Being flown across the world, treated like a king and carving trails and tracks at a world KTM media launch is the absolute pinnacle of media testing. However, putting bikes through their paces on Australian soil is a solid real-world Australian test. So when KTM Australia invited us to the Aussie media launch, we jumped at the opportunity to answer the hard questions about KTM’s ‘22 range.
BUSH-BASHING THE EXC RANGE
Which bikes did we ride?
The line-up of amazing bikes we had for the test was the 250 EXC-F, 350 EXC-F, 450 EXC-F and the big daddy of the orange range, the 500 EXC-F. Having an elite line-up of enduro bikes like this to switch between and compare in all different types of terrain was the perfect way to get a really good feel for each bike and to get a take on where I thought each bike shone.
What were the conditions like?
Well, if I can paint a picture for you as far as conditions go, buckle up for a journey. There has been a bit of a running joke of late between mates that if you want it to rain, just invite Urk for a ride. I have never been to this secret location before, so I check out Google maps the night before and see what looks like some epic forestry — the excitement levels were high! The morning of the test, I woke up to rain smashing into my bedroom window so hard that my initial thoughts centred on the fact that I have a 100 per cent success rate as the Rainman lately. Driving to the property, I was waiting for Rosie from KTM to call me and say it’s all over as my windscreen wipers were going full gas. The call never came and as I arrived, the clouds disappeared and the sun came out. As I headed off for my first sighting lap on the mighty 500 EXC-F, I was just waiting for a patch of slick blacksoil or slippery tree root to remove my wheels from under me before I knew what to do. Much to my surprise, the water had soaked in and there was so
