RUST magazine: Rust#3

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Castles in the Air - Si Melber
Appearances can be deceptive. From a distance
you could be forgiven for believing that the ruined
castle tower in the picture (left) dates all the way
back to Norman times. Certainly that’s what the
Victorian engineers wanted you to believe when
they constructed this ‘folly’ 150 years ago on the
site of a genuine (but derelict) 11th century castle.
And the same could also be said of this bike which
appears - at first glance - to be a 2017 EXC250F,
but is in fact a 2016 XC-F with lights.
What you can’t really tell from the photos is just
how fantastic this bike looks in the metal. I mean
you’d have to be as blind as a welder’s dog not
to see the sheer beauty in this machine… But
apparently even this is a matter of opinion.
My own take on it is that it is unquestionably the
best looking dirtbike I’ve ever set eyes upon. But
that is countered somewhat by RUST’s JB, who
called it ‘just another orange dirtbike!’ You gotta’
be kidding me…
I’m not letting this one go just yet however,
because I want to stress just how pleasing to the
eye it appears: the straightness of line, the simpleness
of its form and function, the perfect proportions…
it’s enough to make you believe it really is
a Norman castle tower in the photos. In all seriousness
though, there’s not another enduro bike out
there that can match the KTM’s innate style. This
is not just me sounding off - no other bike has
anything like the simplicity of line, and pureness
of form. It’s small and minimalist in design, but