We review the new range of KTM Enduro bikes from price to economy and all their features

AS winter comes and our precious road bikes go into storage, KTM are getting ready to present their brand new range of 2017 Enduro bikes.

So we set off to Wales to test out exactly what the brand has been cooking up.

This involved an off-road day with former British champion Ady Smith (pictured above) at the official KTM Enduro school, which is designed for riders at all levels.

Being class leaders in off-roading, KTM aren’t the kind to skip corners and these new bikes show it.

The entire 2017 range has been redesigned from the ground up

The entire 2017 range has been redesigned from the ground up with more than 90 per cent of the bikes being new.

New chassis, all-new engines and tweaked riding positions make these bikes faster, lighter (by up to 5kg) and give them better handling.

Ripping around the Welsh countryside we were surprised by how easy these bikes were to ride.

The four-stroke 450 EXC was comfortable and pulled easily through the shale, but it was the two-stroke 300 EXC that really proved its mettle.

it was the two-stroke 300 EXC that really proved its mettle

The torque got us through rough patches with ease, all without tearing off our arms. It’s a solid achievement that KTM is still pushing forward with two-strokes despite regulations making it harder to do so.

KTM has achieved a great balance with these bikes that work just as well for amateur riders while still having everything there for the pros, who zipped past us even when we were cracking on.

For 2017 the KTM Enduro line-up now includes the 125 XC-W and 150 XC-W (replacing the 125 and 200 EXC), which are closed course racers. The two-stroke bikes return with the 250 EXC and 300 EXC and the four-stroke range continues with the 250 EXC-F, 350 EXC-F models, along with the bigger 450 EXC-F and 500 EXC-F.

To watch how the lads got on at the KTM Enduro school, head to bikeworld.co.uk or search “bike world” on YouTube.