Concept comparison Enduros: BMW R 1150 GS, Honda XL 650 V Transalp, KTM LC 4 625 Supercompetition, MZ Baghira Enduro, Suzuki DR-Z 400 S

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Concept comparison Enduros: BMW R 1150 GS, Honda XL 650 V Transalp, KTM LC 4 625 Supercompetition, MZ Baghira Enduro, Suzuki DR-Z 400 S

Dream of the restless

How much enduro do people need? And does less weight automatically mean more fun? MOTORRAD chased five representatives of the off-road faction over dreamy gravel roads in Italy.

The exertion of the day has eaten its fingers black. The adventure of rubble and mud sticks in the tunnels of the tires, the eyes of the drivers reflect the rebellious flickering of a campfire. Behind the mountain ranges, the sun sinks into the sea, casting its red light on tents and motorbikes. Postcard cliche? No, reality. Bottles clink, throaty laughter echoes in the ravines. Glances wander over the motorcycles. Acknowledging, surprised, satisfied. Caress the machines that made this wonderful day possible. It’s hard to imagine what is possible with these bikes.
Flashback. MOTORRAD is on the road in the name of the vole. I want to try out in the Italian Alps when an off-road infarct threatens for so-called soft enduro bikes. The subjects: BMW R 1150 GS, the overweight woman. Honda Transalp, the phlegmatic one. KTM LC4 625 Supercompetition, the choleric one. MZ Baghira, the schizophrenic. And finally, Suzuki DR-Z 400 S, the nervous one. In order to create comparable conditions for off-road use, everyone digs through the rubble on Continental TKC 80 tires. Or put a slippery tango on the tar floor. Because the TCK hates, like most coarse tires, wet, cold asphalt like Boris Becker hates tax investigations. The test team felt their way very carefully on the short tar belt up to the junction into the terrain. Curtain up, shut the first.
Fine and coarse gravel. 180 degree turns. Slight ruts. Straight lines, never longer than 100 meters. The testers keep dust away, screw their way up the slope like a corkscrew. The TKC feels like the Marterfelge, especially on the BMW and KTM. The 86 HP and the torque muscles of the BMW maltreat the ground, plow it down and let the enduresque chunk of iron sweep over the slopes like a dervish. The full torque of the boxer combined with the coarse profile ensures traction that you would not expect of the fat GS. The well-gripping stoppers can be wonderfully dosed, and thank God the ABS can be switched off. This is the only way to drive in the bumpy border area and to make targeted drifts in the bends. The engine braking effect of the two-cylinder can also be wonderfully integrated into the driving style. Even on slippery ground, the Bavarian is precise in steering despite the 19-inch front wheel, which is unusual for off-road conditions. And thanks to its low center of gravity, it is phenomenally balanced. Once used to its dimensions and weight, this chunk can be moved admirably quickly and safely over loose ground.
The blatant counterpart: the KTM. No more compromised. She wants everything. First of all, victory. No wonder, the genes come directly from the victorious World Cup machines: 97 centimeters seat height, 57 hp at 139 kilograms, a chassis that has been geometrically trimmed for straight-line stability. Suspension travel that, at 295 millimeters at the front and 320 at the rear, conjures up a runway out of every perforated jungle runway. However, the fork is clearly too tightly tuned for the ballast bolt, more on kamikaze than comfort. Tea brakes act ideally. Easy to dose, with two fingers at the front, not too snappy at the back. In general, the Austrian is the measure of all things in terms of off-road ergonomics for rally-like bolts. The seat bench is narrow, pulled very far forward, the tank fits in harmoniously? gymnastics made easy. The aggressive and lightning-fast high-revving engine responds to every sensitive command of the throttle with unconditional propulsion. A merit of the new flat slide carburetor in connection with the increase in displacement to 625 cm³. Get pleasure? Warning! There are currently only a few vehicles on the market that, despite a relatively long gear ratio (172 km / h) that is atypical for a sport enduro, have such a pronounced urge to wheelie. Even in third gear, the front wheel rises in the direction of Jupiter, if you have a gross motor skills. The 625 can’t help it. Just supercompetition. Beloved Sin! And twice as much. Because the performance wasn’t even entered. A ridiculous 27 hp are noted in the vehicle registration document. It’s good that it was only noticed after starting the journey.
The word wheelie does not even exist in Honda’s transalpine vocabulary. Good, wonderfully controllable and unspectacular, the V2 reaches its 53 hp to the rear. No breaking out rear, no rising front wheel. The Transalp converts your muscular strength almost exclusively into meters. The undercarriage, which is very comfortably tuned, filters out even the smallest bumps, but even on slightly washed-out terrain gives the feeling of being out and about in a paddle boat in the waves. The 216 kilograms prove to be manageable in connection with the seat height of 83.5 centimeters and the quite large steering angle, the ground clearance of 190 millimeters is still okay under these conditions. The Honda defends itself against quick clicking from turn to turn. With understeer and a lot of diving in the front, with extremely snappy and therefore difficult to control rear brakes. It works almost like a locking bolt. Either hop or stop. There is also a psychological aspect: the plastic dress. A careless moment, the side panel cash is already relieved by 120 euros.
The Baghira owner laughs at this. Its plastic is colored through and leaves a stable impression despite its playmobile playfulness. Otherwise there are all sorts of details on the Baghira that come from the good old East German terrain sport era. Wide, toothed footrests, footbrake lever that can be easily adjusted using an eccentric, a side stand that sits perfectly on the frame and never gets in the way. On the suspension side, father MZ pepped up his child with a Marzocchi fork and a White Power shock absorber. While the 280 millimeters of suspension travel at the rear leave a good impression in all driving situations, they appear somewhat undamped and slack at the front. The latter property also applies to the engine. MZ would do well to equip the Baghira cockpit with a tachometer. The promised 50 horses, equipped with a lot of flywheel, gallop tenaciously and listlessly over the 660 m high prairie until they suddenly stand in front of the boundary gate. Controlled drifts as supportive steering are not the domain of the MZ. The driver feels uplifted in the truest sense of the word. Reason: not at all cute 92 centimeters seat height in connection with a wide bench. The wide, raised tank restricts gymnastics activities.
They are possible again on the small 400cc Suzuki. The DR-Z looks like a motorized mountain bike in relation to the competition. Narrow and light. Due to their soft suspension, their gigantic 97 centimeters of seat drop to a bearable level. It can be folded down as light as a feather, braked in a targeted manner and circled precisely through the bends, is the most manageable bike. Both in terms of dimensions and engine power. Your 39 hp never overwhelmed you. They are agile on the gas, are wonderfully controllable, sprint out of the top as if the Marlboro man with the lasso was after their freedom. And still report well to plow in trial passages. OK then. Because exactly these are now in front of the front wheels. Second take.
The rain god knocked his paws into the ground with all his might. Tore away everything smaller than a ten-liter bucket of water over a distance of several hundred meters. The BMW R 1150 GS first scrambles through the climbing paradise. Due to the ground clearance of 215 millimeters, however, circumnavigating larger chunks is inevitable. With gentle thrusts of the gas and a coupling aid, the GS prances playfully through the course, climbs like a mule. But be careful! Long first gear. In no time at all, the clutch draws attention to itself with a pungent smell, death from overheating threatens. The low center of gravity, the ideal position of the footrests in connection with the perfectly cranked handlebars make it easier to ride while standing. The chassis, which is tightly tuned for a travel enduro, absorbs the bumps and does not let the GS slip out of the targeted path. It stays on track, is almost immune to direction-changing impulses from bumps and only surrenders when the driving groove becomes too narrow for its sweeping cylinders.
The second thick ship has a harder time. Due to the very soft suspension setup, the Transalp staggers through the boulder labyrinth as if it were drunk. Due to the uncontrolled rebound, the 650 easily gets on an unintended track. The deep compression nibbles on the not lush ground clearance anyway. In addition, the rubber footrest holder gives way when driving while standing and the handlebars, which are also mounted without a central strut, also have a life of their own. Neither of these things contribute to a feeling of security. The good-natured engine makes up for a lot, but not everything. The clutch is easy to dose, the performance characteristics optimal on these passages. Soft, controllable, homogeneous.
The exuberant strength of KTM can also be accessed at any time. Due to the small centrifugal masses, the engine reluctantly accepts low-speed driving below 3000 rpm and constantly wants to move forward. It is easy to shoot over the target with the Austrian rocket. Clearly, she hate puffies, she likes it best when you give her spurs and constantly gossip. Jump from stone to stone or jump over them. From this point on, the taut fork works perfectly. The KTM has other trumps: low weight, perfect ergonomics, huge ground clearance. But there is no light without shadow: The enormous seat height in connection with the taut suspension and the geometry trimmed for straight-line stability demand a loss of handiness. That doesn’t bother advanced skiers any more than the exclusive starting with Kickstarter.
In the rubble field of the piste, the time for the MZ strikes. The mix of ample ground clearance, long suspension travel and an engine with a light tractor character also impresses less experienced. Although the first gear is a bit too long for trial inserts, and the gearbox can be stepped through in some places. When driving in a standing position, the handlebars should be a little higher and the footrests a shade further back. As on the gravel track, the fork would make a much better impression if it were tighter. The same goes for the Suzuki. The DR-Z is nervous about the front axle like a chain smoker without tobacco. Here the short wheelbase in connection with the low caster pays tribute. On the other hand, this combination stands for ingenious handiness. And it is precisely this that allows the 400s to cross the passage as if it were walking through mother’s flowerbed. Optimally controllable clutch, soft engine characteristics, plenty of room to move thanks to a hyper-narrow seat. The chamois step is overshadowed by a rapidly dying engine. A slight increase in the idle speed brings an improvement, but does not eliminate the problem.
It comes, as it must. After countless sweaty kilometers, the fighters reach alpine meters. Before your eyes a panorama ready for a film set. In front of the wheels a mix of mud, snow and icy surfaces. Greetings from December. And now? In the small tanks of the Suzuki and KTM there are few reasons to go back the same way. Now it’s time to trust the machine completely.
The elongated mud grooves surf through the single cylinders as if they weren’t there. Above all the KTM. A burst of gas ?? the front wheel lifts slightly, the ruts change smoothly, as if there were a switch. The ultra-stable chassis as well as the showy ground clearance contribute to being able to almost completely ignore the mud grooves. In the icy grooves, however, you feel like Urmel. The feet barely reach the ground, the aggressive engine and the high center of gravity let the hardenduro heart of the driver quickly slip into his pants.
The other two single-cylinders have advantages due to tamer engines. Despite the immense seat height and three kilograms more weight than the KTM, the handiness of the Suzuki clearly wins the trust of the testers. After BMW and Transalp have planned the ruts with cylinder blocks and their aluminum motor protectors and are finally allowed to go on the ice, they surprise. With a human-friendly seat height and a tourist-integrated seating position. Man and motorcycle merge best on both? a confidence-building measure in tough times.
So also on the motorway. Because not everyone lives right next to paradise. However, it can achieve it most with pleasure on the two two-cylinder engines, especially the BMW, while unwinding bridging distances on the Suzuki and KTM is only recommended for die-hard people. If you are neither into luxurious travel pillows nor into victorious off-road races, but want the golden mean of both, you should choose the MZ.
D.That day has shown that soft enduro bikes are also good for cool off-road trips. A day when the dreams of limitless gravel adventurers came true. And the dream of some restless people came true.

Concept comparison Enduros: BMW R 1150 GS, Honda XL 650 V Transalp, KTM LC 4 625 Supercompetition, MZ Baghira Enduro, Suzuki DR-Z 400 S

Dream of the restless

preparation

Tours off the beaten track require careful preparation. That goes for the "provisions" as well as for the bike. With this daypack composition you are on the safe side: ten cable ties, steel wire, cold metal (also works with soap and adhesive tape), valve extractor, 21-inch hose (fits all if necessary Wheel diameter), two tire levers, three C0² cartridges, tire repair kit, four tension belts, four medium-sized hose clamps, long M6 and M8 screws, large tool kit with chain cutter, small hacksaw, file, chain links, two chain locks, brake and clutch levers, universal Bowden cable, flashlight, Bandages, rescue blanket, water container (either as a camel bag or indestructible aluminum bottle), plastic bottle (water bottle that can be used to refill petrol if necessary), good map material (at least 1: 100,000), compass, five must-have bars or power bars (extreme power meal for endurance athletes in the form of bars) Cell phone, rain gear ?? this equipment weighs around nine kilograms (plus amount of water) and fits in a 20 liter daypack ?? or a tank bag. In general, all bikes should be equipped with at least the following items: Hand protectors (preferably Kevlar-reinforced or with aluminum struts, Acerbis), coarse tires (Continental TKC 80, Metzeler Karoo), sturdy engine protection (Touratech, Gotz, SW -Motech) For excessive gravel adventures MOTORRAD recommends: For the BMW R 1150 GS: crash bar (Touratech, BMW) and ceramic clutch (Touratech). Honda Transalp: crash bar, large aluminum engine protection (Touratech), fork springs (WP or Wirth), shock absorber (WP or Ohlins). KTM 625 Supercompetition: Full Protection aluminum engine guard, 18 liter tank (both KTM original parts). MZ Baghira: fork springs (Wirth, WP), aluminum engine protection (Touratech). Suzuki DR-Z 400 S: tighter springs for fork and shock absorber (Showa, Wirth, available from Dirk v. Zitzewitz), 16 liter tank (Acerbis), engine protection (aluminum from CRD, larger plastic tank from the sports model DR-Z, Carbon from Zitzewitz)

Technical data and measurements: BMW R 1150 GS

Engine: air / oil-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke boxer engine, crankshaft lengthways, one overhead camshaft each driven by toothed wheels and chain, four valves per cylinder, electronic intake manifold injection, Ø 45 mm, regulated catalytic converter, electric starter , bore x stroke 101 x 70.5 mm, displacement 1130 cm³, rated power 63 kW (86 PS) at 6800 rpm, max. Torque 98 Nm (10 kpm) at 5300 rpm Power transmission: single-disc dry clutch, six-speed gearbox, cardan. Chassis: load-bearing motor / gearbox unit, telescopic fork, Ø 35 mm, adjustable spring base, two-joint single-sided swing arm made of cast aluminum, adjustable spring base and rebound damping, Double disc brake in front, four-piston calipers, Ø 305 mm, disc brake in rear, Ø 276 mm, two-piston caliper. Tires 110/80 R 19; 150/70 R 17 Chassis data: Steering head angle 64 degrees, caster 115 mm, wheelbase 1509 mm, spring travel f / r 190/200 mm Dimensions and weights Seat height * 850 mm, ground clearance * 215 mm, weight with a full tank * 263 kg, tank capacity / reserve 22 liters. Guarantee Two years with no mileage limit Price of test motorcycle incl. VAT and Nk 12031.76 EuroMOTORCYCLE measurementsMaximum speed Solo 199 km / h Acceleration Solo 0-100 km / h 3.7 sec Steering Solo 60-100 km / h 5.8 sec Consumption off-road 9.8 l / 100 km * MOTORCYCLE measurements

Technical data and measurements: Honda XL 650 V Transalp

Engine: water-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 52-degree V-engine, transverse crankshaft, one overhead, chain-driven camshaft, three valves per cylinder, rocker arm, wet sump lubrication, Keihin constant pressure carburetor, Ø 34 mm, uncontrolled catalytic converter with SLS, electric starter .Bore x stroke 79 x 66 mm, displacement 647 cm³, rated power 39 kW (53 PS) at 7500 rpm, max. Torque 55 Nm (5.6 kpm) at 5500 rpm Power transmission: multi-disc oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, O-ring chain. Chassis: single-loop frame made of tubular steel, split beams, telescopic fork, Ø 41 mm, two-arm swing arm made of steel profiles, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable Spring base and compression damping, double disc brake at the front, double-piston calipers, 256 mm, rear disc brake, Ø 240 mm, single-piston caliper. Tires 90/90 S 21; 120/90 S 17 Chassis data, steering head angle 62 degrees, caster 108 mm, wheelbase 1505 mm, suspension travel f / r 200/172 mm Dimensions and weights Seat height * 835 mm, ground clearance * 190 mm, weight with a full tank * 216 kg, tank capacity / reserve 19 / 3.5 liter guarantee Two years with no mileage limitPerformance variants 25 kW (34 PS) Price incl. VAT and additional costs 7,543 eurosMOTORCYCLE measurementsMaximum speed Solo 177 km / h Acceleration Solo0-100 km / h 4.8 sec Steering solo 60-100 km / h 5.2 sec Consumption off-road 7.9 l / 100 km * MOTORCYCLE measurements

Technical data and measurements: KTM LC 4 625 Supercompetition

Engine: water-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke engine, a balance shaft, an overhead, chain-driven camshaft, four valves, rocker arm, wet sump lubrication, Keihin flat slide carburetor, Ø 41 mm, no exhaust gas cleaning, kick starter. Bore x stroke 101 x 78 mm, displacement 625 cm³, rated output 20 kW (27 PS) at 5500 rpm Max. Torque n / a Multi-disc oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, O-ring chain. Chassis: single-loop frame made of tubular steel, split beams, screwed rear frame made of aluminum tubes, upside-down fork, Ø 43 mm, adjustable rebound and compression damping, two-arm swing arm made of aluminum profiles, central spring strut with Lever system, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, front disc brake, double-piston caliper, Ø 260 mm, rear disc brake, Ø 220 mm, single-piston caliper. Tires 90/90 – 21; 140/80 – 18 Chassis data Steering head angle 62.5 degrees, caster 124 mm, wheelbase 1510 mm, spring travel f / h 295/320 mm. Dimensions and weights Seat height * 970 mm, ground clearance * 335 mm, weight with a full tank * 139 kg, tank capacity / reserve 9 / 1.5 liters. Guarantee Six months with unlimited mileagePerformance variants 31 HP (23 kW) Price including VAT and Nk 7308 EuroMOTORCYCLE measurementsMaximum speed Solo 172 km / h Acceleration Solo0-100 km / h 4.3 sec Steering Solo 60-100 km / h 4.3 seconds off-road consumption 8.7 l / 100 km * MOTORCYCLE measurements

Technical data: MZ Baghira Enduro

Engine: water-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke engine, a balance shaft, an overhead, chain-driven camshaft, five valves per cylinder, rocker arm, dry sump lubrication, Teikei register carburetor, Ø 26/35 mm, no exhaust gas purification, electric starter. Bore x stroke 100 x 84 mm, displacement 660 cm³ Rated output 37 kW (50 PS) at 6500 rpm Max. Torque 57 Nm (5.8 kpm) at 5300 rpm Power transmission: multi-disc oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, O-ring chain Chassis: single-loop frame made of tubular steel, split beams, bolted rear frame, telescopic fork, O 45 mm, adjustable rebound and compression damping, Two-sided swing arm made of aluminum profiles, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable spring based, rebound and compression damping, front disc brake, double-piston caliper, Ø 282 mm, rear disc brake, Ø 246 mm, single-piston caliper, tires 90/90 – 21; 120/80 – 18 Chassis data: steering head angle 62 degrees, caster 130 mm, wheelbase 1530 mm, spring travel v / h 280/280 mm. Dimensions and weights Seat height * 920 mm, ground clearance * 290 mm, weight with a full tank * 174 kg, tank capacity / reserve 13, 5 / 2.5 liters. Guarantee Two years with unlimited mileagePerformance variants 34 PS (25 kW) Price including VAT and ancillary costs 6,325.50 eurosMOTORCYCLE measurementsMaximum speed Solo 157 km / h Acceleration Solo0-100 km / h 5.6 secSteering Solo60- 100 km / h 7.3 seconds off-road consumption 7.6 l / 100 km * MOTORCYCLE measurements

Technical data and measurements: SUZUKI DR-Z 400 S

Engine: Water-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke engine, a balancer shaft, two overhead, chain-driven camshafts, four valves, bucket tappets, dry sump lubrication, Mikuni flat slide carburetor, Ø 36 mm, SLS system, electric starter. Bore x stroke 90 x 62.6 mm, displacement 398 cm³ rated output 29 kW (39 PS) at 7600 rpm Max. Torque 39 Nm (4 kpm) at 6600 rpm Power transmission: Mechanically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, O-ring chain. Chassis: Double loop frame made of tubular steel, screwed subframe made of aluminum tubes, telescopic fork, Ø 49 mm, adjustable spring base and compression damping, Two-sided swing arm made of aluminum profiles, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable spring base and compression damping, front disc brake, double-piston caliper, Ø 250 mm, rear disc brake, Ø 220 mm, single-piston caliper. Tires 80/100 – 21; 120/90 – 18 Chassis data Steering head angle 62.4 degrees, caster 109 mm, wheelbase 1475 mm, spring travel f / r 260/260 mm. Dimensions and weights Seat height * 970 mm, ground clearance * Weight with a full tank * 193 kg, tank capacity / reserve 10 liters. Guarantee two Years without mileage limit

Measurements

The theory confirms the subjective driving impressions. The torque and performance mountains of the BMW are enthroned high above all others. Their breaks in the torque curve may be due to strict compliance with exhaust gas and noise standards. Something that the KTM doesn’t have to worry about in the open performance variant. Because the strong Austrian is only homologated and delivered with around 27 or 31 hp. All single cylinders conjure up very harmonious curves on paper without drops or steep climbs. Easy to see: The sluggish power output of the MZ, which was criticized in the test, leaves a kind of tractor impression in connection with the almost even torque output across the entire speed range when driving. Well suited for trial locomotion, bad for sprinting.

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