Australasian Dirt Bike – May 2019

(Ron) #1

JMX TEST I 2019 KTM 85SX


This chamber is located in the left
fork leg and can be adjusted to suit the
rider’s weight and riding style.
Adjusting the air pressure is just the
same as changing the spring rate in a
spring-cartridge fork.
The shock is a gas-charged WP unit
with adjustable compression and
rebound damping as well as
adjustable spring preload, meaning
you can adjust the preload to suit
different riders. KTM recommends a
rider sag of 120mm on the shock,
which does not have a linkage.
The brakes are made by Formula
and are radially mounted with four
opposing pistons on the front and two
on the rear. The air filter is accessible
via a panel that pops out of the left
hand side of the airbox and is
removable without tools.

ARE THEY RELIABLE?
Once upon a time the rumor was that
anything built in Europe was not
reliable and would end up costing you
more money than something made in
Japan. However, all these years later I
have no problem in saying that the
manufacturing process and the parts
quality of the KTMs is just as high as
any other brand.
Now, in saying that, I’m sure you’ve
all heard of someone at the track
blowing a KTM engine to smithereens.
Just like any other high-powered,
two-stroke racer, sometimes things go
wrong and the fact that there is quite
easily double to triple the number of
orange bikes on the grid as there are
any other brand it is no wonder you
hear some horror stories.
I’ve heard some and seen evidence
relating to all brands but usually, with
a little questioning, you can get to the
bottom of these disasters and they
tend to come from pistons with 40-50
hours plus on them. What I’m getting
at here is if you keep your service
intervals regular and replace the
piston and ring as recommended by
the manufacturer then these bikes are
just as reliable as any other brand.
KTM is using good components and
manufacturing products designed
purposely for racing. They are a
high-end race bike that needs much
more maintenance than a farm hack
but, if treated like a race bike and

Riley takes advantage of the power-valve engine’s characteristics to avoid a bog hole

82 | MAY 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au


KTM 85SX
SPEX
ENGINE
TYPE Piston-port, reed-valve
DISPLACEMENT 84.9cc
BORE & STROKE 47 x 48.95mm
COOLING Liquid
COMPRESSION RATIO N /A
FUEL METERING Keihin PWK carburettor
TANK CAPACITY 5.2L
TRANSMISSION Six-speed, constant-mesh
CLUTCH Hydraulic, wet multiplate
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE 1290mm
SEAT HEIGHT 890mm
GROUND CLEARANCE 362mm
WEIGHT 68kg without fuel
SUSPENSION
FRONT WP AER 43mm USD, 278mm travel
REAR WP Xplor non-linkage, 305mm travel
BRAKES
FRONT Formula four-piston, 240mm wave
REAR Formula twin-piston, 210mm wave
RUNNING GEAR
HANDLEBAR Tapered alloy
FRONT TYRE Maxxis 70/100-19
REAR TYRE Maxxis 90/100-16
PRICE & CONTACTS
PRICE $8195
WEB ktm.com.au
PHONE 1800 644 771
WARRANTY Three months parts only
Free download pdf