The first minute of this video is absolute gold! If I had a sporting company I'd have paid you mega amounts to use your script and voice. Absolutely inspiring. Thank you
Props to KTM for keeping two strokes alive. They deserve a lot of praise for that. I'm sticking with my trusty YZ 125/250's, but I'm thankful for KTM and what they've done.
@@soilderofliberty556 Not gonna argue about it, but it's clear as day two's are second priority to Yamaha. Europe caters to them way more, and offers a ton of features the off-road and Enduro guy want.
❓ I'm no dirt bike competition historian, but weren't the 4 cycle dirt bike engines allowed to be twice the size of the 2 cycle bikes they competed against in the various classes(ie. 500cc 4 cycle bikes competed in the 250cc class, and 250cc 4 cycles in the 125cc 2 cycle classes)? If so, that kinda seems like a significant aspect of this "4 cycle vs 2 cycle" conversation.
@@HighlanderNorth1 Yeah, the whole displacement thing is another can of worms entirely. Modern 250f's have an advantage over 125's, when pros of equal skill are on them. These damn 250f's in particular have gotten so much faster, and many of them are faster than the 90's 400 and 450f's I'd be willing to bet. I will never own a 250f though, talk about a complete money pit, and they don't have the handling, nor the charm of a 125.
@soldierofliberty They definitely do not sell more 2t than KTM. KTM is by far the largest manufacturer of 2t dirtbikes in the world especially because of their MASSIVE Market Share in the Global Enduro Market.
I worked as a motorcycle journalist for a long time, so I know the brand pretty well. I have been to the factory more than once as well as on a lot of international bike launches and I can confirm one thing about these people. They freakin love racing. Really good video.
27 years later, very little 2 stroke development for decades and the 4 strokes still need a displacement advantage to win. Speaks volumes for the supremacy of the 2 stroke
well its simple physics as a two stroke fires every revolution compared to every other on a four stroke. they will always need a displacement advantage. if you know anything about two strokes you'd know they have come a long way in 27 years
Not just 2 strokes. Japanese technology. Harley bought the pro stock bike class just to compete with early 80s Suzuki and run a engine nearly twice as large and add weight to the old zuks to make it “fair”. I was involved in S&S when this developed
Always remember the badass snap of a 2 stroke Japanese dirt bike (even a YZ or RM 80) & the sweet smell of the oil mixture burning! Great stuff. Rite of passage. It was looking like electric dirt bikes were going to rise and reproduce the torque of 2 stroke power bands. But Harley Davidson buying a leading electric motorcycle company might have slowed or impacted that. There’s a video about what killed off a great electric dirt bike.
Idk man my 99wr400 compared to my mates 520 husaberg are two very different bikes. Yamaha did an awesome job on the high comp motor, the husabergs performance is similar on paper but it's a heavy big awkward thing on single trails compared to the 400cc imo. Then I jump on a brand new crf450r or klxr and they feel half the weight lol
I don’t think so. I own and race a KTM and a Husky 350, but back then they weren’t close. The bike KTM qualified on had conventional forks and I’m pretty sure no linkage. No one was winning a main on that bike against inverted forks, literally not a chance. The handling of the KTMs back then were atrocious compared to any Japanese bikes. Ride one today and they’re MUCH closer to how a Japanese bike feels compared to back then, which is not a bad thing
There's something about the sound and feel of a 2 stroke screaming between your legs while working the clutch and gears to keep the RPMs up. It gives me an adrenaline rush that can't be compared to riding a 4 stroke. The newer generations can't understand this. Also working on them was much easier and cheaper. Don't get me wrong. The 4 strokes are great with unbelievable low end but the cost of these bikes and repairs makes it harder to get in the sport. Now they're trying to go with Electric bikes. No clutch, no engine sound, only the low wine of an electric motor with linkage and chain noise will make this sport BORING. Even the spectators will be bored out of their mind. 2 strokes is what made this sport so great.
@@eljerc5894 lmao, I’m curious how long you’ve been saying that plant food line.. I’ve been saying the same thing for a few years now. Really throws off any argument!
History: KTM also hired Kelly Smith from Ludington Michigan to ride the big 520 4-stroke and aid in development, (Kelly has won the 4-stroke nationals on it). I used to ride with Kelly's Dad, Hershel, (who was the fastest guy in our neck of the Michigan woods.), back when many people would still afford to buy/race a bike. We had 8 private tracks in a 10 mile radius we could ride anytime I wanted. But the 4-stroke EPA forced movement, (much like the intervention with 1986 production rule), has about tripled the cost of a bike, again. All the tracks are gone in my area, and nobody rides anymore. No pro riders in main events are from Michigan anymore. I heard Kelly Smith on the local state run radio a few months back, begging the city to build a track so we can ride again. I think I like the old USA better. How about you?
Same thoughts here. I gave up all the modern tech bikes and went back to restoring the old air cooled bikes. I have a street legal XR600r (1991 that looks like an 84) and currently fixing up several old ossa’s. Im only 40 but I remember the switch. The tech is cool, but nothing beats a good day in the woods on some old two strokes restored with my dad
I live east of Gaylord Michigan. Tons of tight wooded trails close to me. I’m 47 now and still love a 2 stroke. Restored a 1999 KX 250 a few years back and try to get out in the woods at least once a year for old times sake. The death of the 2 stroke was an end of an era no doubt.
Great video! This sums up everything I felt about KTM, as a brand, too. 13 years ago, I bought my first used KTM...a 2006 625SXC...because it was cheaper on the used market than the older Honda XR650 that I really wanted. I thought I was taking a gamble....but, what a reliable bike it was!
Yamaha has been ahead of the curve for engine development for decades. It's no surprise that the other Japanese companies stayed out of the fray. Very smartly, they waited to see if Yamaha could do it first. If Yamaha couldn't do it, the other manufacturers would not bother.
lol, so true, and i'm glad they have. 4-strokes are definitely more predictable and confidence inspiring, but there is nothing like the wild ride of a well tuned 2-stroke and some wide open space.
The key winning to 4T is the power traction. 2T exhaust their tires so much faster not allowing them to rest between power strokes. Every time the engine combust, the tires got pushed and lose grip, needing time to regain it. As soon as 4T became *almost* as light as 2T (4T will always be heavier), the smoker got smoked.
@@victoriazero8869 id say its the complete opposite.... . only having 1 power stroke per 2 revolutions of the tire makes it LESS predictable.... while having 1 power stroke per revolution makes it MORE predictable . and sure.... what gear you are in and speed you are going could mean its 4 power strokes per rev..... or even 0.25 power strokes per rev but the point is.... a 2 stroke gives more "even" power impulses
Here are the numbers from our local hare scramble & enduro organization. 1155 total bikes registered. Sherco, Suzuki and the others not listed have less than a dozen riders. Husky and GG are included in the KTM number: KTM: 756 Yamaha: 163 Beta: 81 Kawi: 61 Honda: 47 KTM truly owns off road motorcycles. It's amazing to see the brand that they have built over the last 30 years. I live in the northern woods, 2-stroke country. Rocky, tight, technical, & rough. AA pace in our area is about 16mph average, 13mph is a solid B rider. It’s rare to find anyone serious about woods riding here on something outside the KTM family, primarily the 300cc 2 strokes, but a lot of racers stick with the 250s for class rules. Our local hare scramble & enduro organization tracks manufacturers, and the KTM family accounts for 65% of the field. I don't think any other manufacturer has won the championship in our hare scramble series for about 13 years.
In Baja 1000 Honda is the main brand. KTM is growing his numbers but everybody here thinks a Honda will cross hell and back, while KTM is no that easy to trust.
I had a Penton 125. That thing was light, fast and furious when it got on the pipe. Any information about the Pentons? I didn't know what I had. Most of it was plastic that could be plastic. A lot of 250s never knew what ran by and left them in the dust.
@@insanetaco98they bought out two other manufacturers and made the total brands you can buy that make two stroke from 2, to 4 and also are improving and developing new technology for two strokes which is a huge sign they have long term plans
@drakepeterson5968 they didn't save shit. Quit lying to yourself. If they did we'd see 2 strokes actually being raced and ridden more often. Not to mention the companies they bought up all went under at least once with mostly 2 stroke lineups. It's really just them trying to play monopoly with the euro market. GasGas was good 20 years ago. Now it's a KTM lol Husky was good way back in the day, now it's KTM, producing junk bikes under 3 names doesn't save shit. It's like saying GM saved the V8 platform cause they put the outdated pushrod engine in cars from like 4 of their manufacturers when other companies have continued to make em
@@insanetaco98 thats totally wrong! yamaha stopped producing 2 Strokes back in the days!!!!! But they see KTM earns money with two strokes and the people want to ride 2strokes after the hype of 4stroke in the 2010's
I was heavy into this sport from early 90s through the early 2000s while this was happening. I will never forget my first true love, the 2 stroke. I love dirt bikes and the title cought my eye. I never planned to watch the entire video but it was so good I couldn't let it go. While I only rode red, It fed my interest of KTM and the rise of 4 strokes. It was catchy, entertaining, informative and like a good movie, the ending left me very satisfied. Thanks, it's a great video.
@Dante S550 10R80'S Absolutely not! They make more noise that's it. 4-strokes took over cause they were faster & tired you out less. Got more POWER to the ground. Period. -NY
@@Davido50 no, 4t builds power slowly, so you can ride them lazy. They also changed up a lot of track design to make sure the 2t wasn't competitive with super short transitions. Obviously the motor that was 2x larger was able to build more controllable torque in 3 bike lengths. Open the 2ts up to the same size, and the 4t can't hang. Ever notice that after 25 years the 4t 450s are still at 2t 500 power levels?! Let KTM design a 2t 450 with all their new tech and 100hp should be possible. I mean, 900cc 2t sleds are knocking on 200hp right now. Although radiators might get interesting. Gotta have enough cooling for the HP, and bikes don't have much space for cooling anymore.
Bob Hannah, Jimmy Weinert, Mark Barnett, Danny "Magoo" Chandler, Roger DeCoster, Brad Lackey, Tony Distefano, these were some of the motocross racers in my years. Maico - M Star, Can Am, Bultaco, etc were some of the forgotten gems ridden back then.
Don’t forget Ossa. Some of the men who piloted them old Spanish bikes are my heroes. John desoto, Hakan “carla” carlqvist, Dick Mann, Joe Boldger, Marty Moates….man i grew up in the wrong era
@@reloadnorth7722 I have restored over 20 of them. Our collection is about 40 bikes total. I have a special event coming up this September, the local track my dad raced on 50 years ago is opening up for one weekend for a reunion ride. We are both going. Im gonna take every year phantom ossa made. Some to ride and a set thats fully restored for display. Its gonna be a good time.
I'm going to go off on a tangent: A video like this is a perfect showcase of why I value old recordings/ESPN classics/ old men's retellings. Things like these are able to give the exact context, mindset and understanding of the time they occurred, and oftentimes without those two things, Occam's Razor tends to win out when it comes to how events are remembered in a historical sense. Small side-notes and doomed storylines get lost in the forgotten sands of time even though those same storylines have butterfly effects that expand far beyond the events of just one day. The world of Motocross at large may very well stay quietly ignorant of a tale like this, simply because there aren't a lot of media examples portraying the finer details of what happened back then. But the KTM 540/520 is ultimately one of the progenitors to motorcycles such as the venerable LC8 engine family and its derivatives that are found in nearly every 4 stroke KTM bike nowadays. That same family gave birth to the RC8/RC8R superbike platform in 2008, which inevitably led into the RC16 MotoGP project that began racing in the late 2010's. All of that, by butterfly effect; a derivative of a wily and stubborn American and a nearly bankrupt Austrian motorcycle manufacturer who now sees offroad success so often it's hard to keep track of sometimes. It's the little thing and the small details that sometimes make the biggest difference or have the largest impact. Supercross and Motocross is currently a 4 stroke's world; and it started right here. Enjoy the show.
your words are true Ex one thing that I didn't mention is even though Doug Henry won that night Jeff Emig was riding around mid-pack to wrap up the championship if not he may have won that night as his heat race laps were the fastest of the evening
@@BornAGoon If I may, I'd highly suggest you take a look into the history of KTM's LC8 engine platform, how it's evolved, and what KTM at large had to deal with when the global financial crisis hit in 2008. I've looked into the unfortunate history of the RC8/RC8R during its relatively short production lifetime; and it is unfortunate. I'm lucky enough to own one, and it's almost impossible to describe in words just how it makes you feel as a rider.
I second the request. The LC8 in my 1090 AR is a bit mechanically loud, but of many I have experienced, the LC8 is a monster. SC exhaust and Rottweiler intake, just music.
The four strokes can still be cheap if you don’t get attached to your bike, i always buy 3-5 year old used bikes, ride the crap out of them and sell them for the same i bought them for when i feel like it’s about to blow up and buy the next bike
@@quirinm. Guilty as charged. But I love rebuilding all kinds of engines. Rebuilding my 2004 KX250f was a fun way to spend my 2021 winter season and figure out the ins and out of my bike. Also comes with the added benefit of knowing your bike in and out.
One word brother... Epic! The voice, the delivery, the historical information, and the old pictures and footage make for really awesome stories. Thank you.
One of the best motorcycle documentaries we've ever seen! We watched this history unfold as it happened back in the day but you filled in soooo many blanks. This was an outstanding watch A+++
If you guys could please do videos in the similar vein as this for us quad guys I'd be over the moon about it. I love moto as a whole but I feel us quad guys are left out of everything.
Wow, what a great episode this was. Three years ago at 55 years of age, I bought a 2020 KTM 1290 SD GT because I wanted one last kick at the can, and to pop wheelies in the 'hood. Of course, I still ride that bike today and wouldn't trade it for anything.
Great video! I was born into motocross 30 years ago since my dad started riding in the mid-70s and we've been heavy in the vintage scene for the last decade so I am very much a 2 stroke guy, but always found the early big bore 4 strokes very interesting. It's funny that KTM and Yamaha are the go-tos for modern 2 strokes when they're the ones that started with 4 strokes.
This is one the best documentaries I have watched in a long time ... Thanks for putting this together. I knew most of the history, but also learned a few more things. You should have added John Dowd into it .. He has some great success on that KTM520 as well on the national level. He holeshot that bike all the time, and ran it top 5 most of the year !!
Dowd at the Wick! Crowd goes wild as he holds top position well into a full Moto at age 40, against a bunch of teenage/early 20yo guys built like CrossCountry runners with that type of fitness! How couldn’t he be local legend! (Should’ve had a “get off my lawn” butt patch!😉)
@@1620GarageAndFarm Oh interesting, i didnt know about any of this ill look more into him. im just happening upon this video i dont ride. Noticed your username, i grew up In Plymouth.
KTMs biggest mistake was turning down Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman for Long Way Round. BMW GS market exploded after that series and that could have been KTM.
KTM and BMW are very different manufacturers after very different markets.KTM figured (rightly in my opinion) that Long Way Round would not be taken seriously by the off road fraternity.
I have owned my WR-400F , street licensed for use here in Southern California, and have owned it for almost 20 years now ( bought it used from a guy who bought it from the Founder of Baja Designs) . It has been hands down THE MOST reliable bike I have ever owned & can say without a doubt it has also been my favorite due to fact I can ride it daily ANYWHERE. Not putting down any other manufacturers or fellow enthusiasts. Ride what you love , & love what you ride 👍
@@BornAGoon My favorite part about owning my WR Is listening to my riding buddies whine about payments & the fact that their dirt bikes are severely limited on where they can now legally ride . California is NOT a rider friendly state anymore . I’ve lived here my whole life & am Moving in less than a year ( hopefully) to Arizona . 🤞
@@BornAGoon I owned a 2000 wr400f and i loved it, it wasn't plated early enough here in Canada and the laws changed so it wasn't an option when I bought it. I now own an FE 501s. I do love this new bike but I miss my 400f and I would have kept it if I could plate it.
I think something important to highlight for those who aren't familiar, four stroke never eclipsed 2 stroke in power output but is allowed to run with double the displacement to help them be competitive with 2 strokes due to environmental concerns. it took that many decades of development to even be able to take advantage of that handicap
I HAD THIS SAME ENGINE IN A HUUSQVARNA IN I988 ,BEFORE YOU EVER HEARD OF HUSABERG ,AND THEY ALSO HAD IT IN 1987 ,AIR COOLED..THIS ENGINE WAS DEVELOPED BY THE SWEDES IN THE EARLY 80S..I RODE IT AT ONER 100MPH WITH MY WIFE ON THE BACK ,MORE THAN ONCE..IM 85 YRS NOW AND I STILL RIDE EVERYDAY ON A HUSKY 150 2T
Just starting to get into dirt bikes took me 19 years to realize i absolutely love the dirt and riding on it, this was a great piece of history thank you for sharing
What a lovely storytelling . What a lovely script .. What a lovely way to dig out the forgotten history and serve on a 10 course meal on a lovely platter .. Love your channel .and subscribed too .. Very soon you will command huge respect from real riders n bike lovers .. And it's all well deserved..!
This is the first video of yours I've watched and.....OH MY GAWD! This was an AMAZING piece of work! Easily one of the best trips down memory lane I've ever had as well! So well done...you sir have easily earned a new subscriber. You deserve many more producing this caliber of material. Keep up the great work! 👍
Kept my adhd ass hooked through whole video so it must be interesting, well scripted and damn good "additional" stuff on the screen like video cuts and pictures 😂 Perfect video
I've ridden Pentons, Can Ams, and ATKs with the wonderful Rotax engines.....was glad to see KTM assume an identity of their own. I don't know about anyone else but the idea that a 4-stroke needs twice the cubic centimeters that the two-strokes got. To me, that still remains a point of contention that has never been resolved.
as a 1290 SAT owner, i swear by them... literally NOTHING feels like the 1290 in its class. yes, the GS is more comfortable, yes the multi V4 is a bit faster, but nothing is as engaging as the 1290. its somewhat raw, brutal and savage in the way it performs. even when you want to relax, it kinds of honors that "ready to race" phrase, and it wont let you relax. as if its telling you "come on, twist the throttle again, you know you want it" gotta love them
This is the first video I've watched by you and I really got to say the presentation is fantastic and you give a lot of information and never dull the story.
I have a love for both KTM and Yamaha. In my early years racing motocross I always had a Yamaha. In 1997 I was in Broome-Tioga and watched the crazy YZM 400 going around the track and fell in love. The next year at Broome I watched Henry win the championship there. In 2000 I bought a YZ426F. I raced that bike for 2 years with ok results. (I wasn’t fast lol). After motocross I started doing off road racing. Threw the woods the 426 wouldn’t cut it in the single track sections. It was also so heavy. That’s when I got my first KTM. For that racing I got a 200 exc. It worked real good for the tighter racing and helped at time when you had to lift your bike out of a rut or pick it up halfway up a hill. Having no linkage it got over objects easily. Both companies are great. In my opinion.
The KTM 540 was based on the LC4 motor, quite heavy, a pig to start (so could a YZ400), and overheated in warmer climes, the purchase of Husaberg, using its basic lightweight 501 design, dumped the Amal electrics, used the PDS no linkage system and came up with the 520, I loved my 520’s and 525’s 👌🏻😎I clocked my 525 in soft sand at 158KMH it would haul a** !
i have a 06 525 sx that i originally bought for a timbersled project but ended up reeeeallly liking it and throwing a little $$$ at the valvetrain/cam/ exhaust mostly and its an absolute beast, its the most effortless bike iv ever owned, you could break off the shifter ride the track all day with out a hicup. i live in alaska and its a blast up in the hills on the old logging roads.
@@skwissgaar_skwigelf_kdz3251 A mate has owned a 520 for 20 years, I brought an '06 525exc because of riding the 520. One of the best dirt bike engines ever in my opinion, grunty and loves to rev with e.start more than a decade before the Japanese. Very reliable too, my only complaint was the WP suspension...
Had my 525 supermoto to 115mph down hill, would prob do a little more but didn't wanna push it. Changed gearing now, still does 105 mph on flat but easier to rev out in 6th. Great bikes, had my 450 rfs 9 years, more than 500 engine hours and not a single problem. Only changed the top end for a hi comp piston at 250 hours for peace of mind. Still on same bottom end and people say KTM aren't reliable 😂 the rfs models definitely are and fast as fu**!
In the early 2000s I bought my nephew a KTM 50SX because he liked orange. I remember it ripping his little arms off until he got used to it. He still loves the brand, so I guess the colour strategy worked. I remember the whole 2 vs 4 stroke thing in Motor Cross and MOTO GP and I wasn't for one or the other, I just loved Bikes. However, I could never get over the feeling that it was not fair putting up a 250 2s against a 450 4s. Anyway, what a great historical and entertaining video. Congratulations to Born a Goon!
I bought a like new 620 from a friend that could never get it to run from the factory. I put a FCR pumper carb on it and it ran perfect. The only bad thing was it had a vibration frequency that would shake my eyeballs literally. Oh! and the left-hand kicker sucked too. I sold it to get a 2008 EXCR 450. With the proper engine mods and suspension tunes, it turned out to be probably the best overall bike I have ever had, and I had a bunch (still do).
Does not base on the Husaberg. I've got a 400exc. A Friend has a 400 berg. Complete different engine. Husaberg has some Ktm parts in it. oil screen etc.
The 520 top end is a clone of Husaberg technology with improved quality control and some stronger parts , Husaberg was the main influence of this engine design , the bottom end is mostly their own design but again has strong Husaberg influence , this engine proved to be one of the most reliable 4t engines ever made and had tremendous success in MX GP and World Enduro throughout the nineties , winning many titles .
Yamaha was able to do soooo many things that the other companies were not allowed to do to their bikes. They were allowed to do this because it was a prototype and did not have to follow the same rules as the rest. If you would have put YZF400 against the factory 500 2 strokes at the time it would have got walked plain and simple. Going 4 stroke was because of tree hugging whiners not because the were a better design. There is no way a modern 250cc 4 stroke will even stay up with an old 250cc 2 stroke. Simply said Yamaha had to take a way larger CC 4 stroke and cheat to get their bike to even be competitive at all in the 250 class. Biggest scam in motocross history!
There're parallels there with WSB. Ducati fielded larger displacement V-Twins against the 750cc in-line fours. Although producing the same horsepower, they had significant gains in torque, and would go on to dominate WSB in the 90's.
When I went to buy a KTM 540 all 3 dealers in North Texas told me the same story, 2K down and come back in 90 days. 😥 Went over to the local Yamaha shop and drove away with a 426 still in the crate 😁
Great stuff. Thanks for documenting it for historical perspective. Shame that there's not a graceful way to fit in that Husaberg was, basically, all the Swedes who didn't want to work for Italians when Husky was bought by Cagiva. So, they went on their own.
goddamn dude, i found the channel cause i love motorcycles, but you're legit talented at filmmaking and storytelling. you should seriously consider branching out of just the moto world. this is solid, top tier content. no need to limit yourself to only talking about bikes. either way, keep up the good work. these videos are awesome.
I've owned KTM's before. Never really was a fan of them ,they just never fit me well but i have a huge amount of respect for the brand for keeping 2 strokes alive.Thank you KTM. And I'm extremely grateful for Yamaha hanging onto the Yz 2 strokes . Love my 250x.
I ride both and am curious if you would get used to it. The YZ250 (not x) is a lot more forward riding while the KTM is more balanced forward and aft. In tight trails and through rocks the Yamaha is easier to ride but once it is faster or out on the track the KTM is easier. Yamaha has the better front suspension overall while KTM has the better engine/brakes/clutch/weight. Both of them are awesome and I wouldn't care if I rode either one exclusively. The 300sx is sounding like the best 2t ever though. Can't wait to try one.
@@NONO-hz4vo what's extremely annoying is magazines and YT keep trying to put 250's up against 300's. It always come down to one thing, power. Well duh. It's an unfair comparison. I can't comment on mx bikes because I don't ride tracks ,deep woods only. Again, the KTM never fit me or my style. I bought it new in 13 and as soon as the YZX came out, it was gone . That was 2016. So I had it long enough to get used to it. 90% of the guys I ride with are on 300's. They are continually replacing wheel bearings ,fork seals and having issues with the EFI. Nothing major but enough to take note. The weakest part of my YZ is front wheel bearings. Gotta buy them in six packs!Yamaha needs to cap the front hubs. 1 set for the rear. I ride quite a bit so it's not a low hour bike. I believe MX Action said it best about the YZ 250." Innovation is overrated ".
CZcams algo recommended me this video and i learned a lot, got pretty surprised when my bike showed up, i own the first year of the ktm exc 520, great video !
Brilliant work here my friend. Absolutely love my 2ND Factory edition! Bikes would be years behind if not for KTM. People can hate all they want, in reality they should be grateful for the technology Ktm has brought to the moto industry!
I remember going to a Trans AMA motocross in the early seventies where there were still a couple of factory BSA 4 strokes in 500 class. By that time they were no longer competitive but they sure were fun to cheer on and you could hear them all the way around the track. We would never have would guessed 25 years later a mirror opposite revolution would take place as the KTMs and Yams appeared in the late nineties.
CCM continued with the BSA-based engine up to a 4-valve version from 1979 until 1981 when they finally switched to Rotax (an Austrian engine maker that's part of the Bombardier group) the American company ATK (founded by an Austrian) also used the Rotax engines for 4 stroke off-road bikes that predated both Yamaha and KTM.
I was riding KTM's in the early '90's. One fell in my lap by chance as a 13 year old kid. Parts availability was horrible ( pre-internet days) and nobody knew what the heck a KTM even was. " It's a what? KTM?...K... Kawasaki make that?" But they would smoke every Japanese bikes my friends owned. They were fast, worked very well and were bullet proof. As a teenager with little mechanical skills and no adult oversight, all my bikes were horribly neglected. But it didn't matter. They just worked and worked and worked. I like my Yamaha WR450 and I like my KTM 300....but I LOVE my KTM 520 that's still running on ALL it's original parts aside from sprockets , brake pads and one set of piston rings. Bottom end and piston are still original! RFS are beasts. No modern bikes have matched their torque or durability yet. Husaberg gave us a real jewel with these engines. Too bad modern day KTM haters won't allow themselves to enjoy a truly superior engine. Everything else I've owned/ridden feels anemic by comparison. The torque is instant, huge and never ending. It's a full on estart dirt bike with a proper six speed and does power wheelies in every gear on accident...and it won't die. What else can you ask for 😂
One interesting thing I noticed.... The 540 at @11:48 is very clearly an LC4. It doesn't look all that different than the '95 400RXC that was my first dual sport bike, aside from some stripping down and a fancy suspension. The 520 @16:20 is an RFS bike. Completely different bike, not an evolution of the LC4.
exacly, I also had one (540sxc), it looks like they pushed mildly modifed LC4 bike to AMA to get brand attention before they released husaberg based RFS ?
🏍👏 Kudos to KTM for their dedication to keeping two strokes alive! They truly deserve immense praise for their efforts. While I personally prefer my reliable YZ 125/250's, I am genuinely grateful for what KTM has achieved in the industry. It's fascinating to see how they've made a significant impact and challenged the Japanese manufacturers. This video definitely piques my curiosity about the bike's performance. Keep pushing the boundaries, KTM! 🌟🔥👍
You need more then 1 king, without the other brands to making great bikes otherwise there is no incentive for KTM to make better bikes or keep their price from equaling a Rolls Royce. I ride KTM because my last 2 yamaha literally split in half down the frame. But I need yamaha to keep the fire under KTMs ass to keep making better bikes. However the last several years of yamaha have been so bad I fear another former king has fallen. One of the last pro riders in our area with yamaha has not had one single bike last more then 40 hours without catastrophic failure. his most recent didn't break 5 hours even. He has been through 3 brand new bikes this year alone. Its honestly really sad.
Had a 02 520MXC that I built out as a supermoto with a 570cc with +2mm valves, custom cam, billet rod, balanced crank, 43mm carb and vortex x10 ecu. Absolute monster. Was stolen and lost forever. I miss it more than anything I've ever turned a wrench on.
A real historical fact, (not a glorification of economic fascism) when the 2-stroke was born into this sport by free market activity in the late 60's,--the prices of a bike went down, and the sport in the USA grew to over 10 times the size it is today. When the 1986 production rule was put in place by the FIM (who rules the AMA actually), it tripled the cost of a bike (already with many developments), in 5 years. The EPA dictatorship intervention depleted the sport to what it is today.
That's an American viewpoint! Back in the early 80's Yamaha made a big splash with the IT series and as part of the European promotion hired an enduro team, the French had one and the other operated out from the importer in Holland but was concentrated in the UK. I wanted a KTM ride (I'm a big bore rider) but there were no seats going so took the Yamaha offer to race the 465, nobody else wanted to ride the fat pig anyway. Against the Euro competition it was outclassed so we were allowed to change everything so it was full works Kayabas, a custom frame with a modern linkage, WP suspension and so on. In the end it could run with the works KTM's on Dutch sand tracks but Yamaha abandoned selling the IT's in Europe. I had another year on my contract so it was " race what you like as long as it's a Yamaha". In four stroke MX I already ran a 680 Yam but years before raced a custom 500 Triumph and reckoned the big thumpers were too hard to ride, something that revved to death and the torque didn't blast you out of the turns was better. So we brutalised a humble XT 250, made a cylinder to take a 370 Suzuki piston to give a 340 and got a buddy at Cosworth to make a 4-valve head, it was fast and competitive in tight going (I placed nationals on it) so when the season was up the whole bike was crated and sent to Japan where they set to work cutting up superbike engines. Back then it was revoloutionary, KTM, Husquavarna and CCM were chasing the 620cc limit which were all torque and hard to ride, a small 4 stroke you rode like a 125 wasn't in their mindset. Nowadays I struggle around on a KTM 450 RFS around in super-vets!
Awesome video 👍 I watched the Maico story first, then hit on this one.. Just before the YZ426 hit the tracks for the first time, and everybody was going crazy over 4 strokes being on the motocross tracks, we witnessed a Honda XR400 winning races on our local track. It was Mindblowing. An incredibly talented rider and the loud 4 stroke rumble drowned over the 2 strokes. The change was in the air and we all knew that the 4 strokes were about to burst out of their shells.. what an amazing time to witness, somewheres around the year 2000
The 4 stroke revolution was started by husqvarna when they won the world MXGP in 1993 on a TC610 4 stroke by Jacky Martins. Then later in the 90's husaberg and ktm would also win the world championship on 4 strokes.
Meh. American motocross was way ahead of mxgp in those years. The thought of winning on a 4 stroke was looked down upon and a reflection of how poor the competition was instead of the actual bike. Whether that was true or not is a debate. However, it wasn't until the early 2000's until it was actually feasible.
My father was stationed in Germany in the early 80's and brought back a KTM 390 air cooled 4 stroke. I loved that bike so much torque. My dad rode wheelies with my mom on the back when she was pregnant with my little sister. She never got on a bike with him again. 80's were great, LOVE YOU DAD R.I.P.
The first minute of this video is absolute gold! If I had a sporting company I'd have paid you mega amounts to use your script and voice. Absolutely inspiring. Thank you
thank you for the kind words Rama
But for a couple edits that could be a company video!
Most likely, you are talking to a propaganda bot.
Leading dogs agree.
ÀfÇ
Props to KTM for keeping two strokes alive. They deserve a lot of praise for that. I'm sticking with my trusty YZ 125/250's, but I'm thankful for KTM and what they've done.
@@soilderofliberty556 Not gonna argue about it, but it's clear as day two's are second priority to Yamaha. Europe caters to them way more, and offers a ton of features the off-road and Enduro guy want.
❓ I'm no dirt bike competition historian, but weren't the 4 cycle dirt bike engines allowed to be twice the size of the 2 cycle bikes they competed against in the various classes(ie. 500cc 4 cycle bikes competed in the 250cc class, and 250cc 4 cycles in the 125cc 2 cycle classes)? If so, that kinda seems like a significant aspect of this "4 cycle vs 2 cycle" conversation.
@@HighlanderNorth1 Yeah, the whole displacement thing is another can of worms entirely. Modern 250f's have an advantage over 125's, when pros of equal skill are on them. These damn 250f's in particular have gotten so much faster, and many of them are faster than the 90's 400 and 450f's I'd be willing to bet.
I will never own a 250f though, talk about a complete money pit, and they don't have the handling, nor the charm of a 125.
@soldierofliberty They definitely do not sell more 2t than KTM. KTM is by far the largest manufacturer of 2t dirtbikes in the world especially because of their MASSIVE Market Share in the Global Enduro Market.
@@soilderofliberty556 No they don't. Not as far as 2t is concerned.
I worked as a motorcycle journalist for a long time, so I know the brand pretty well. I have been to the factory more than once as well as on a lot of international bike launches and I can confirm one thing about these people. They freakin love racing. Really good video.
Thank you Lupo
@@BornAGoon Repeat after me :- YA, MA, HA. 😂
...KA, WA, ZA, KI. or SU, ZU, KI. 😁
Maybe Hon-da just wanted to be awkward.
K.....T......M....All
The.....Way....2
Strokes. 🏁 ❤😎
4strokes don't belong on a motocross bike
27 years later, very little 2 stroke development for decades and the 4 strokes still need a displacement advantage to win. Speaks volumes for the supremacy of the 2 stroke
So True!!
well its simple physics as a two stroke fires every revolution compared to every other on a four stroke. they will always need a displacement advantage.
if you know anything about two strokes you'd know they have come a long way in 27 years
Not just 2 strokes. Japanese technology. Harley bought the pro stock bike class just to compete with early 80s Suzuki and run a engine nearly twice as large and add weight to the old zuks to make it “fair”. I was involved in S&S when this developed
Well said
Always remember the badass snap of a 2 stroke Japanese dirt bike (even a YZ or RM 80) & the sweet smell of the oil mixture burning! Great stuff. Rite of passage.
It was looking like electric dirt bikes were going to rise and reproduce the torque of 2 stroke power bands. But Harley Davidson buying a leading electric motorcycle company might have slowed or impacted that. There’s a video about what killed off a great electric dirt bike.
As a rider that raced a Husaberg, I can attest to the fact that they were absolute 4-stroke beasts, way ahead of the Yamaha 400
Was just thinking the same , proper bikes
Idk man my 99wr400 compared to my mates 520 husaberg are two very different bikes. Yamaha did an awesome job on the high comp motor, the husabergs performance is similar on paper but it's a heavy big awkward thing on single trails compared to the 400cc imo.
Then I jump on a brand new crf450r or klxr and they feel half the weight lol
Got to ride a 1997 FE 501... Thing was a beast.
I don’t think so. I own and race a KTM and a Husky 350, but back then they weren’t close. The bike KTM qualified on had conventional forks and I’m pretty sure no linkage. No one was winning a main on that bike against inverted forks, literally not a chance.
The handling of the KTMs back then were atrocious compared to any Japanese bikes. Ride one today and they’re MUCH closer to how a Japanese bike feels compared to back then, which is not a bad thing
@@richdarby2639be quiet mate
You have to give them credit. They are building the bikes we want to see.
That they are and they serve a purpose
Just wish they would stick decent parts on it.
There's something about the sound and feel of a 2 stroke screaming between your legs while working the clutch and gears to keep the RPMs up. It gives me an adrenaline rush that can't be compared to riding a 4 stroke. The newer generations can't understand this. Also working on them was much easier and cheaper. Don't get me wrong. The 4 strokes are great with unbelievable low end but the cost of these bikes and repairs makes it harder to get in the sport. Now they're trying to go with Electric bikes. No clutch, no engine sound, only the low wine of an electric motor with linkage and chain noise will make this sport BORING. Even the spectators will be bored out of their mind. 2 strokes is what made this sport so great.
2 strokes are much better ... Hippies are afraid of the plant food coming out of the exhaust
@@eljerc5894 lmao, I’m curious how long you’ve been saying that plant food line.. I’ve been saying the same thing for a few years now. Really throws off any argument!
History: KTM also hired Kelly Smith from Ludington Michigan to ride the big 520 4-stroke and aid in development, (Kelly has won the 4-stroke nationals on it). I used to ride with Kelly's Dad, Hershel, (who was the fastest guy in our neck of the Michigan woods.), back when many people would still afford to buy/race a bike. We had 8 private tracks in a 10 mile radius we could ride anytime I wanted. But the 4-stroke EPA forced movement, (much like the intervention with 1986 production rule), has about tripled the cost of a bike, again. All the tracks are gone in my area, and nobody rides anymore. No pro riders in main events are from Michigan anymore. I heard Kelly Smith on the local state run radio a few months back, begging the city to build a track so we can ride again. I think I like the old USA better. How about you?
Yes, I do
we used to have a smidgeon of privacy too before the age of cell phones
Same thoughts here. I gave up all the modern tech bikes and went back to restoring the old air cooled bikes. I have a street legal XR600r (1991 that looks like an 84) and currently fixing up several old ossa’s. Im only 40 but I remember the switch. The tech is cool, but nothing beats a good day in the woods on some old two strokes restored with my dad
I live east of Gaylord Michigan. Tons of tight wooded trails close to me. I’m 47 now and still love a 2 stroke. Restored a 1999 KX 250 a few years back and try to get out in the woods at least once a year for old times sake. The death of the 2 stroke was an end of an era no doubt.
"begging the city", modern day socialism for bikers?
Great video! This sums up everything I felt about KTM, as a brand, too. 13 years ago, I bought my first used KTM...a 2006 625SXC...because it was cheaper on the used market than the older Honda XR650 that I really wanted. I thought I was taking a gamble....but, what a reliable bike it was!
I still ride mine... it's a beast!
Yamaha has been ahead of the curve for engine development for decades. It's no surprise that the other Japanese companies stayed out of the fray. Very smartly, they waited to see if Yamaha could do it first. If Yamaha couldn't do it, the other manufacturers would not bother.
That they have
now we go bk to 2 strokes lol
lol, so true, and i'm glad they have. 4-strokes are definitely more predictable and confidence inspiring, but there is nothing like the wild ride of a well tuned 2-stroke and some wide open space.
The key winning to 4T is the power traction. 2T exhaust their tires so much faster not allowing them to rest between power strokes. Every time the engine combust, the tires got pushed and lose grip, needing time to regain it. As soon as 4T became *almost* as light as 2T (4T will always be heavier), the smoker got smoked.
@@victoriazero8869 id say its the complete opposite....
.
only having 1 power stroke per 2 revolutions of the tire makes it LESS predictable....
while having 1 power stroke per revolution makes it MORE predictable
.
and sure.... what gear you are in and speed you are going could mean its 4 power strokes per rev..... or even 0.25 power strokes per rev
but the point is.... a 2 stroke gives more "even" power impulses
Here are the numbers from our local hare scramble & enduro organization. 1155 total bikes registered. Sherco, Suzuki and the others not listed have less than a dozen riders. Husky and GG are included in the KTM number:
KTM: 756
Yamaha: 163
Beta: 81
Kawi: 61
Honda: 47
KTM truly owns off road motorcycles. It's amazing to see the brand that they have built over the last 30 years. I live in the northern woods, 2-stroke country. Rocky, tight, technical, & rough. AA pace in our area is about 16mph average, 13mph is a solid B rider. It’s rare to find anyone serious about woods riding here on something outside the KTM family, primarily the 300cc 2 strokes, but a lot of racers stick with the 250s for class rules. Our local hare scramble & enduro organization tracks manufacturers, and the KTM family accounts for 65% of the field. I don't think any other manufacturer has won the championship in our hare scramble series for about 13 years.
that's true out here in Vegas I haven't seen anyone on the trail that wasn't on a KTM Husky or GasGas
In Baja 1000 Honda is the main brand. KTM is growing his numbers but everybody here thinks a Honda will cross hell and back, while KTM is no that easy to trust.
@@metalpower19 yep
I'm one of the 168. Never walked back 40 plus years.
That’s why I love getting on a suzuki and shutting up about 750 C class shit talkers 👌🏼
KTM, the company that helped pioneer the 4-stroke and then saved the 2-stroke, all started by John Penton over 50 years ago
I had a Penton 125. That thing was light, fast and furious when it got on the pipe. Any information about the Pentons? I didn't know what I had. Most of it was plastic that could be plastic.
A lot of 250s never knew what ran by and left them in the dust.
Yamaha never stopped producing 2 stroke dirtbikes though. KTM didn't really save 2 strokes tbh
@@insanetaco98they bought out two other manufacturers and made the total brands you can buy that make two stroke from 2, to 4 and also are improving and developing new technology for two strokes which is a huge sign they have long term plans
@drakepeterson5968 they didn't save shit. Quit lying to yourself. If they did we'd see 2 strokes actually being raced and ridden more often. Not to mention the companies they bought up all went under at least once with mostly 2 stroke lineups. It's really just them trying to play monopoly with the euro market. GasGas was good 20 years ago. Now it's a KTM lol Husky was good way back in the day, now it's KTM, producing junk bikes under 3 names doesn't save shit. It's like saying GM saved the V8 platform cause they put the outdated pushrod engine in cars from like 4 of their manufacturers when other companies have continued to make em
@@insanetaco98 thats totally wrong! yamaha stopped producing 2 Strokes back in the days!!!!! But they see KTM earns money with two strokes and the people want to ride 2strokes after the hype of 4stroke in the 2010's
I was heavy into this sport from early 90s through the early 2000s while this was happening. I will never forget my first true love, the 2 stroke. I love dirt bikes and the title cought my eye. I never planned to watch the entire video but it was so good I couldn't let it go. While I only rode red, It fed my interest of KTM and the rise of 4 strokes. It was catchy, entertaining, informative and like a good movie, the ending left me very satisfied. Thanks, it's a great video.
i'm just gonna say most of the pro riders when they retire/ don't have sponsors anymore ride 2 stroke and say they are faster. We always knew ;)
Long live the 2STROKE !!
@Dante S550 10R80'S Absolutely not! They make more noise that's it. 4-strokes took over cause they were faster & tired you out less. Got more POWER to the ground. Period. -NY
@@Davido50 -- Are you talking about a comparable scenario, i.e. when 2-strokes and 4-strokes have the same engine displacement???
@@Davido50 no, 4t builds power slowly, so you can ride them lazy. They also changed up a lot of track design to make sure the 2t wasn't competitive with super short transitions. Obviously the motor that was 2x larger was able to build more controllable torque in 3 bike lengths.
Open the 2ts up to the same size, and the 4t can't hang. Ever notice that after 25 years the 4t 450s are still at 2t 500 power levels?!
Let KTM design a 2t 450 with all their new tech and 100hp should be possible. I mean, 900cc 2t sleds are knocking on 200hp right now.
Although radiators might get interesting. Gotta have enough cooling for the HP, and bikes don't have much space for cooling anymore.
Bob Hannah, Jimmy Weinert, Mark Barnett, Danny "Magoo" Chandler, Roger DeCoster, Brad Lackey, Tony Distefano, these were some of the motocross racers in my years. Maico - M Star, Can Am, Bultaco, etc were some of the forgotten gems ridden back then.
Tony Distefano was epic
Jeff Ward, Broc Glover.... all heroes. "Modern 4 stroke 'race' bikes" suck balls big time. 2 strokes will always be king
Don’t forget Ossa. Some of the men who piloted them old Spanish bikes are my heroes. John desoto, Hakan “carla” carlqvist, Dick Mann, Joe Boldger, Marty Moates….man i grew up in the wrong era
@@matthewcornelius5862 Its been so many years, I am 60 this year, I completely forgot about OSSA bikes
@@reloadnorth7722 I have restored over 20 of them. Our collection is about 40 bikes total. I have a special event coming up this September, the local track my dad raced on 50 years ago is opening up for one weekend for a reunion ride. We are both going. Im gonna take every year phantom ossa made. Some to ride and a set thats fully restored for display. Its gonna be a good time.
I'm going to go off on a tangent:
A video like this is a perfect showcase of why I value old recordings/ESPN classics/ old men's retellings. Things like these are able to give the exact context, mindset and understanding of the time they occurred, and oftentimes without those two things, Occam's Razor tends to win out when it comes to how events are remembered in a historical sense. Small side-notes and doomed storylines get lost in the forgotten sands of time even though those same storylines have butterfly effects that expand far beyond the events of just one day.
The world of Motocross at large may very well stay quietly ignorant of a tale like this, simply because there aren't a lot of media examples portraying the finer details of what happened back then. But the KTM 540/520 is ultimately one of the progenitors to motorcycles such as the venerable LC8 engine family and its derivatives that are found in nearly every 4 stroke KTM bike nowadays. That same family gave birth to the RC8/RC8R superbike platform in 2008, which inevitably led into the RC16 MotoGP project that began racing in the late 2010's. All of that, by butterfly effect; a derivative of a wily and stubborn American and a nearly bankrupt Austrian motorcycle manufacturer who now sees offroad success so often it's hard to keep track of sometimes.
It's the little thing and the small details that sometimes make the biggest difference or have the largest impact. Supercross and Motocross is currently a 4 stroke's world; and it started right here. Enjoy the show.
your words are true Ex one thing that I didn't mention is even though Doug Henry won that night Jeff Emig was riding around mid-pack to wrap up the championship if not he may have won that night as his heat race laps were the fastest of the evening
@@BornAGoon If I may, I'd highly suggest you take a look into the history of KTM's LC8 engine platform, how it's evolved, and what KTM at large had to deal with when the global financial crisis hit in 2008. I've looked into the unfortunate history of the RC8/RC8R during its relatively short production lifetime; and it is unfortunate. I'm lucky enough to own one, and it's almost impossible to describe in words just how it makes you feel as a rider.
I second the request. The LC8 in my 1090 AR is a bit mechanically loud, but of many I have experienced, the LC8 is a monster. SC exhaust and Rottweiler intake, just music.
The four strokes can still be cheap if you don’t get attached to your bike, i always buy 3-5 year old used bikes, ride the crap out of them and sell them for the same i bought them for when i feel like it’s about to blow up and buy the next bike
@@quirinm. Guilty as charged. But I love rebuilding all kinds of engines. Rebuilding my 2004 KX250f was a fun way to spend my 2021 winter season and figure out the ins and out of my bike.
Also comes with the added benefit of knowing your bike in and out.
One word brother... Epic!
The voice, the delivery, the historical information, and the old pictures and footage make for really awesome stories. Thank you.
Except it’s selective and for the most part lies.
One of the best motorcycle documentaries we've ever seen! We watched this history unfold as it happened back in the day but you filled in soooo many blanks. This was an outstanding watch A+++
If you guys could please do videos in the similar vein as this for us quad guys I'd be over the moon about it. I love moto as a whole but I feel us quad guys are left out of everything.
Wow, what a great episode this was. Three years ago at 55 years of age, I bought a 2020 KTM 1290 SD GT because I wanted one last kick at the can, and to pop wheelies in the 'hood. Of course, I still ride that bike today and wouldn't trade it for anything.
Thanks for watching it Mike
Penten or penton in my days 50 years ago..
Great video! I was born into motocross 30 years ago since my dad started riding in the mid-70s and we've been heavy in the vintage scene for the last decade so I am very much a 2 stroke guy, but always found the early big bore 4 strokes very interesting. It's funny that KTM and Yamaha are the go-tos for modern 2 strokes when they're the ones that started with 4 strokes.
This is one the best documentaries I have watched in a long time ... Thanks for putting this together. I knew most of the history, but also learned a few more things. You should have added John Dowd into it .. He has some great success on that KTM520 as well on the national level. He holeshot that bike all the time, and ran it top 5 most of the year !!
I saw him on that bike at Washougal. Beauty eh!
@@mec322 He is out local hero here in New England. The most down to earth guy you will ever meet.
Dowd at the Wick! Crowd goes wild as he holds top position well into a full Moto at age 40, against a bunch of teenage/early 20yo guys built like CrossCountry runners with that type of fitness!
How couldn’t he be local legend!
(Should’ve had a “get off my lawn” butt patch!😉)
@@mec322 Agreed, both Dowd and Henry are awesome. Along with our other local pros that have always given the factory teams a run for the money !!
@@1620GarageAndFarm Oh interesting, i didnt know about any of this ill look more into him. im just happening upon this video i dont ride. Noticed your username, i grew up In Plymouth.
KTMs biggest mistake was turning down Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman for Long Way Round. BMW GS market exploded after that series and that could have been KTM.
KTM and BMW are very different manufacturers after very different markets.KTM figured (rightly in my opinion) that Long Way Round would not be taken seriously by the off road fraternity.
Charlie is doing a trip right now on a ktm lol
Bs. I would have bought a 950 and 640.. over the 1200gs and 650 dakar. They bke nit giving them the bikes. They went to KTM first.
They need to give some credit to Rodger DeCoster and Ryan Dungey for getting KTM the Motocross Championships.
yea it wasnt until they came along did people take them seriously
What about Kenny" the cowboy" Bartrum?
I have owned my WR-400F , street licensed for use here in Southern California, and have owned it for almost 20 years now ( bought it used from a guy who bought it from the Founder of Baja Designs) . It has been hands down THE MOST reliable bike I have ever owned & can say without a doubt it has also been my favorite due to fact I can ride it daily ANYWHERE. Not putting down any other manufacturers or fellow enthusiasts. Ride what you love , & love what you ride 👍
yea the old ones with plates are winners These new dual sports are wacky
@@BornAGoon My favorite part about owning my WR Is listening to my riding buddies whine about payments & the fact that their dirt bikes are severely limited on where they can now legally ride . California is NOT a rider friendly state anymore . I’ve lived here my whole life & am Moving in less than a year ( hopefully) to Arizona . 🤞
Reliable until you stall it with a hot motor and need to start it up again
@@BornAGoon I owned a 2000 wr400f and i loved it, it wasn't plated early enough here in Canada and the laws changed so it wasn't an option when I bought it. I now own an FE 501s. I do love this new bike but I miss my 400f and I would have kept it if I could plate it.
@@biggussniffus5537 Yeah my '98 YZF was a PIA in that regard.
I think something important to highlight for those who aren't familiar, four stroke never eclipsed 2 stroke in power output but is allowed to run with double the displacement to help them be competitive with 2 strokes due to environmental concerns. it took that many decades of development to even be able to take advantage of that handicap
czcams.com/video/PSJC29LPj9s/video.html
Excellent! Thanks taking the time to both research and present this subject.
This video is a serious piece of work. Well done.
Thank you for the kind words
I HAD THIS SAME ENGINE IN A HUUSQVARNA IN I988 ,BEFORE YOU EVER HEARD OF HUSABERG ,AND THEY ALSO HAD IT IN 1987 ,AIR COOLED..THIS ENGINE WAS DEVELOPED BY THE SWEDES IN THE EARLY 80S..I RODE IT AT ONER 100MPH WITH MY WIFE ON THE BACK ,MORE THAN ONCE..IM 85 YRS NOW AND I STILL RIDE EVERYDAY ON A HUSKY 150 2T
I get that at 85 you're probably hard of hearing but you don't need to yell via capslock.
That was funny and I am going hard of hearing.
Just starting to get into dirt bikes took me 19 years to realize i absolutely love the dirt and riding on it, this was a great piece of history thank you for sharing
What a lovely storytelling .
What a lovely script ..
What a lovely way to dig out the forgotten history and serve on a 10 course meal on a lovely platter ..
Love your channel .and subscribed too ..
Very soon you will command huge respect from real riders n bike lovers ..
And it's all well deserved..!
Thank you Sameer
What a lovely lady at 6:03
This is the first video of yours I've watched and.....OH MY GAWD!
This was an AMAZING piece of work!
Easily one of the best trips down memory lane I've ever had as well!
So well done...you sir have easily earned a new subscriber. You deserve many more producing this caliber of material.
Keep up the great work! 👍
thank you for the kind words
Kept my adhd ass hooked through whole video so it must be interesting, well scripted and damn good "additional" stuff on the screen like video cuts and pictures 😂 Perfect video
Same here... first video of his that i've seen. Subbed!!!
After recently buying a 2005 525 MXC this was the PERFECT video. Thank you I did not know how legendary this bike was!!!
This is the 2nd doc of yours I watched--and I'm glad i did. Thank you for this and the Maico vid, and I'm sure the rest I will certainly watch. Kudos.
I've ridden Pentons, Can Ams, and ATKs with the wonderful Rotax engines.....was glad to see KTM assume an identity of their own. I don't know about anyone else but the idea that a 4-stroke needs twice the cubic centimeters that the two-strokes got. To me, that still remains a point of contention that has never been resolved.
Excellent writing on this one! “You either swear by them or at them” 😂 nicely done! Back to wrenching on my 150xcw…
Thanks Jeff
Just found your channel. I have to say that I love your content and your narration style is awesome. Look forward to seeing more! Great job!
as a 1290 SAT owner, i swear by them...
literally NOTHING feels like the 1290 in its class. yes, the GS is more comfortable, yes the multi V4 is a bit faster, but nothing is as engaging as the 1290. its somewhat raw, brutal and savage in the way it performs. even when you want to relax, it kinds of honors that "ready to race" phrase, and it wont let you relax. as if its telling you "come on, twist the throttle again, you know you want it"
gotta love them
agree all their bikes are balls out
Seems like this could be the prequel to Kove... love this.
In 3 years I will say " a little known Chinese brand" lol
First off wow the quality of your videos are insane. Very well put together. Crazy I just found your channel.
This is the first video I've watched by you and I really got to say the presentation is fantastic and you give a lot of information and never dull the story.
This may be... no, IT IS the best review I've watched on CZcams. WELL DONE!!! and THANK YOU for sharing your talent with us.
Thank you for watching it Winthrop
The old Husaberg factory is 30min north of where i live, the old Husqvarna factory is one hour south of here.
wow thats cool
That was awesome in so many ways! Thank you for sharing your creativity!
Great bit of content and brought back memories I didn't realize I had. Was a really fun watch.
I have a love for both KTM and Yamaha. In my early years racing motocross I always had a Yamaha. In 1997 I was in Broome-Tioga and watched the crazy YZM 400 going around the track and fell in love. The next year at Broome I watched Henry win the championship there. In 2000 I bought a YZ426F. I raced that bike for 2 years with ok results. (I wasn’t fast lol). After motocross I started doing off road racing. Threw the woods the 426 wouldn’t cut it in the single track sections. It was also so heavy. That’s when I got my first KTM. For that racing I got a 200 exc. It worked real good for the tighter racing and helped at time when you had to lift your bike out of a rut or pick it up halfway up a hill. Having no linkage it got over objects easily. Both companies are great. In my opinion.
Most boring comment ever!
I got so emotionally invested in this video, these bikes are more than just machines they are embodiments of emotion.
Really good video man, loved it!
The KTM 540 was based on the LC4 motor, quite heavy, a pig to start (so could a YZ400), and overheated in warmer climes, the purchase of Husaberg, using its basic lightweight 501 design, dumped the Amal electrics, used the PDS no linkage system and came up with the 520, I loved my 520’s and 525’s 👌🏻😎I clocked my 525 in soft sand at 158KMH it would haul a** !
Husaberg was ahead of its time
i have a 06 525 sx that i originally bought for a timbersled project but ended up reeeeallly liking it and throwing a little $$$ at the valvetrain/cam/ exhaust mostly and its an absolute beast, its the most effortless bike iv ever owned, you could break off the shifter ride the track all day with out a hicup. i live in alaska and its a blast up in the hills on the old logging roads.
@@skwissgaar_skwigelf_kdz3251 A mate has owned a 520 for 20 years, I brought an '06 525exc because of riding the 520. One of the best dirt bike engines ever in my opinion, grunty and loves to rev with e.start more than a decade before the Japanese. Very reliable too, my only complaint was the WP suspension...
Had my 525 supermoto to 115mph down hill, would prob do a little more but didn't wanna push it. Changed gearing now, still does 105 mph on flat but easier to rev out in 6th. Great bikes, had my 450 rfs 9 years, more than 500 engine hours and not a single problem. Only changed the top end for a hi comp piston at 250 hours for peace of mind. Still on same bottom end and people say KTM aren't reliable 😂 the rfs models definitely are and fast as fu**!
Are you sure it wasn't 200?
KTMs vision is pretty nice. Hope they keep it up.
Thanks for watching Alin
Wow! Im So Glad I Found This Channel! So Inspiring, I Can Hear Your Passion in Every Word! Thanks!
Thank you Indigo
In the early 2000s I bought my nephew a KTM 50SX because he liked orange. I remember it ripping his little arms off until he got used to it. He still loves the brand, so I guess the colour strategy worked. I remember the whole 2 vs 4 stroke thing in Motor Cross and MOTO GP and I wasn't for one or the other, I just loved Bikes. However, I could never get over the feeling that it was not fair putting up a 250 2s against a 450 4s. Anyway, what a great historical and entertaining video. Congratulations to Born a Goon!
very good informative video. you can definitely tell you did a ton of research on the subject. but i cant be the only one to miss two strokes!
Awesome video! Thank you.
Just found this channel two days ago, and I love it. Keep ‘em coming.
-some guy in Las Vegas
Awesome! Thank you!
i dont like the fact that people ignore KTM's legacy
me either
I don't like the fact people ignore Husabergs legacy lol
The 540sx seems to be based on the 620 lc4 engine, the 520 on the other hand is probably based on a husaberg engine.Great video as always!
That too wasn't till Dugy and Decoster got there that people took notice
I bought a like new 620 from a friend that could never get it to run from the factory. I put a FCR pumper carb on it and it ran perfect. The only bad thing was it had a vibration frequency that would shake my eyeballs literally. Oh! and the left-hand kicker sucked too. I sold it to get a 2008 EXCR 450. With the proper engine mods and suspension tunes, it turned out to be probably the best overall bike I have ever had, and I had a bunch (still do).
Does not base on the Husaberg. I've got a 400exc. A Friend has a 400 berg. Complete different engine. Husaberg has some Ktm parts in it. oil screen etc.
The 520 top end is a clone of Husaberg technology with improved quality control and some stronger parts , Husaberg was the main influence of this engine design , the bottom end is mostly their own design but again has strong Husaberg influence , this engine proved to be one of the most reliable 4t engines ever made and had tremendous success in MX GP and World Enduro throughout the nineties , winning many titles .
I share this video to my fellow dirt riders..thanks for the video upload..2 Stroke For Life
You had some really memorable moments in this one. Well done.
Stunning production mate.
Thank you
Great storytelling! Thank you
Thank you for watching it
Great video mate when you think you just about know everthing about bikes this guys pulls a sick story out the bag
thank you Grant I appreciate the kind words
well done! that was a superb video!!
I thought for sure you were talking about the Husaberg four stroke. I rode a 501 in about 97 and it was the fastest bike of any kind I had ridden.
Ktm of course got it from husaberg…
@@MTHusaberg and where did Husaberg get it from? A: from a few engineers who left Husquarna
Yup. The Swedes!
So how many more cc does a four stroke to compete with a two stroke? There is a CZcams video pointing out that rule changes got rid two strokes.
Yamaha was able to do soooo many things that the other companies were not allowed to do to their bikes. They were allowed to do this because it was a prototype and did not have to follow the same rules as the rest. If you would have put YZF400 against the factory 500 2 strokes at the time it would have got walked plain and simple. Going 4 stroke was because of tree hugging whiners not because the were a better design. There is no way a modern 250cc 4 stroke will even stay up with an old 250cc 2 stroke. Simply said Yamaha had to take a way larger CC 4 stroke and cheat to get their bike to even be competitive at all in the 250 class. Biggest scam in motocross history!
very true words
There're parallels there with WSB. Ducati fielded larger displacement V-Twins against the 750cc in-line fours. Although producing the same horsepower, they had significant gains in torque, and would go on to dominate WSB in the 90's.
It's got half the power strokes so it's understandable.
One of the better videos i have seen on YT in a while. Well done
thank you for the kind words
This video is entertaining as well as historically significant. You really did a good job on this one, Goon-Man.
When I went to buy a KTM 540 all 3 dealers in North Texas told me the same story, 2K down and come back in 90 days. 😥
Went over to the local Yamaha shop and drove away with a 426 still in the crate 😁
Great stuff. Thanks for documenting it for historical perspective. Shame that there's not a graceful way to fit in that Husaberg was, basically, all the Swedes who didn't want to work for Italians when Husky was bought by Cagiva. So, they went on their own.
This was very well put together! Gave me early 2000s nostalgia vibes
Before you give KTM all that credit, recognize that the basis for that motor goes all the way back to the Husqvarna 510 of the mid 80’s
goddamn dude, i found the channel cause i love motorcycles, but you're legit talented at filmmaking and storytelling. you should seriously consider branching out of just the moto world. this is solid, top tier content. no need to limit yourself to only talking about bikes. either way, keep up the good work. these videos are awesome.
I agree. Could watch this guys stuff all day. Hes very talented indeed.
Fantastic script!
I've owned KTM's before. Never really was a fan of them ,they just never fit me well but i have a huge amount of respect for the brand for keeping 2 strokes alive.Thank you KTM. And I'm extremely grateful for Yamaha hanging onto the Yz 2 strokes . Love my 250x.
if u do hard enduro, there is only one choice, the KTM 300 exc, for motocross or soft enduro is good anything
I ride both and am curious if you would get used to it. The YZ250 (not x) is a lot more forward riding while the KTM is more balanced forward and aft. In tight trails and through rocks the Yamaha is easier to ride but once it is faster or out on the track the KTM is easier. Yamaha has the better front suspension overall while KTM has the better engine/brakes/clutch/weight.
Both of them are awesome and I wouldn't care if I rode either one exclusively. The 300sx is sounding like the best 2t ever though. Can't wait to try one.
@@NONO-hz4vo what's extremely annoying is magazines and YT keep trying to put 250's up against 300's. It always come down to one thing, power. Well duh. It's an unfair comparison. I can't comment on mx bikes because I don't ride tracks ,deep woods only. Again, the KTM never fit me or my style. I bought it new in 13 and as soon as the YZX came out, it was gone . That was 2016. So I had it long enough to get used to it. 90% of the guys I ride with are on 300's. They are continually replacing wheel bearings ,fork seals and having issues with the EFI. Nothing major but enough to take note. The weakest part of my YZ is front wheel bearings. Gotta buy them in six packs!Yamaha needs to cap the front hubs. 1 set for the rear. I ride quite a bit so it's not a low hour bike. I believe MX Action said it best about the YZ 250." Innovation is overrated ".
The way you keep pumping out banger videos is mind-blowing, intro gave me chills !
why thank you Chidi
CZcams algo recommended me this video and i learned a lot, got pretty surprised when my bike showed up, i own the first year of the ktm exc 520, great video !
The electric start……that was the catalyst to widespread popularity IMO…..at least it worked for me, been a fan ever since! Great video…..thanks!!
thanks for watching
Brilliant work here my friend. Absolutely love my 2ND Factory edition! Bikes would be years behind if not for KTM. People can hate all they want, in reality they should be grateful for the technology Ktm has brought to the moto industry!
Thank you Jason
great video, thanks!
Great videos, and informative. I’m more dirt, ADV, and cruisers, but enjoy all your videos. Bravo!
I remember going to a Trans AMA motocross in the early seventies where there were still a couple of factory BSA 4 strokes in 500 class. By that time they were no longer competitive but they sure were fun to cheer on and you could hear them all the way around the track. We would never have would guessed 25 years later a mirror opposite revolution would take place as the KTMs and Yams appeared in the late nineties.
Thanks for watching and commenting
CCM continued with the BSA-based engine up to a 4-valve version from 1979 until 1981 when they finally switched to Rotax (an Austrian engine maker that's part of the Bombardier group) the American company ATK (founded by an Austrian) also used the Rotax engines for 4 stroke off-road bikes that predated both Yamaha and KTM.
I was riding KTM's in the early '90's. One fell in my lap by chance as a 13 year old kid. Parts availability was horrible ( pre-internet days) and nobody knew what the heck a KTM even was.
" It's a what? KTM?...K... Kawasaki make that?"
But they would smoke every Japanese bikes my friends owned. They were fast, worked very well and were bullet proof. As a teenager with little mechanical skills and no adult oversight, all my bikes were horribly neglected. But it didn't matter. They just worked and worked and worked.
I like my Yamaha WR450 and I like my KTM 300....but I LOVE my KTM 520 that's still running on ALL it's original parts aside from sprockets , brake pads and one set of piston rings. Bottom end and piston are still original!
RFS are beasts. No modern bikes have matched their torque or durability yet. Husaberg gave us a real jewel with these engines. Too bad modern day KTM haters won't allow themselves to enjoy a truly superior engine. Everything else I've owned/ridden feels anemic by comparison. The torque is instant, huge and never ending.
It's a full on estart dirt bike with a proper six speed and does power wheelies in every gear on accident...and it won't die. What else can you ask for 😂
I know it was like that in the early 2000's even I had a 2003 450SM it had Fren Tubo brakes couldn't find a lever
Great video! Well done
… thanks for all the effort… very informative as a result of great presentation.
One interesting thing I noticed.... The 540 at @11:48 is very clearly an LC4. It doesn't look all that different than the '95 400RXC that was my first dual sport bike, aside from some stripping down and a fancy suspension. The 520 @16:20 is an RFS bike. Completely different bike, not an evolution of the LC4.
exacly, I also had one (540sxc), it looks like they pushed mildly modifed LC4 bike to AMA to get brand attention before they released husaberg based RFS ?
🏍👏 Kudos to KTM for their dedication to keeping two strokes alive! They truly deserve immense praise for their efforts. While I personally prefer my reliable YZ 125/250's, I am genuinely grateful for what KTM has achieved in the industry. It's fascinating to see how they've made a significant impact and challenged the Japanese manufacturers. This video definitely piques my curiosity about the bike's performance. Keep pushing the boundaries, KTM! 🌟🔥👍
You need more then 1 king, without the other brands to making great bikes otherwise there is no incentive for KTM to make better bikes or keep their price from equaling a Rolls Royce. I ride KTM because my last 2 yamaha literally split in half down the frame. But I need yamaha to keep the fire under KTMs ass to keep making better bikes. However the last several years of yamaha have been so bad I fear another former king has fallen. One of the last pro riders in our area with yamaha has not had one single bike last more then 40 hours without catastrophic failure. his most recent didn't break 5 hours even. He has been through 3 brand new bikes this year alone. Its honestly really sad.
Had a 02 520MXC that I built out as a supermoto with a 570cc with +2mm valves, custom cam, billet rod, balanced crank, 43mm carb and vortex x10 ecu. Absolute monster. Was stolen and lost forever. I miss it more than anything I've ever turned a wrench on.
I have a 520 exc 2000 that im planning to switch to supermoto, when you switched the ECU did you feel a difference in power ?
Another great video. Hoping for a Penton video. Thanks again.
Yama for life
A real historical fact, (not a glorification of economic fascism) when the 2-stroke was born into this sport by free market activity in the late 60's,--the prices of a bike went down, and the sport in the USA grew to over 10 times the size it is today.
When the 1986 production rule was put in place by the FIM (who rules the AMA actually), it tripled the cost of a bike (already with many developments), in 5 years.
The EPA dictatorship intervention depleted the sport to what it is today.
top tier content. you should be proud of what you made
Very compelling video thank you
Best sales pitch ever
maybe lol
Once again, the key I’m taking from this was how good a brand Husaberg was and how much of a shame it was that they were gobbled up.
that too
Yes, but without that acquisition, we wouldn’t have everything that KTM has brought to our sport today
Very cool video man keep up the good work.
Very good video. Thank you.
I'm subscribing.
Thanks for the sub!
That's an American viewpoint! Back in the early 80's Yamaha made a big splash with the IT series and as part of the European promotion hired an enduro team, the French had one and the other operated out from the importer in Holland but was concentrated in the UK. I wanted a KTM ride (I'm a big bore rider) but there were no seats going so took the Yamaha offer to race the 465, nobody else wanted to ride the fat pig anyway. Against the Euro competition it was outclassed so we were allowed to change everything so it was full works Kayabas, a custom frame with a modern linkage, WP suspension and so on. In the end it could run with the works KTM's on Dutch sand tracks but Yamaha abandoned selling the IT's in Europe.
I had another year on my contract so it was " race what you like as long as it's a Yamaha".
In four stroke MX I already ran a 680 Yam but years before raced a custom 500 Triumph and reckoned the big thumpers were too hard to ride, something that revved to death and the torque didn't blast you out of the turns was better. So we brutalised a humble XT 250, made a cylinder to take a 370 Suzuki piston to give a 340 and got a buddy at Cosworth to make a 4-valve head, it was fast and competitive in tight going (I placed nationals on it) so when the season was up the whole bike was crated and sent to Japan where they set to work cutting up superbike engines. Back then it was revoloutionary, KTM, Husquavarna and CCM were chasing the 620cc limit which were all torque and hard to ride, a small 4 stroke you rode like a 125 wasn't in their mindset.
Nowadays I struggle around on a KTM 450 RFS around in super-vets!
Thanks for watching Jim
Brilliant
Americans have no clue what was/is going on in the rest of the world, ignorant rednecks!
Swear by them or swear at them - nicely said!
Thank you
Awesome video 👍
I watched the Maico story first, then hit on this one..
Just before the YZ426 hit the tracks for the first time, and everybody was going crazy over 4 strokes being on the motocross tracks, we witnessed a Honda XR400 winning races on our local track. It was Mindblowing.
An incredibly talented rider and the loud 4 stroke rumble drowned over the 2 strokes.
The change was in the air and we all knew that the 4 strokes were about to burst out of their shells.. what an amazing time to witness, somewheres around the year 2000
Thanks for watching them both
Goon this was amazing!! Thank you for this video 🙏
Thank you for watching it
The 4 stroke revolution was started by husqvarna when they won the world MXGP in 1993 on a TC610 4 stroke by Jacky Martins. Then later in the 90's husaberg and ktm would also win the world championship on 4 strokes.
Meh. American motocross was way ahead of mxgp in those years. The thought of winning on a 4 stroke was looked down upon and a reflection of how poor the competition was instead of the actual bike. Whether that was true or not is a debate.
However, it wasn't until the early 2000's until it was actually feasible.
Great video bro. Keep em coming.
thank you leighroy
My father was stationed in Germany in the early 80's and brought back a KTM 390 air cooled 4 stroke. I loved that bike so much torque. My dad rode wheelies with my mom on the back when she was pregnant with my little sister. She never got on a bike with him again. 80's were great, LOVE YOU DAD R.I.P.
What you should be celebrating is KTM’s continued investment in the 2-Stroke platform!