TWOTRIBESGOTCWAR

r86ZAKI

VS.86

DI 80European artisan facesJapanese technician

! Slightly over ten years ago, much to thedisbelief o{ today's motocross enthusiasts, a

companson between an expensive Europeanthoroughbred and a low-cost Japanesemotocrosser was taken very lightly Backthen, anyone who followed motocross knewthere was no way the budget Japaneseracers could hold a candle to the winningEuro machines European bikes had domr-nated motocross since its rnauguration\{hen SuzLiki, Yamaha, and lGwasaki burstinto the motocross market, almost blindly aifirst, their machines were considered a joke

Someone should have warned the EuropeanslTrue to form, the old saying that no matter

how impossilcle a task is, you can overcomeii if you try hard enough, is still true TheJapanese hke io tryl They've copied, analyzed,experimented, and taken techno-chanceswith the motocross market, This goJor-itaggressive attitude to dominatg regardless

of ihe risk, has turned the tables for the Jap-anese. Now the Europears must play catch-upCAN THEY CArcH UP?

KTM, the most advanced Europeanmoiorcycle manufacturel, wants to be in thehmelighi again. KTM's pugnacious attitudehas allowed them to close the gdp on theJapanese

KTM's front and rear discs, removablesubframes, high-quality White Power sus-pension components, and digital-controlledignition curves are tricks most enthusiastswould expect from the Big Four Japanesebike builders. KTM shocked the indusiry bybeing the first to offer production machineswrth some of these tricky componentsThey're seriousGO WITH THE FIOW

lVhat do the Suzukl RM80G and KTM80 have in common? They're both after thesame thing Suzuki's follomng has slowlydeclined over the past few years They gaveup on the 500 market and have decided totry io increase their market share by build-lng their mosi competitive 80 ever.

the main to a 160 (stock is ]62) and rais-ed the pilot io a 60 (stock is 58)

Hindering the KTM's narrow powerbandis a tranny thai will not accept shifts underfull load. Clutch action and feel are goodKTM's carburetor misjudgment (too big)ruins what could be a decent motor. As it is,the KTM is too pipeyDO EUROS KNOW HOW TO MAKEMINIS HANDTE?

KTM's 80 handies well lt's low to theground and easy to throw around Thislriendly balance between straighlline sta-bility and cornering precision fa1ls right inwith KTM's irademark of neutral-handlingmachines.OH NO, THOSE KTM SUSPENDERS!

Hampering the Austrian mini's fine han-dling traits are poorly mated suspensionand spring choices. A too softly sprung

The 1986 RM80c is by far Suzuki's bestMXer ol the year, ,t successlully blendshorsepower and suspension into a wo*-horse chassis, y

L How do you sum up the al!-new KTM80? A modern mixturc ol high-class Euro-pean ingtedients and unguided enthus-iasm cteate an unlinished prcduct.

Like Suzuki, KTM wants to attract a biggershare of ihe market to their brand The minicycle class helped build a strong clientelefor the Japanesg and it can work for KTMKTM: HIT OR MISS

European small-bore bikes have never -

been known for their usable, easy-to-ridepowerplants KTM's 80 is equipped with aiyplcal Euro motor! It has a serious case ofovercarburetion (A 35mm Dellorto carb-that's biql). The compact KTM 80 enginehits hard when it comes on the pipe in theupper mid-range. This strong spurt of powernwer has a chance io materialize as themotor signs off early in the top end To getthe KTM mill to run cleanly MXA dropped

IMhlte Power piggyback shock and wlmpyMarzocchi 35mm forks resuli in senous bottoming The little Marzocchi forks are harsh,antiquated and flimsy Luckily, the WhitePower single shock is a guality unit that onlyneeds respringing and some dampingchangesto provide excellent rear suspension. Itshould come that way from the factoryEUROPEAN ERGONOMICS

Plastic components on the white KTMmini are well made and striklng in appear-ance Down-sized Magura controls feelmuch better than the standard Maguraunits The rear brake pedal has too big of aboot surface, and ii tends to 'grao"' yourfoot. KTM's brake components do a goodjob of hauling the 80 down

No one complained about the layout orrider mobility on the machine It tends to-ward ihe small category and is dwarfed bya KX8O or CR80R,

JUNE 1986 / MOTOCROSS ACTION 73

Suzuki's redefined miniracer makes them a serious 80cc contender.categories w ith above-average performance.

No matter how well a bike handles, a hard-to-control power delivery makes you fight thebike. With usable horsepower and workable suspension, KTM could have shockedeveryone,

SUZUKI'S FIGHTING RMSOGFollowing in the RMI25 and RM250 foot-

steps, the RM80G has received a major re-vamping. A redesigned blue motoq, oval-tubed framg ne\M plastic, and eccentric camsuspension looked good on paper. Was thisenough to bless Suzuki with a competitivemini?MID.RANGE AND PUIT

Suzuki's 'BO RMSO motor hits early in themid-range and pulls through a wide middle-ofthe-road punch. It's fast, easy to use, andvery ridable. This is a huge improvementover previous RMBO high-rewer motors.Shifting and clutch action are above aver-

age. It is easily the most rideable RMBOmotor since the RM's inception ten years

ago.

It works! Linkage ratios, damping choices,and spring rates hit the ball into the pocket.Suzuki's eccentric cam ls a sim ple rising-rate solution.

It covers all rating

nDIvs.KTtlI

No more blue Mondays! Suzuki's well-designed 80cc powerplant gfves them thebroad power they've tried to achieve loryears. It's good.

KTM's compact mill misses the mark withits poor power delivery. When frantic miniriders say it's too pipey, you know it's hardto ride!

STEER THE RM AROUNDA "toward the front" position makes the

RMBO a front-end turner. You have to "steer"the bike around the corners. \Mhen underpovver in grooved corners, the Suzuki BO'sfront end tended to creep out of the line.Straight-line stability is adequate.HOW GOOD IS THE RM ECCENTRICCAM?

The t9B6 Suzuki RM's suspenders are ex-cellent. Wellthought-out damping andspring rates on the 33mm Kayaba forks anda first-rate rear suspension keep Suzuki'sreputation alive. Suzuki might have the bestmini suspenders of the year.

IAPANESE ERGONOMICSHigh bars and a tall seating position suit

most mini riders just fine. Control action andplacement are first-rate. Our jetting was atad rich off the bottom. Front disc feel andstrength fade early in the game. Rear brakeaction is good.

JUNE 1986 / MOTOCROSS ACTTON 75

SUZUK] RMBOG HEAD TO FIEAD AGAINST THE KTM BO

HOW DO THEY COMPARE?

'.liffii.i .lliB :",:i+;si:.ru d :: Uru':::iA,l+ifi#..ffi.,l'i,,,,tffiIfffififfi..,.,$fi8$ffi,,;,afid;i;ir.rdde...ft.'.UUt.;.,

....ffig,...i'..:...,,...:..l.,

1986 SUZUKI RMsOG

1986 KTM80

80 MOTOCROSS ACTTON / JUNE 1986