Euroenduros
EUROENDUROS
CW COMPARISON
Aprilia RXV 4.5 vs. Beta RS 525 vs. BMW G450X vs. Husqvarna TE450 vs. KTM 450 EXC
BLAKE CONNER
DUAL-SPORTING IS BACK! OKAY, SO IT never completely vanished, but for the better part of the past decade, factory-built, road-legal options have been limited to heavy, less-powerful models that were a far cry from their high-performance, four-stroke MX/off-road counterparts. Remember when you simply slapped turnsignals, mirrors, a headlight and a spark arrestor onto your dirtbike, went down to the DMV and walked out with a license plate? Those days are largely over, folks, especially here in California. But you can thank our friends across the Atlantic for jump-starting the heart of dual-sporting with these cool bikes.
While the Japanese have yet to leap onto the road-legal dual-purpose bandwagon with any of their race-worthy, 450cc off-road platforms, Husqvarna and KTM in recent years created a
whole new niche by producing hard-core off-roaders that can be registered and ridden on the street. In California, a plate also gives owners greensticker accessibility in most riding areas. It didn’t take long for competitors to follow, which is why, in addition to acquiring bikes from the aforementioned two brands, we also wrangled up an Aprilia, a BMW and a Beta for our all-Euro showdown.
A major obstacle in planning this shootout was the fact that the 2009 BMW isn’t street-legal in California (it will be in 2010). Luckily, we had an offer from Nevada Motorcycle Adventures (www. nevadamotorcycle.com) to lead us on a five-day, dirt-heavy dual-sport ride through the mountains between California and Nevada south of Reno, then flogged the top-three contenders in the Cleveland and Los Padres National Forests once back in the Golden State. So without further ado...
5th PLACE: APRILIA RXV 4.5
Adding a big dose of diversity to the mix is Aprilia’s RXV 4.5, which stands out both visually and mechanically. The basic bike has been available for three model years, but 2009 marks the first time that the sohc, 450cc V-Twin is streetlegal in all 50 states.
In this group of bikes, dual-sporting is pretty much defined as 90 percent off-road, 10 percent street. Applying this formula to the RXV, the bike falls a bit short in terms of pure dirt “shredability” compared to the competition.
“It does fine on a civilized ride over smooth Jeep trails and running down the highway,” said CW guest-tester John Volkman, a retired contractor with a long riding history, including expert/pro-level dirt and roadracing, plus a stint as a factory Yamaha development rider. “Serious single-track, however, is not on the menu with this bike.”
That last comment might be taking it a step too far because you can ride the Aprilia just about anywhere, but it is true that riders struggled with the RXV on rocky, technical sections and off-camber, downhill trails because of the bike’s
APRILIA RXV 4.5
$8599
front-heavy feel. The tighter and more technical the going, the more cumbersome the bike felt and the more difficult it became to manage front-tire traction. The RXV is, in fact, heaviest of the group (280 pounds dry), which made it more difficult to lift the front wheel by snapping open the throttle to clear obstacles, despite excellent engine response. So, as Volkman noted, the RXV felt best cruising the highway or flat-tracking a smooth fireroad. And its Nissin brakes were very good, offering strong, linear response.
The best feature of the Aprilia is its amazingly powerful engine. Fuel mapping has been improved for reduced surging compared to previously tested RXV/SXVs, but power remains more peaky and abrupt than that produced by any of the Singles. “On dirt roads, the 4.5 was fun to powerslide. This bike seriously hauls,” said Associate Editor Mark Cernicky.
On the road, the Aprilia’s ergonomics, strong engine, informative dash and decent seat made it a great mountdefinitely the bike to be on for a longer asphalt stint. But the wide, stylized tank shrouds caused frustration for many of us off-road, as they made riding in the standing position awkward, not allowing the rider to easily squeeze the bike between his knees.
Riders looking for a unique dual-sport or who are intent on spending a higher percentage of their time on pavement should consider the Aprilia. If you’re looking for a more serious enduro, read on.
4th PLACE: BMW G450X
“Wow,” said Volkman, “for a first whack at a real dirtbike, I think they deserve a big attaboy. Not your typical old-school BMW with weird blinker controls and opposed cylinders for clearing brush on single-track trails!”
We didn’t know what to expect from the G, so it was refreshing to hear each tester comment positively about the bike after his first stint in the saddle. >
BMW G450X
$8198
What stood out the most is the dohc, 449cc, fuel-injected Single, which offers strong-yet-tractable power from the bottom to the top of
the rev range. Torque production is excellent, motoring the bike forward even when conditions called for a lower gear. Couple this top-notch engine character with a light clutch pull and spot-on fuel mapping at all elevations, and the G450X performed consistently and predictably in everything from wide-open fast stuff to climbing steep uphills through gnarly, loose rocks.
The BMW’s chassis-like that of the Apriliahas an unusual feel. In the case of the X, its design is different from those of the other bikes by virtue of its 1 -inch-longer swingarm that also has a countershaft-concentric pivot. This difference alone may not be what sets the BMW’s handling apart, but the bottom line is that the Beemer
doesn’t like to execute quick pivot turns, making it a handful on tight trails. Once the trail opens up and the turns have more arc to them, though, watch out!
“The G450X’s high-speed dirt-road handling is superb,” Cernicky enthused. “I never felt uneasy about committing to standup slides on fireroads because the bike is very predictable.”
The suspension is plush, on the verge of being too soft. While the Öhlins shock and Marzocchi fork sucked up rock gardens easily and were competent and controlled in all but the fastest whoop sections, the rear tire kept contacting the license plate, eventually bending its mounting bracket.
Testers liked the riding position, regardless if they were sitting on the wide (but too hard) seat or standing on the pegs in an off-road attack position.
The G450X is a very good dual-sport bike that will run circles around a Honda XR-L or a Suzuki DR-Z, but it came up just a bit short against the top three in this test.
3rd PLACE: BETA RS 525
This Italian-made, Austrian-engined machine just looks trick. Prior to the test, though, the Beta was the bike that most worried everyone. Would it survive five straight days of abuse? As the cliché goes, don’t judge a book by its cover. The Beta impressed all who rode it.
As the only 525cc bike in the test, the Beta may have had a perceived engine advantage over the 450s, but that simply wasn’t the case. This previous-generation KTM powerplant actually felt outgunned in situations when the rider required quick, snappy power delivery. But the RS’s smooth, torquey power output was always welcome in soft terrain and when climbing steep inclines. The Beta, like the other carbureted
bike (KTM), was at a disadvantage in the mountains due to jetting that wasn’t set up to work at altitude. Great near sea level, the 525 suffered at elevations approaching 9000 feet. Further, once up high, the bike stalled frequently and ran rough. The injected bikes, which automatically compensate for such change, simply motored along without issue. Technology is nice!
BETA RS 525
$8999
In terms of chassis performance, the light, agile Beta ranked right up there with the class-leading Husky and KTM. Traction feel was good at both ends, and the bike turned considerably better and more responsively than the BMW or Aprilia, although it was a touch tail-happy at times!
But our pro-level Off-Road Editor, Ryan Dudek, wasn’t completely thrilled: “When the Beta is ridden aggressively, its cushy seat combined with its soft suspension to make me think it is better suited to a more casual trail rider looking for comfort.”
And he is right: Those of us who are on the slower end of the speed spectrum felt the Marzocchi fork was set up great and the linkage-equipped Sachs shock provided a linear, predictable stroke. Also, that cushy seat and first-rate ergonomics make for a very comfortable trailbike; the standard higher-rise handlebar/triple-clamp setup was appreciated, especially when we were standing on the pegs seeking better visibility in the never-ending dust we encountered.
2nd PLACE: KTM 450 EXC
The bike to beat? KTM’s 450 EXC, a former CffTen Best winner and long-term testbike on which we racked up nearly 5000 off-road miles. Yes, from a hard-core performance standpoint, the 450 EXC is king, but there are other factors that ultimately knocked it off the top of the podium in this tight contest, and not without a lot of heated debate among testers.
Without doubt, the Katoom’s 450cc engine is snappiest of the group, and that makes it feel the most like a racebike with lights. The motocross-inspired engine hits the instant the rider cracks open the throttle, delivering crisp, powerful acceleration. As long as you’re at low altitude, anyway! Once
we were over about 7000 feet, jetting was way off and the
EXC would pop, stall, carbúrete poorly and even refuse to start sometimes. EFI is proving its worth, and the KTM, the most expensive bike in the test, ought to have this feature. Chassis performance, meanwhile, was excellent, albeit focused toward racing with its taut, motocross-like WP suspension. For fast guys, that combination is exactly right, but for others, the plusher, more compliant suspension of the Husky or Beta was preferred, especially for more casual trail riding.
There is no denying that at full speed, the EXC is the allaround best-handling bike of the group, allowing crisp direction changes on tight single-track yet remaining composed on high-speed fireroads. It was also the lightest bike in the test (265 pounds dry) and thus the easiest to handle in all situations, from post-crash pickups to tight U-turns.
As for comfort and ergos, Dudek said it best: “I like the fact that the KTM was comfortable enough for a five-day ride, yet I could take it to an enduro tomorrow and it would be on the same level as the other bikes on the starting line.” So, where did the KTM falter in this test? It all came down to the details. KTM claims that the EXC is a racebike with a license plate, and no one will argue that point. But in a test that includes a version of every hardcore dualsport currently available in the U.S., KTM put the least effort into the quality of the parts that distinguish this bike from one of the Orange Brigade’s true racebikes-like the 450 XC-W. The very components that make the bike streetlegal-turnsignals, license-plate bracket and taillight-didn’t make it through the first day of our ride. And we didn’t even crash! Consider also that the EXC is about $1000 more expensive than a couple of the bikes that made it through the entire test completely intact.
KTM 450 EXC
$9198
1st PLACE: HUSQVARNA TE450
We fully anticipated that the TE450 would be a contender in the class that Husky helped revive back in 2006. There are multiple reasons this machine was ranked on the top step of the box, but its primary strength is that it did very little wrong over the course of our shootout and so many things right.
The Husky is the best overall compromise between a trailbike and a typical dual-sport machine. It has a light, easyturning chassis for true off-road-capable handling (second only to the KTM), and it performed well in whooped-out desert, sandwashes, rock fields and on fireroads. A few riders thought stiffer spring rates for the Marzocchi fork and Sachs shock would help in rough, high-speed terrain, but most of us appreciated the TE’s plushness and were willing to give up the hard edge for more comfort and less deflection from rocks and tree roots.
On the trail, the Husky’s 450cc engine played second fiddle to the EXC in terms of pure power, but the TE’s torquey nature made traction easy to manage, which helped reduce rider fatigue over a long day in the saddle.
Where the Husky really put a serious butt-kicking on the KTM, though, was when we started climbing in elevation.
If you have any intention of riding your dual-sport at altitude, fuel-injection is a huge advantage. Mapping was dead-on, and we never had to worry about the TE not starting at the top of a pass, even when a radiator hose came loose and the engine overheated.
The riding position was liked by all. “The flat seat and slim profile are superb for getting over the front of the bike,” commented Dudek. To which he added, “A great attribute of the Husky is that anyone can jump on it and feel at home.”
After a month of hard abuse, the Husky was also the only bike here that was completely intact-headlight, all four turnsignals, license-plate bracket and taillight were present, accounted for and operational. Those buying a dual-sport surely will like to retain these items that contribute to making their bike legal, right?!
So, the TE is tops because it offers a comfortable, fast and capable ride for a broad range of pilots, costs $1000 less than the KTM and looks almost as good now as when it arrived at our offices. Œ
HUSQVARNA TE450
$8299
