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Driving report Quad KTM 450 XC against Enduro KTM 450 EXC-R

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Up to now, single-track off-road vehicles have been the domain of KTM. Now the Austrians are making two grooves through the sand with the quad. Enduro and Quad ?? two different concepts.

As every company needs to expand KTM constantly new business areas. That is why the Austrians started trading with Polaris a few years ago, which is big on quads and snowmobiles. A cooperation that only lasted a year, but has certainly brought a lot of know-how to Mattighofen that could flow into the new KTM quad.

As with the Enduro, the frame of the sports quad is made of welded, high-strength steel tubes, the backbone weighs only 14.5 kilograms. It is surprising that the quad is equipped with Ohlins suspension elements instead of in-house WP parts. Typical for KTM is the direct linkage of the progressively working spring strut on the swing arm in both vehicles. Naturally, there are big differences at the front, with the Enduro an upside-down fork guides the bike, while the wheels of the Quad are each attached to two wishbones. Caster and camber are adjustable, and the track can be made narrower or wider depending on the operating conditions using triangular links of different lengths. At the rear, the track width can be adjusted using spacers. Braking is done with Magura calipers, one at the front of each wheel, the rigid rear axle in the center.

While the enduros got a completely new, short-stroke engine for 2008, the 450 single from the earlier EXC generation provides propulsion in the quad. However, with injection and modified housing to meet the special requirements. The oil supply was increased, the kickstarter was eliminated, and the transmission still has six gears, but is now divided into five forward gears and one reverse gear. The two engines differ only marginally in terms of power and torque.

As soon as the quad comes to life, it becomes a poison dwarf. The single-cylinder pushes ahead tremendously, its power delivery has nothing in common with the smoothness of the current enduro generation, the engine is aggressive like a crosser. If the throttle is pressed all the way, the front wheels strive towards the sky, and on bumpy terrain you really have to cling to the handlebars. While the Enduro drives light-footed and without much effort, on the Quad you initially have the feeling of sitting on a rather clumsy and bumpy vehicle, as uneven ground tilts the load in every imaginable direction. With two-wheelers, on the other hand, the driver is not exposed to any lateral acceleration. Steering the quad requires a lot more strength, and you have to work hard with your body weight in the corners, otherwise the load will simply tip over.

The grip on the brake, and the next aha experience comes: the fine Magura system bites brutally, it really only takes one finger on the lever. However, decelerating off-road is not that easy: on bumps in the braking zone, it is easy to knock the handlebars out of your hand, and sensitive braking becomes a real art. It doesn’t help that the KTM quad is very manoeuvrable, because hitting the right turn-in point is a matter of luck. With a little less compression on the front Ohlins dampers, it got better. Correctly coordinated, you can achieve amazingly fast lap times with the quad. It is superior to the motorcycle, especially in soft, furrowed terrain and in tight bends.

The German KTM importer does not currently have the Sport Quad in the official program, but the ATVs 450 or 525 XC are already available on request. However, as pure sports equipment, road approval is only possible by individual purchase from dealers.

Data Quad KTM 450 XC and Enduro KTM 450 EXC-R

KTM 450 EXC-R KTM 450 XC
Engine ohc single cylinder four stroke ohc single cylinder four stroke
Bore / stroke 95 / 63.4 mm 89/72 mm
Displacement 449 cm3 449 cm3
Mixture preparation Keihin carburetor Keihin injection
Transmission six-speed five-speed + reverse gear
Rated output 53 PS (39 kW) at 9800 rpm 52 PS (38 kW) at 9000 rpm
Chassis frame made of steel tubes / aluminum rear frame made of steel tubes / aluminum rear
Front suspension WP upside-down fork Ohlins wishbone
Rear suspension WP-PDS / swing arm Ohlins-PDS / swing arm with rigid axle
Suspension travel front / rear 300/335 mm 257/265 mm
Front / rear tires 90 / 90-21 / 140 / 90-18 21 x 7-10 / 20 x 11-9
Brakes front / rear Brembo, Ø 260/240 mm Magura, Ø 180/200 mm
Weight 114 kg 163 kg
Price (excluding additional costs) 8545 euros 9195 euros

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