Just got back from the local KTM dealer in Nth East Victoria / Australia and asked when the Freeride will be here and tha answer was . NOT LIKLY to get here as thay wouldn't sell . KTM Tezza
Did he mean the electric version, or the 350? And when was the last time you believed a bike shop anyway?
I do believe the dealer as he is a good freind . I don't think it was any of them . BUT thay could be wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tezza.:huh
As soon as possible I will get me a freeride. This is the bike I have been waiting for for years and i consider it a must have for myself. Really, I love it, and I am quite surprised they went this way, because I thought those small bikes were dead in Europe. The bike will be plated as is, both 350 and electric version. However, the electric version was delayed until 2013. Downside is: To be able to buy a freeride I need to sell my Tenere and/or the WR250R with Supermoto conversion kit. This is something really bad, since I did all the WP and wheel conversion work an it and I really like this bike. We will see.
I never really considered buying a KTM until I saw this bike, I would imagine at the lower state of tune it would be quite durable as well. Would be a great bike for my wife to learn on, with the 35" seat height and mellower power output...
a $10,000 24hp "entry level" bike? Why didnt they just make it air cooled and drop another $2,000? :huh ...since "entry level" is what they were going for anyway... If my 21 year old H20 cooled 250 can do 26, is it that too hard to get from a 350 airhead?
I know it is a bit much to stomach, but shaving weight and development doesn't come cheap. If you want more power, I wouldn't be shocked if you could string more power out of it without fully taking the motor apart. If you want more power for under $10k, the 350 EXC-F is also there. I want to see the service intervals on this motor, it would be great if the service intervals are much longer than the other LC singles.
don't tell the guys over on the dr 350 threads but it was rated at 27 hp and weighs 300 lbs so 25 hp and 220 lbs ought to shred the dr's pretty easily! I would love to have a 350 freeride but @ 9 grand i think they can keep it!
>"...since "entry level" is what they were going for anyway..." I don't think it's entry level. Hybrid trials/enduro bike. IMHO: The demo riders pretty much rode it like it was designed. Don't think that KTM has ever targeted 'new' riders... or women for that matter. Well, maybe kids, but the KTM's are already race bikes for them anyway. Sounds like it won't be available in North America anyway.
The KTM Freeride 350 is an entry level dirt bike (for KTM) with a low price (for KTM) and a low, accessible seat height (for KTM). The question is, are they serious about getting it into the hands of entry and midlevel riders or are they going to sell it at $8000? I'm hot and bothered over it, but I am assuming it will not be in the $5000- $6000 max range it should be in.
Looking at the stats I'm just guessing it will be a great bike for guys that ride hard with their buddies and whose wives want to come along and join for say a few hours of an all day ride. From the circles I hang with, I think that would be a huge market! I also think its a good market to push as if I'm being honest, sometimes my bike can get in the way of family but when we ride together it's one of the best family fun /bonding times out there. Right now my wife only feels comfortable on the KLX150 (think street legal KLX140) or Honda CRF 230. This looks to be about the same size but significantly lighter and more/better power and components. I've only ridden a trials bike once and it was a hoot. I'm sure I'd be able to climb things I couldn't do with my 690 and it'd be a fun new style of riding. Doesn't look like its made for a big person to play on a MX track with though . I'm hoping 350cc and 24 hp means 5,000 mile oil changes, and still running fine when my grandkids find it in a barn in the year 2047! When it comes to how many hp you can get from a certain cc size I think it would be interesting if consumers like us could see the difference in performance vs reliability. What would be really cool would be if we could chose which reliability level vs hp level we wanted. For instance going back 15 years you could compare Honda's own CR250 vs CRM250 - both 250cc 2 strokes. CR had about 42 hp at the rear and the CRM about 30ish. I'm just guestimating at these #'s but typically I hear of guys doing new top ends on CR's every 2,000 km and CRM's every 40,000 km or 20X longer. I've heard of guys getting the CR up to 54 hp at the wheel but then needing a rebuild after every single race. Anyways my crazy idea (Highland almost did something like this) would be to offer an engine in various states of tune with a good honest estimate of the lifespan of the vehicle and then let the customer choose which he wanted. If you were buying a 250cc 2 stroke engine and had the option of A.) 54 rwhp - 15 miles, B.) 42 rwhp - 1,500 miles or C.) 29 rwhp 25,000 miles that'd be awesome for buyer awareness and having a better guess at what you were getting or getting into.
I am pretty disappointed to hear we probably won't be getting this bike in the states. I am super-excited for a 350cc thumper at that weight. I was really hoping to buy one off of one of you guys in a few years
With a stone age Honda XR650L coming in at $6690, the is no way a high tech KTM will be at $7000, IMO. No way! They don't operate that way. But... I hope I am wrong.
Sounds like Honda really messed up. If they only would have waited 25yrs to introduce their 198lb street legal trials type bike (TLR200) maybe it would have made it past the 2 yr production run it enjoyed with this kind of response. But then aren't there rumors of a new one based on the crf230?
I do not think it is meant to be an entry level bike. It is the most lightweighted hightech dualsport bike available and I rate its offroad potential huge. In fact I am happy they did not release one more cheapo oldstyle enduro bike with crappy suspension and a stoneaged engine (that has been built for at least 20 years without major change). There are lots of these around for those who like it. I am excited about the Freeride and I really hope it will work out for me. I did not expect it at all, and I guess I settled to early with my Yamahas. Phil
The problem with that bike was that it looked the part,but was all show and no go. Terrible suspension and an XR200 motor (maybe 12 hp?) Same thing with the Trans-Alp, Honda couldnt give them away, now they would sell everyone they brought over. Bundy
