4
I bought this bike new in March of 2013. I am over 50, and have been riding dirt bikes since I was 6, so I have a lot of dirt riding experience. Although I never really competed in any series, I have ridden some events – NETRA Hare Scrambles, Turkey Runs, and Enduro’s. I spent most of my days riding with friends who did compete, and they were mostly “A” riders. I have found that the difference between a “recreational fast guy” and an “A” rider is stamina. I know plenty of guys who can go fast, but “A” riders go fast for *hours*, without stopping. I am not one of them.
I have owned pretty much every kind of dirt bike you can imagine – from Honda Mini-Trail’s, to Rokon RT-II 340 Enduro’s, from Aermacchi to Zundapp. Right around 1985 or so, I figured out that, no matter what dirt bike I was going to own, it had to have a street registration on it if I was going to be able to connect the fragmented Massachusetts trail system at all. From that point forward, life got much more complicated, and expensive, as I jumped through every imaginable hoop placed in front of me.
After years of trying to find that “Perfect” bike, and after trying virtually everything out there, CR500’s and big thumpers (KTM620’s), the whole mid-sized 4 stroke thing - DR350’s, XR400’s, DRZ’s, the Magazine’s pick of the “Magical” KTM 300 EXC, and even 125 MX bikes, I found that the bikes that I was most satisfied with were the 175-200cc two strokes. I was fond of my 1984 Can-Am 175 Qualifier, and I eventually found that an “H” series (1995-2007) KDX200 was the bike that did everything I wanted it to. It was reasonably light, reasonably well suspended, and reasonably powerful. It could also be reasonably quiet, and was reasonably reliable (actually, they are *very* reliable).
I had never bought a *New* dirt bike before. I always bought used. This time, I figured that I would probably not be buying another one, so I wanted a State of the Art machine. I also wanted to remain “reasonable”, and this is where the KTM 350 EXC-F came into the picture. I was considering *everything* - but the KTM’s, the Husqvarna’s, and the Husabergs soon rose to the top of my list by virtue of their 6 speed transmissions, light weight, and “street-ability” (paperwork and hardware!). Husaberg no longer offered a street legal model, but their paperwork was easy to work with. Husky did offer a street legal model, but I did not have a dealer close by. I eventually ended up at my KTM/Husaberg dealer, to pick over a 2 year left over 70 degree ‘Berg 390, and a barely left over 350 EXC. I could have had the ‘Berg for significantly less money, but I had read something about lube problems with those 70 degree motors that had stuck in my head. I picked the KTM.
The FI kind of scared me, but, in a way, I was looking forward to learning about it. The rest of the bike just looked amazing – Slim, Hard Edged, Sharp lines – very modern looking compared to my KDX200. I had already done my homework, so I knew that the EXC’s required a re-map right out of the gate. My salesman assured me that he would have his technician take care of that for me before I picked the bike up. I threw a skid plate into the deal, paid for everything, and was good to go.
I picked up the bike the following week. It felt very light as I wheeled it into my truck – as light as my KDX200. I couldn’t help but to think that “as long as this bike can compare to my KDX200, I will be fine”. I got the bike home, unloaded it, and stared at it for a moment. It was beautiful. I wanted to cherish that moment. OK, enough of that. I inserted the key, and turned it on. An orange “FI” light came on the dash, and a mechanical “whirring” noise reminded me that this bike did not have a carburetor! I hit the starter button, and the piston went “Ugh!” It stopped dead, halfway through its stroke. I hit the button again, and the starter powered through the compression and the motor popped to life. The electric starter systems on these bikes are “just enough” to get the job done, with no reserve power at all. The motor sounded loud, louder than I expected, with a deep tone. I blipped the throttle, and the motor did not hesitate at all. It barked loudly, and immediately returned to a stable idle. I out on my helmet and mounted the bike. The seat felt skinny, but soft enough – not like the seat on my old 1997 KTM 300 EXC. That thing was a plank!
I pulled in the clutch, and marveled at how easy the hydraulic DDS (Damped Diaphragm Steel) clutch was to operate. One finger! No kidding! And *smooooth*. I dropped the shifter into first gear. Shift action was a bit notchier that that of the KDX, but I figured that it might smooth out after the tranny gets broken in. I pulled out of my driveway, into the street, and - Holy Crap! The throttle response on this motor was unbelievable! Every bump I hit caused my hand to shake, which in turn caused the motor to jump! I was unsure if I could even ride the bike in the dirt like this. The bike has super tall 14/45 gearing, stock, so I was able to hit 75 MPH on my back roads with hardly any effort. The bike felt stiff, and taught. I usually like my dirt bikes set up a bit softer, so I was nervous about this. I had ridden KTM PDS bikes before, and I never liked them. They always seemed stiff and harsh. This one felt no different on the road, on its maiden voyage.
Fast forward 2 months – I have now had the opportunity to get past the break-in and accommodation stage, and ride the bike at my normal pace, on my normal trails. This bike is everything I had hoped it would be. It is a bit louder than I would have liked, but, at neutral throttle it can maintain a good clip, and still be nearly silent. Open the throttle and things get a bit loud, but the bike gets going quickly. This bike want to be ridden like most people would ride a 2-stroke 250 in the woods – just below the hit. This motor has a definite hit. On top, this bike flat hauls the mail. It is scary fast. I rarely keep the motor in that RPM range. Instead, I ride anywhere from 1000, to say 6000 RPM (just guessing). It “torques” me around just fine. A flick of the clutch lever lights the afterburners. This bike is *light* for a 350 4-stroke. It still dances around a bit on the rocks, just like my KDX did, but the rear tire of the 4-stroke feels a bit more planted.
The PDS rear suspension did loosen up a bit. It actually feels very comparable to a “normal” linkage rear end. The KDX was much looser, though. The rear tire does hop a bit when slamming into 4” logs, but not terribly so. I am a trail rider, so I cannot comment much on how the suspension works in whops and on big jumps. I played with the clicker settings and found the best for me was – all the way out on the high speed compression, standard “Race” position on the low speed compression, and standard “Race” position, plus 1 or 2 clicks on the rebound.
The WP Open Cartridge fork feels quite good compared to the forks on the KDX200, although the simple, conventional, cartridge forks on the KDX do work pretty well for what they are. The WP forks stroke very smoothly, and do not bottom harshly at all. They could be a bit more supple on sharp, high speed hits, though, so I may send them out for work if they do not loosen up over time. Overall, I would rate their performance as very good – for a stock “trail” fork. Believe it or not, this is really quite rare, as most stock forks that I have ridden are way too harsh for trail work.
The rest of the bike? Well, the stock 35/35w headlight is poor. Low beam is only OK, but high beam is useless, as the fender shadow blocks the very portion of light that you need. The area behind the headlight is crammed full of wires, and it is hard to work on anything behind the shell. I had a ground wire pop off of a spade connector on the headlight, and it took me 3 tries to get it back on so that it would stay on. The wires used for the peripheral systems are thin - much thinner than you would normally find on a Japanese machine. The stock blinkers seem to be of really good quality, and all 4 are still intact after a couple of falls. The radiator shrouds are thin as well. On my first ride, I clipped a small log (or a big stick), and a half of it flipped up and smacked a shroud, just in front of my knee. When I returned home, I was shocked to see that the shroud had a big crack in it. I read that the new Beta’s have heavy duty shrouds, and this is why! The stock mirrors were removed right away. They stick way out there and look stupid on this bike. I will have to find a better option for them. The FI has been problem free, although I installed a fuel tank sock immediately. This tank sock makes re-fueling at a gas station nearly impossible, as it hampers the flow of fuel into the tank. I now re-fuel only by gas can. I have ridden well over 60 miles and have not run out yet. I suspect that the range is right around 100 miles. This bike gets reasonably good fuel mileage (50 MPG or so) – even with the EU map loaded (or so I was told). The bike starts and runs flawlessly. The stock rear Metzler FIM legal Six Days Extreme tire will need to be replaced soon, but the tire worked well while it lasted. The no-tools required, quick access air filter is really neat, and the bodywork and panels fit well. The electronic dash gives you MPH/KPH, time, lap 1&2, trip 1&2 (resettable by 1/10ths), hours, and odometer, and is pretty easy to use once you learn it (with “hours” showing, hold right button down for 5 seconds, use left + or – to turn functions “on” or “off”, or adjust). My 2012 model has the black Giant brand wheels, and I wish that I had the silver Excel’s, just because I do not want to scratch the black finish while changing tires. The matt black wheels and spokes do look really sharp, though. I geared down to 13/48, and that feels about right for the riding that I do. I can slow to a crawl, yet still maintain a 50-55 MPH cruise down the back roads with no problem at all. The shifting is loosening up a bit, but my right boot has trouble finding the rear brake pedal. The brakes work great other than that. I chose to cut ¾” off each side of my bars, then I installed some Cycra hand guards. Their Enduro DX shields match up well with the angular KTM body panels.
Overall, the 350 EXC-F is everything I had hoped that it would be. It is plenty fast enough, and it offers a superb ride with its stock suspension. If it is as reliable as my KDX, I will be a very happy guy. I hope that I do not have to buy another dirt bike, but,… Who knows?
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by FirstLightning
