Difference between revisions of "KTM 525 EXC 2WD Prototype"
(initial) |
(template fixes) |
||
(One intermediate revision by the same user not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{ | {{Motorcycle | ||
|name = | |name = KTM 525 EXC 2WD Prototype | ||
| | |photo=KTM-2WD.jpg | ||
|aka = | |aka = | ||
|manufacturer = KTM | |manufacturer = KTM |
Latest revision as of 22:15, 23 November 2019
KTM 525 EXC 2WD Prototype | |
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
Weight | |
Manuals | Service Manual |
Photos[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
KTM 2WD
First tests with a KTM allwheel bike
Kurt Nicoll, KTM Motorsport:
What is your experience with 2-wheel drive? What are the differences? When you ride with the 2-wheel drive system, you notice that its so much better when accelerating out of corners. With two driven wheels its more difficult to take the inner line around a curve. Therefore you usually take the outer line, as when both wheels are powered, the bike tends to want to straighten itself. You also feel the improved acceleration in the upper body, arms and shoulders. When you are riding very slowly, for example at the Erzberg, where its seriously up and down over rough ground, the rear wheel often breaks traction and spins but not with the 2-wheel drive, which keeps on pulling with the front wheel. This way you can accelerate in situations where others are already bogged down. Those are what I think the major differences are. Do you think its only something for competition riders or can your average rider also benefit from it? I think that the system has advantages particularly for the hobby rider. The advantages for competition riders will be less, as they mostly have a very good feel for traction moreover theyre already used to steering the bike with a slipping rear wheel. But if someone has problems with steep climbs or often gets bogged down, then I think 2-wheel drive will yield great rewards.
Does it only have advantages when off-road, in sand or mud, or also on hard surfaces when its wet? It can safely be said that 2-wheel drive helps more on a wet surface than a dry one. When its dry, the rear wheel hardly ever spins, but when its wet it does so continuously. With 2-wheel drive one simply twists the throttle and the bike accelerates because the power is distributed to both wheels. When its wet, and it doesnt matter whether its wet sand or asphalt, 2-wheel drive makes riding much easier. Is it a similar leap forward to that of the Quattro 20 years ago? Yes, its very similar. At the moment were just at the beginning of its development. The problem that were working on is perhaps the same one that 4WD cars had 20 years ago: the system is heavy! We must get the weight down (currently approx. 6 kg). When weve managed to do that, so that it only adds a couple of additional kilos, then it has the potential to trigger a similar revolution to that of the Quattro. What about riding technique? Doesnt one have to totally alter it? It is necessary to alter your riding style a little. You must get used to the fact that the front wheel is also always driving, that you should always take a wider curve radius, and that youll be amazed when the front wheel pulls you out of a rocky section. You have to get a little used to the feeling, and this doesnt come straight away, especially when youve been riding a conventionally driven motorcycle for the last 25 years. Project leader, Wolfgang Felber: What were testing at the moment is a mechanical hydraulic system with a pre-set torque distribution between the front and rear wheel. This system is already fairly well developed, but can definitely be improved upon. In the current phase KTM just wants to be one of the first companies on the ball and, using prototypes, to test the suitability of 2-wheel drive under various different conditions. Only after that can the decision be made to produce a limited batch. At the moment the advantages and disadvantages of 2-wheel drive compared to a conventionally driven off-road motorcycle pretty much balance each other out. But anyway, no huge adjustment is necessary on the riders side.
Source KTM
2WD KTM Revealed
6/17/2004
By Lucas Burt
KTM has taken a cue from Yamaha by building its
first two-wheel drive Motorcycle, using the 525 EXC as the platform. Yamaha
first developed their two-wheel drive prototype in 1998 and by 2001, Jean-Claude
Olivier entered a WR426F 2-Trac into the Shamrock Rally, finishing fifth.
Most recently, however, David Fretigne' shocked the world with his impressive performance on the Two-Trac WR450F at the 2004 Dakar Rally. The French rider won three stages of the race along the way to an impressive seventh place overall finish against the bigger KTM machines. Obviously, KTM was impressed with the effort because they wasted little time incorporating the two-wheel drive system into their line up.
The theory behind the two-wheel drive system is that it gives the bike better traction on sandy and muddy surfaces. Having power supplied to both wheels makes the bike easier to ride and more controllable during slides as well. The big concern was the units durability but the results Fretigne' managed in the Dakar proved that's not worth worrying about any longer.
Öhlins, the same company that developed the system for Yamaha, also worked with KTM in designing its two-wheel drive unit for the 525 EXC.