I remember back in those days, Cycle Guide always had weird dyno numbers. They were always lower than the other magazines. In those days I only trusted the dyno tests done on the Webco dyno. Even the Webco dynos seem to give much lower figure than the modern dynos do, however. Need to test each bike on the same kind of dyno under the same approximate conditions, to get an accurate gauge of how they stack up against each other. As I said, in those days, I only trusted the Webco figures. Whatever Cycle Guide used, I don't know, but I ignored their figures and just read the tests. On the Webco dynos, the '84 & '85 Honda CR500s for instance, put out just a hair under 50 hp. These new dynos have the KTM 250 putting out that much. Get real, those old CR 500s would run off and leave a KTM 250 in any drag race, or super steep, sandy, hill climb which would bog a 250, and they would do it easily. They would do the same with any modern 450 4stroke as well. If you're gonna use dyno figures, need to make sure each machine is tested on the same dyno. The KTM 250 is nowhere near as powerful as an old CR 500, or Maico 490. Let's get real. Shoot, I'd bet money my old '82 IT 465 enduro would smoke any "stock" modern 250 through the gears, and it was no match for the CR 500s where traction was available. Just the suggestion that due to the dyno figures, a modern KTM 250 is anywhere near as powerful as an early '80s CR 500 is laughable. I mean no insult here, pound for pound, or rather, cc per cc, the KTM is a far superior bike, but it has nowhere near the power of those old CRs, nor do the 4stroke 450s.
