2007 KTM 450 EXC
In the past, the vast majority of dual purpose bikes were made mainly to be used on paved streets. The manufacturers started with street legal models and tried to adapt them to be useful on dirt trails. Surveys showed that a lot of people used their dual purpose bikes mainly on streets, so they figured this was the logical way to go. However, this just didn't work for those who really wanted to spend some time riding these bikes as dirt bikes. This led to people taking regular dirt bikes and trying to convert them to make them more street legal (but usually not quite perfectly legal) by adding such things as mirrors, lights, and horns. Usually this was enough to get a person a license plate. The 2007 KTM 450 EXC is a dual purpose dirt bike that gets it right.
Since people were already using these dirt bikes on the road after making small modifications, and they were holding up well, they finally decided to start with the dirt bike and modify it to make a version that would be street legal all over, without having to make after market modifications. Most people will agree that in the review of the 2007 KTM 450 EXC that they did a pretty good job. They added EPA-friendly emissions controls, street-legal lighting, and DOT-approved turn signals, mirrors, and horns, and outfitted them with DOT-approved knobbies for tires.
Some of 2007 KTM EXC reviews will mention a few problems with the design. For example, the mirror can get in the way when you stand up unless you tilt it so that it really wouldn't be that useful if you were driving on the road. Also, the left rear turn signal gets in the way as you get on and off the bike, meaning that it gets knocked off and broken pretty easily. These were the main things that were noticed about the street gear that had been added to the dirt bike.
However, the bike does still ride well over all sorts of terrain, and 2007 KTM EXC as been tested in dirt, mud, and leaves, even on trails with tight turns, as well as on the road and the bike did well without any major problems. The bike seemed to handle everything well.
Those used to riding racers will realize that the suspension is a bit softer on these dual bikes, and they are a bit heavier and not quite as powerful as a purely dirt bike would be. However, they can be treated pretty much the same as a dirt bike when you are on the trail. If the softness in the suspension bothers you, this can be fixed without a lot of trouble.
Because of the emissions control changes that were made, there is sometimes a bit of reluctance for these bikes to start in the cold if you don't use the choke, but once they are warmed up there aren't any problems due to this added equipment. They still ran well at low rpm and when decelerating.
Another concession to make the bike more street legal is the 15/45 gearing, which might take some getting used to. This makes the bike a bit quieter at any given speed. However, it should still allow the bike to perform well in most conditions. Trails like those ridden with trials bikes might be a bit difficult, but otherwise first gear should work fine on most trails, and sixth gear is more than enough for highway speeds.
KTM did their best to create a bike that would satisfy both the requirements of riding the bike on the road and on dirt trails in order to satisfy the needs and wants of their customers, and came up with a pretty good dual purpose bike in the end. Those who wish to spend pretty much all of their time riding their bikes in the dirt should probably stick with a dedicated dirt bike, but for those that spend a bit of time on the highway as well, or going between trails on the road, a 2007 KTM 450 EXC review will show that this is one of the better options that are available.
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