MotoFactory Опубликовано 4 октября, 2025 Опубликовано 4 октября, 2025 With the prospect of an 11-bike 450 motocross shootout next month, we’ve been spending a fair amount of time wrestling with the obvious question: How the heck are we going to do that? So, we’ve been looking at mega shootouts from past years. The one that really stands out was the 12-bike shootout from 2022. But there have been others. In the June, 2000 print issue of Dirt Bike, we had a nine-bike off-road shootout. In truth, it was a seven-bike 400 four-stroke shootout with two versions of the Suzuki DR-Z400 (kickstart and E-start). Then we had the ultimate showdown between the best four-stroke and the best two-stroke, which was the KTM 250EXC. Here’s how we rated them. 2000 Honda XR400R HONDA XR400R TECH Air-cooled, single overhead cam Oil carried in frame Five-speed gearbox No-tool side-access air filter Nearly unchanged since 1996 Price: $5299 Weight w/o fuel: 265 lb. XR STRONG POINTS Excellent low-rpm power delivery Easy to ride Excellent brakes, clutch XR WEAK POINTS Old-fashion ergonomics Dated motor Poor top-end power Kickstarter flops in and out Steel rear brake pedal 2000 Husaberg FE400 HUSABERG TECH Simple, SOHC liquid-cooled engine Uses crank pressure as oil pump Hydraulic clutch No linkage Only one air filter element for 2000 Load-sensitive ignition Price: $7068 Weight w/o fuel: 240 lb. ‘BERG STRONG POINTS Super light weight Great torque Revs so high only dogs can hear it Competitive racer at any level ‘BERG WEAK POINTS Weird clutch feel Hard-turn throttle Wide fuel tank Requires aggressive riding 2000 Husqvarna TE410 HUSQVARNA TE410 TECH New bodywork & ergos New steering geometry Single-sided pipe Side-access air filter Price: $6199 Weight w/o fuel: 260 lb. HUSKY STRONG POINTS Smooth tractable power Strong brakes Spread out, comfortable rider position Tractable, smooth power HUSKY WEAK POINTS Sleepy throttle response Kind of slow Creaky clutch cable Hard-turn throttle Too much vibration 2000 KTM 400EXC KTM 400EXC TECH Liquid-cooled, SOHC motor Same carb as a 1999 YZ400 Japanese ignition Electric starter AND kickstarter Price: $6995 Weight w/o fuel 257 lb. KTM STRONG POINTS Unbelievably light for an E-start bike Feels light, too Versatile suspension Great throttle response Roomy layout Hydraulic clutch works flawlessly KTM WEAK POINTS Mushy front brake Slight headshake at speed Rejetting necessary for mild elevation increases 2000 Suzuki DRZ400 SUZUKI DRZ400 TECH Available in electric or kick start A kickstarter can be installed on the E version Liquid-cooled, DOHC engine very YZ-like Side-access airbox Electric start version: $5349 Kick start version: $5249 Weight w/o fuel: kick version: 268 lb. Weight w/o fuel: E-version: 277 lb. DRZ STRONG POINTS Great low-end power Great top-end power Slim Super-quiet muffler you don’t have to chuck DRZ WEAK POINTS Tall seat height Rearward-sloping seat Cramped riding position Mushy suspension Battery can be drained by leaving key on. 2000 Yamaha WR400F YAMAHA WR400 TECH DOHC liquid-cooled five-valve Electric sensors & gadgets everywhere New steering geometry Price: $5899 Weight w/o fuel: 265 lb. WR STRONG POINTS Excellent top-end power Great suspension Super-stable at speed WR WEAK POINTS Sleepy low-end power Seat position too far back Goofy throttle stop is standard Stock pipe is too loud or too quiet 2000 VOR 400E VOR 400 TECH Gear-driven SOHC Backwards kickstarter Bolt-together frame Crank pressure works as oil pump Magnesium cases Price: $7500 Weight w/o fuel: 258 lb. VOR STRONG POINTS Super smooth power delivery Beautiful workmanship Easy to start Surprisingly agile Flawless hydraulic clutch VOR WEAK POINTS Big feel Harsh suspension Slightly unstable at speed RATINGS OVERALL SUSPENSION, HIGH SPEED PEAK POWER Yamaha Husaberg Suzuki KTM VOR Husky Honda LOW-END POWER Honda Suzuki KTM Husaberg VOR Yamaha Husky The Honda and Suzuki are super close on the bottom. The Yamaha could be boosted to the top if it had YZ cam timing. SUSPENSION, SLOW SPEED KTM Yamaha Husaberg Honda Suzuki Husky VOR Both the KTM and the Yamaha are a notch above the others. The Suzuki and Honda are good in the slow stuff, but don’t try to upshift. SUSPENSION, HIGH-SPEED Yamaha KTM Husaberg Honda VOR Husqvarna Suzuki The Yamaha clearly has a western heritage. The Suzuki is truly bad in high-speed whoops. TURNS Honda KTM Suzuki Husaberg VOR Yamaha Husky There are all kinds of turns. This is a rating for super tight stuff. As the speeds increase, the Suzuki and the Honda drop in the standings while the VOR, the Husky and the Yamaha go up. STABILITY Husky Yamaha KTM Husaberg Honda Suzuki VOR Actually, only the Husky and the Yamaha are truly stable at speed. The other five are just different shades of twitchy. DETAILS VOR KTM Yamaha Husqvarna Suzuki Husaberg Honda The VOR is a virtual museum piece, with amazing attention to detail. Honda should be embarrassed by the floppy kickstarter, bendable brake levers and ill-fitting air filters that their riders have to put up with. CONCLUSION It might be a question without an answer. Every time a hot new four-stroke hits us between the eyes, the Question comes up again. If it’s so good, is it better than a top two-stroke? The answer usually is the same: It depends. Now The Question is even more confounding than ever. We just finished a comparison of the hottest 400cc four-stroke enduro bikes ever, with the new KTM 400EXC coming out on top. And last month we declared that the KTM 250EXC was the best 250cc two-stroke enduro bike. So there was no question in our minds that a KTM is the ultimate off-road bike. We just had no idea which one. 2000 KTM 250EXC 250EXC vs. 400EXC 38 horsepower vs. 39.5 235 pounds vs. 257 Five-speed vs. six 78 mph top speed vs. 91 Kick vs. electric start $5898 vs. $6698 The two best off-road bikes of 2000 were the KTM 400EXC and the KTM 250EXC. BOTTOM LINE: We love the 400, and given a choice we’ll ride it for fun. But the 250 still is a more efficient tool for conquering the worst trails. It’s a no-frills, race-oriented machine. So it’s a question of whether you ride for pure fun, or you ride to go faster than the next guy. Frankly, we believe you need to have both. The post MEGA SHOOTOUTS OF THE PAST: 2000 400cc FOUR-STROKES–THE WRAP appeared first on Dirt Bike Magazine. Просмотреть полный текст статьи Цитата
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