Hi,
Team FTB asked me for pros and cons of the fe570 compared with my 530exc-r so i thought i would post it here.
It really is early days at the mo as i would like to get a full on 4 hour enduro race under my belt with some lap times to compare, but here goes.
The first thing was total disbelief that a bike could be this well suspended straight out of the crate, but this berg has better suspension, as it is now, than my 530 has after 18 months of changing springs and trying to dial in all the clickers. No flappy front or snaking rear. Apart from sags and preload , i am inclined to leave the clickers alone until i use a track or race.
The 530 had good lugability, traction and a mellow friendly powerband. Well the berg 570 is much the same and the gear ratios are the same, it has that extra 60cc of power which will stretch your arms if you wind the throttle on thro the gears. The biggest difference is the responsiveness of the berg power when coupled with the EFI, it responds instantly and is very smooth.
This brings me to firing up the bikes and the 530 ktm was a pig to get going. I did have the dealer change a shim in the starting gear which helped but if you pushed the choke in too soon , it would cut out, and then you had to use a combination of kickstart and button to fire it up. Once started it would be fine all day, but this is a chore you dont have to worry about with the FI on the 570, it fires up with one or two pushes on the button, every time ,without fail.
As with all four strokes 450cc and above, they are ok at speed , but when the pace slows through snotty tight stuff or even in a straight line, the inertia/rotational mass comes into play and this makes them a bit harder to handle than the smaller bore 4st and 2st to the point where the bike may try and take you for a ride instead of vice versa.
So, does the new engine configuration help with this? Yes, definitely.
Its not a miracle cure for big bore bikes, but it does make it far more manageable than the ktm530 in this respect and i think , easier than the ktm450, which, considering a difference of 120cc is pretty remarkable.
The other thing the big berg does very well and far better than the 530 is changing direction or changing lines at speed. Again , this must be down to the engine configuration, a lighter front end and maybe the fact that the piston is travelling in the same direction as the bike, i dont know, but the difference is very noticeable.
The ergos seating/standing positions are very good on the ktm530, but they are also spot on with the fe570 and you have the extra ground clearance for rocks.
I do get the slight feeling that the back end on the berg could let go and is not so predictable as the 530 or it could be that dialling in that extra power to the back wheel just needs a bit more care with 570cc.
Trying to lift the back end of the berg out of mud or a rut is far harder than the 530, even harder than a xr650 and the grab handles are useless, so the answer is dont get stuck!
Servicing on the fe570, i.e. oil change, filters, seat removal etc is easier than the 530, although you do need to remove the whole shock to alter preload.
Fuel consumption/tank range on the berg is not as good, plus i miss having reserve. This could be an issue when racing.
Really, i'm nitpicking now.
For me , its a no brainer. Go buy a Berg
Cheers,
Nick
Team FTB asked me for pros and cons of the fe570 compared with my 530exc-r so i thought i would post it here.
It really is early days at the mo as i would like to get a full on 4 hour enduro race under my belt with some lap times to compare, but here goes.
The first thing was total disbelief that a bike could be this well suspended straight out of the crate, but this berg has better suspension, as it is now, than my 530 has after 18 months of changing springs and trying to dial in all the clickers. No flappy front or snaking rear. Apart from sags and preload , i am inclined to leave the clickers alone until i use a track or race.
The 530 had good lugability, traction and a mellow friendly powerband. Well the berg 570 is much the same and the gear ratios are the same, it has that extra 60cc of power which will stretch your arms if you wind the throttle on thro the gears. The biggest difference is the responsiveness of the berg power when coupled with the EFI, it responds instantly and is very smooth.
This brings me to firing up the bikes and the 530 ktm was a pig to get going. I did have the dealer change a shim in the starting gear which helped but if you pushed the choke in too soon , it would cut out, and then you had to use a combination of kickstart and button to fire it up. Once started it would be fine all day, but this is a chore you dont have to worry about with the FI on the 570, it fires up with one or two pushes on the button, every time ,without fail.
As with all four strokes 450cc and above, they are ok at speed , but when the pace slows through snotty tight stuff or even in a straight line, the inertia/rotational mass comes into play and this makes them a bit harder to handle than the smaller bore 4st and 2st to the point where the bike may try and take you for a ride instead of vice versa.
So, does the new engine configuration help with this? Yes, definitely.
Its not a miracle cure for big bore bikes, but it does make it far more manageable than the ktm530 in this respect and i think , easier than the ktm450, which, considering a difference of 120cc is pretty remarkable.
The other thing the big berg does very well and far better than the 530 is changing direction or changing lines at speed. Again , this must be down to the engine configuration, a lighter front end and maybe the fact that the piston is travelling in the same direction as the bike, i dont know, but the difference is very noticeable.
The ergos seating/standing positions are very good on the ktm530, but they are also spot on with the fe570 and you have the extra ground clearance for rocks.
I do get the slight feeling that the back end on the berg could let go and is not so predictable as the 530 or it could be that dialling in that extra power to the back wheel just needs a bit more care with 570cc.
Trying to lift the back end of the berg out of mud or a rut is far harder than the 530, even harder than a xr650 and the grab handles are useless, so the answer is dont get stuck!
Servicing on the fe570, i.e. oil change, filters, seat removal etc is easier than the 530, although you do need to remove the whole shock to alter preload.
Fuel consumption/tank range on the berg is not as good, plus i miss having reserve. This could be an issue when racing.
Really, i'm nitpicking now.
For me , its a no brainer. Go buy a Berg
Cheers,
Nick
