The Racer X Canada KTM 450 SXF test bike is starting to get some serious time on it, especially after the infamous mud race in Morden last weekend.

photo: Allison Kennedy

By Danny Brault

The Product: Elka Suspension

Online: www.elkasuspension.com

Contact: 1-800-557-0552

Test Rider: Danny Brault

Locations: Gopher Dunes, Auburn Hills, Ste-Julie, Morden, Area 51

Duration: Two months

Who uses it: Marco Dubé, Guy Giroux, Marc-Antoine Genereux


First impression:

Looking at my `07 KTM 450 SXF with the Elka Suspension mods, I really couldn’t see any difference, visually. Other than stickers on the fork tubes and shock tank, everything appeared normal. (I was secretly hoping they would dip the fork tubes for that ‘factory’ look but ... they didn't.) However, as everyone knows, you need to actually ride/ race the bike to notice any changes.

I spent two months riding a `06 KTM 250 SXF last season, so coupled with the time spent on my `07 450 SXF, I feel like I’ve developed a good feel for KTM suspension. With a solid month of riding several types of tracks and soil conditions, I contacted Lee Tinkler at Elka and let him know how my 450 SXF was working and where it could be improved. Since I’m only 145 lbs, my biggest complaint—which I have with all 450s—is that bike felt too stiff. He remedied that easily by installing softer fork springs. Through testing with Marco Dubé and other riders, Tinkler suggested I leave the rear shock spring, but revalve it for a more progressive feel. This means that the shock would be softer in the top of the stroke for the shorter bumps and stiffer on the bottom of the stroke for hard landings. He also revalved the forks, too, to suit my smaller stature.

 

After hours spent on the Gopher Dunes track each week, we found the perfect settings for the "toughest track in Canada."

photo: James Lissimore

Track Tested:

My first ride with the Elka-tuned suspension came at Gopher Dunes. Right away, the 450 SXF felt more harmonic, like the front and rear were working together. We set the sag at 116 mm (Lee said to stay between 112 and 116, depending on track conditions) and I rode for 20 minutes before adjusting the clickers.

At The Dunes, it’s tough to keep a rider happy in every section of the track, since in some spots, you’ll find shorter, steeper braking chop; down the straights you ride over longer, rolling whoops; and everywhere else, it’s just plain rough. I found the bike wanted to kick straight up under braking, but it worked well over the rolling whoops, so we sped up the rebound to 18 clicks out (there are a total of 35 rebound and compression clickers) on the front and back. We also put a gasket around the forks and found that I wasn’t using the full stroke, so we backed out the compression by 22 clicks; we did the same with the shock.

With these settings, the 450 began to track nicely through the braking bumps, remained straight through the rough corners and floated above the rolling whoop section, an area where I didn’t feel confident earlier in the day. Along with a more comfortable ride, I felt like I could ride harder, longer, and my arm pump seemed to fade away, a problem I always seem to suffer on the bigger bikes.

In fact, I didn’t even suffer any crazy pump during the second MX1 moto at the Gopher Dunes national. I wasn’t running lap times even close to JSR, Carpenter or the 15th place finisher, but that track became rougher than Ryan Lockhart’s stubble after his German SX trip. Sitting on the starting line, I thought, for sure, my forearms wouldn’t last the full 35-minutes. But they did.

When I rode the 250 SXF last spring, I found it worked well in the sand too, but it wasn’t quite as impressive in harder packed tracks with sharper, shorter braking and exit chop. So I checked in with Tinkler before and during the next few weeks while I was racing and riding at tracks such as Area 51 in Batavia, New York, Auburn Hills and Ste-Julie, to find the right setup.

The only changes we made were slight clicker adjustments, mainly slowing down the rebound at Ste-Julie. Since then, everything has worked awesome; the bike feels plush, it absorbs hard landings easily and my ungodly arm pump has been eradicated.

 

While the KTM 450 SXF comes basically ready to race, with all of the goodies, it--like all bikes--doesn't come suspended for every individual's weight, height and ability. But the boys at Elka hooked me up and tapered the 450 SXF to suit my needs.

photo: Allison Kennedy

The Verdict:

I will be honest: I never felt the need for suspension mods. I believed that a bike comes ready-to-go stock. I was wrong, sort of. Considering my weight and height, every 250F I ever owned was sprung for my size, so I could get away with the stock springs. But when I jump onto 450s, I’ve always found the bikes too stiff and harsh; when the tracks got rougher, I would get drastically slower (which is usually the case on smooth tracks too).

Thanks to the Elka mods, and Tinkler’s help, I’ve never felt more comfortable on a 450. I’m no longer searching for the smoothest line on the track when I see the halfway board; the rear wheel wants to stick to the ground and I’m not suffering arm pump on the second lap. If you're interested in making your bike work better, there's not better way to spend your money than on suspension.

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