84 www.motocrossactionmag.com
Most MXA test riders believe this is the dyno chart that is most applicable on the track. It registers the rpm when the bike first cracks the 50-horsepower barrier and the rpm when it drops back below the 50-horse mark. The number of rpm it stays in that sweet spot is the breadth of the bike’s power. You don’t need a Harvard degree to see that the KTM gets above 50 horse- power and stays there the longest (7400 to 11,300 rpm). The dyno and the test riders agree on this. Second is the Yamaha YZ450F (7800 to 11,200 rpm), which has about 500 rpm less in breadth than the KTM. Test riders didn’t feel that this was evident on the track. The KX450F topped 50 hors- es at 7700 rpm and stayed there until 10,400, while the RM-Z450 did the deed from 7600 rpm to 9900. Since the 2013 Honda CRF450 struggled to get above 50 horses to begin with, it had the smallest band at 900 rpm (8100 rpm to 9000 rpm).
MX
A’S
2
0
1
3
4
5
0-
HORS
E
POWER
A
N
ALYS
I S WHICH BIKE STAYS ABOVE 50
HORSEPOWER THE LONGEST?
900 900
3900 3900
2700 2700
2300 2300
3400 3400
CRF450 450SXF KX450F RM-Z450 YZ450F H O R
SEPOWE
R
WHICH BIKE MAKES THE
MOST PEAK TORQUE?
33. 96 33. 96
36.01 36.01
34. 64 34. 64 34. 99 34. 99
33. 88 33. 88
CRF450 450SXF KX450F RM-Z450 YZ450F H O
RSE
POWER
There are six categories. The KTM won five of the six. The Honda CRF450 won the low-end horsepower category, but that was its only high- light. The Yamaha YZ450F got second in three categories (top end, peak and over- 50). The RM-Z450 earned second-place spots in low-end and mid-range power, while the KX450F was a solid third in five out of six categories (slipping to fourth in low-end power). ;
When compared to the 2013 KTM 450SXF’s amazing 36.01 foot-pounds of torque, the other four bikes range from 1 to 2 foot-pounds less.
2013 MXA 450-HORSEPOWER & TORQUE CHART
(AT 6000, 8000, 10,000, PEAK & ABOVE HP)
low hp 37. 54 36. 73 35. 81 37. 52 35. 76
mid hp 49. 92 53. 90 52.07 52. 43 51. 48
top hp 49. 54 53. 90 52. 67 49. 84 53. 43
peak hp 51. 55 56. 95 55.05 54. 10 55. 24
50 + hp 900 3900 2700 2300 3400
torque 33. 96 36.01 34. 64 34. 99 33. 88
CRF450 450SXF KX450F RM-Z450 YZ450F
Statistics don’t tell
the whole story, but
the stat narrative
favors the KTM
450SXF.
(As measured in
rpm range)
(Measured at the highest
peak number)
