Oddly I cant ride any of my KTM's in the woods with a steering damper,it slows me down and aims me for the trees,I cant turn them down far enough to let the bike steer. Some guys are Yamaha guys,some are KTM guys.
couldn't find a thread on the 300 exc, not sure if this has been posted before. just wanted to share because i think it's an awesome video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xfpU0yIpG4 sorry if it's a little ot.
I did a 2500 km rally-raid on my EXC-F 350 in May this year: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=794731&highlight=raid+passion+desert The bike worked flawlessly and I absolutely loved it. However, if I wanted a bike for rally-raids ONLY, I would get the 450 or 500. The reason is they have more low end torque, which helps in deep sand. For tight and technical stuff, I'd take the EXC 250 two stroke. The 350 EXC-F is a good compromise if you have only one bike. Cheers, FechFech
Interesting, because my direct experience has been very different. My EXC felt very planted and well-balanced. It needed a steering damper for the rocky NE where I rode, but that's common. Could be that mine was an 05 and an EXC and they were testing a newer XC model, but last years Dirt rider 450 shootout also said the KTM 450 had the best handling by far. /shrug
They have been saying that since the first bike with the EXC moniker came out,they have tended to win every comparison they're in 2 stroke or 4 stroke. Japanese got left behind pretty easy,no hydraulic clutch,no electric start on their MX bikes,no street legal dirt bike based dual purpose bikes,no full line of 2 and 4 stroke dirt bikes, Then all but Yamaha quit making 2 strokes which was a big open door for KTM and other euros to make $ while the sun shone. Asian makers have taken their eye off the ball for quite a while. Their current 450's are heavier and need lots of de-smogging to run right. Honda's 450X is about the same as it was 5 years ago,they just started producing it again as it was. Meanwhile KTM keeps coming out with updated and tricker bikes every year. Almost like they want to attract buyers.
Kind of off topic here, but I figured I'd chime in. Enduros in the US are indeed different than in Europe. From what I understand, in Europe, the enduro is laid out as a loop (10-15 miles perhaps), and the riders ride a bunch of laps and have to come in at a certain amount of time. In the US, the enduros are not laid out in a loop. The course is typically 80-100 miles long, with 50+ miles of pure trail (the rest is road-dirt or paved), and none of it is ridden more than once in a single race. There is time keeping involved in most US enduro formats, although there is variation here (some organizations scrapped the timing to get more riders involved that don't like the whole timing concept). Next, the terrain in the US varies so much from coast to coast, which has a huge influence on speed. In the east, trails are typically very tight single track (i.e., 32 inches between the trees) and can be dry or very muddy, depending on the season and the current weather. Usually, it's more mud than sand, although Michigan and Florida are very sandy. In the west, because of the higher elevations and climate, it's usually dry. There's lots of open space and desert in the western States, so the courses tend to be more open (less trees). The combination of open terrain and dry surfaces tends to mean the races are much faster paced than in the East. It's also rocky out west, but in the north east (PA, NY, New England States), it's every bit as rocky, if not more. Places like Ohio, Indinana, West Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, etc are the mud states. In general, eastern USA riding tends to mimic European riding conditions much closer. Some of the Ohio enduros are like what you see at the Romaniac hard enduros, especially when it's wet :eek1
First of all, KTM didn't luck into winning all 4 championships. Anytime a decent rider comes up through the ranks on a different brand bike, they buy them out. Do the research. In fact, the KTM's have lost many shootouts, especially the MX shootouts up until recently. I know better than you what's holding me back, and it's not the orange color of the bike. Motorcyclesuperstore has nothing to do with the article. It was by motorcycle usa, and the the biggest complaint about the KTM was from a pro rider.
Just an update from a 350 doubter. AT FIRST. I bought a Berg FE 350 for ST and general fun riding. I think Im sold on the 350 xc-w based motor. It has great low end tq and pull forever. Better than any 300 I have owned. I drag raced my buddy Mike on his 02 yz 426 with high comp piston, hot cams, and pipe. We were dead even or I might of had him by a foot or two. So I want to take back what I said about the 350