted with a Pro Circuit pipe, muffler and Sparky had decent power, especially in the midrange. It pulled cleanly right off the bottom after a jetting change (#178 main, #52 pilot, R1468N needle with the clip in the middle), but fell a little shy on top. This was not much of a problem in the trees, but out in the desert we wanted more power. The gearbox and clutch were class leaders, extra smooth and capable of taking all the abuse dished out to them.
The RMX chassis feels light and thin, but, at times, twitchy. Some riders complained of loosing the front end in turns and of headshake in fast terrain. Both Stifter and softer suspension settings didn’t cure this. Overall, though, the suspension is well balanced, if a tad soft for faster or heavier riders.
For First-time riders, the RMX would be right next to the KDX as the best pick. The overall package is very userfriendly; complaints only surfaced when riders started going fast. In fact, most of our testers’ evaluation forms noted “fun” or “easy to ride” on the Suzuki page. This in no way limits the advanced RMX rider, as our long-term RMX (see CIV, October, ’94) showed by winning national-level races. It just takes the right modifications.
YAMAHA WR250
Last year’s Best Enduro Bike may have to play runner-up this year, and not because it didn’t get better. The 1995 WR250 is a better performing bike than last year’s model, but the Yamaha’s biggest disadvantage in this shootout is what it doesn’t have. It doesn’t come with a spark arrestor or lights, (we added them to qualify the WR as an enduro bike) and it’s still lacking an odometer and handguards. These are essential items on an enduro bike. Furthermore, even without the necessary add-ons, the WR, at $5349, comes with this group’s highest retail price.
Even so, the Yamaha is the absolute king of motor. The WR engine runs better than the YZ motocrosser's, and made all the other enduro bikes in this shootout feel like 200s. The power spread is torquey enough so that lugging through ugly situations a gear too high is no bother, and a snap of the clutch will bring instant response. The gears in the wide-ratio gearbox are spaced perfectly, though shifting could be smoother.
The WR feels a bit larger and heavier than it is, due mostly to a fuel tank/seat juncture that could be narrower. Other complaints revolved around clutch and brake levers with a weird bend, and a sparkplug-fouling problem that we never got jetted out.
Suspension settings have been altered to work better for the tighter going, but we found the WR worked well everywhere. Our only complaint was that the initial stiffness transmitted bumps to the rider before the suspension started to move, even with the compression clickers turned all the way out. The spring rates were righton for all of our testers.
Yamaha offers, as accessories, all the parts that would make the WR the enduro bike of the year, again. Classwinning performance comes standard, yet the little things that are missing cost Yamaha the crown.
AND THE WINNER IS...
If you’re a Beginner or a Novice rider, then the clear choice is Green or Yellow. The Kawasaki and Suzuki are both excellent first-time bikes, even better Novice mounts and can easily be upgraded as skill levels climb. The Husqvarna is a good all-around bike with a rheostat of a motor; the less energy you put into your riding, the more you’ll like the Husky. The Yamaha and KTM will bump heads all day long. In fact, the bikes are so close that even in the fast terrain where the Yamaha theoretically should have a big advantage-like the Viewfinder's Grand Prix at Lake Castaic, California-both bikes turned identical lap times with Off-Road Editor Lewis aboard. Still, in
the hands of most riders the WR is better suited for faster, more open spaces; if you're seriously into desert, grand prix or fast hare scrambles, then the WR250 awaits.
A close call, then, but the KTM is the overall winner of this comparison. A quality package graced with excellent new suspension, it is the best performance-oriented enduro bike in the group, the only one that can be wheeled right off the showroom floor and up to an enduro start line totally stock.
