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350/450?
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On a 450 I feel like I'm on the defensive side and just trying to manage the power. 350 I feel I can actually push myself and ride aggressive.
The soft 450 map mellows out the hit and you can really notice how it lacks power. Kinda defeats the purpose of having a 450 really. haha
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the power feels different between the 350 and 450 regardless of maps.... maps make a difference but not THAT much. just a slight effect and typically only how the power is delivered vs how much power is delivered.
starting at the bottom, the 350 is softer than a 450.... no 2 ways around it. a 450 has more torque/grunt off the bottom so it gives a more jerky feel.
in the mid, the 450 still has more but now, the 350 has more snap.... if you have owned a 2 stroke you will understand what i am talking about here.... the 350 reacts faster to throttle inputs and the power starts feeling much closer to a 450 than a 250f..... very very similar to a 300 2 stroke.
up top, and by up top i am talking into the upper RPM range of a 450, the 450 still has a little more.... not much but still more..... now the gyro forces are starting to make the 450 feel heavier than it is and a good bit heavier than the 350.
as the 450s start to fall on their face and flatten out, the 350 is getting serious..... here it will pull for another 3500-4,000 rpm past where most 450s stop making power.... and it keeps building power. at this point the 350 never feels short on power to the 450s.... but..... most guys that say they feel like a built 250 never ride them in this RPM range because frankly.... most of us aren't talented enough to keep it there.
the 350 feels more like a 2 stroke than any other 4 stroke i have ridden in how connected the throttle seems to the rear wheel. i have owned 4 300s (the last being a '15 300XC) as well as 2 350s ( '13 and '17 350XCFs) and those two platforms are very very similar.... so close that if i was told that i could only have one of them and never the other.... i would be very happy with whatever i had. i still ride a decent amount of moto and here the 350 motor works just a little better with its longer pull. i'd give a slight nod to the 300 for pure offroad for an rch more snap and ability to lug even below idle without stalling.
the power delivery on the 350 is like a 250 if you were to look at it on a graph.... but the overall from bottom to top is closer to the 450.
a 450 is great on a track but tires me out too fast in tight single track where it is a bit stronger off the bottom.... its not an earth shattering difference, but enough to wear me out faster in the tight technical twisties.
hope this helps
The 450 wore me out a lot quicker and felt heavier on the track, riding long whooped out sand tracks especially. Once I got tired I found it more difficult to tame the power. Pushing my endurance on the 450 was sketchy more times than not. The difference in the maps was noticeable but I would not say that the 450 mellow feels like the 350.
The 250F was a ton of fun to ride everywhere. The Honda felt light and nimble and was able to ride harder longer. Just hold it wide open and go. Keeping up with friends on 450s or racing the occasional vet class was were I would really have to work the 250, but high fun factor.
The 350 is perfect. Power characteristics closer to a 250 but kicked up a knotch everywhere. Feels smack dab in the middle of both (duh right). Like a very worked or healthy 250F. Weight wise I cant tell a difference between the KTM or the Honda, on the track or on the stand. You can rev this thing like a 250 in 2nd and 3rd and it keeps going and going. Low end out of insides is by no means bad but not as tractor like as the 450. It likes to be reved but can be lugged also.
I think coming from a 250 2t and 350 would be perfect. Its a 4 stroke that likes to be revved.
Have you ridden a yz295 before? I was mostly just curious about the change in power characteristics. 250 smokers used to just wear me out because the power band is so strong.
i actually have ridden the 295 2 years ago. entirely different from a ktm 300 in that it is way more violent (fun if you aren't trying to be smooth) and really fell on its face up top. seemed to have more bottom than the pumpkin, then a big hit into the mid and then fell on its face. imagine the 250 smoker that you used to ride, add power everywhere from bottom through mid, magnify the hit and then it goes flat. that was my experience with it but i was only on it for about an hour and a half play riding. it would be a handfull on the track or on single track. for play riding it was a lot of fun.
Pit Row
i would say get a 350 if :
You are a light rider , out of shape , begginer rider to intermediate, like to ride a bike high in the rev range .
" the 350 power feels closer to a two stroke than a 450 and might make you FEEL faster and be more fun , and feels lighter due to less rotational mass"
I would say get the 450 if :
You are a heavy rider , in good shape and it wont tire you out , advanced rider , like to lug a bike rather than rev it .
"The 450 can be made a little more mellow with soft map and tall gearing , also you could save money with the 450 because you can leave it stock where as with the 350 you might be buying hopups to get more power out of it , and a detuned 450 has less engine stress than a 350 ridden hard in high rpm's which could help your maintenance budget in the long run .
Hi! Uh no. The 350 is a 250 on steroids. You have to rev it to get the power out. The 450 has way more torque and you can be lazy on it. The 350 is fun to ride but tires me out. The 450 has massive torque and lets me be lazy. The 450 has the big power the 350 doesn't to conquer big hills without overheating it. Good Luck!
350 to be ridden at 12000+ rpm, nothing happens before that.
450 16-17 needs quick throttle, 49 gearing and well adjusted throttle play. then map 1 is rideable and you can run at the 8-9000 rpm.
350 takes more on cardio, 450 more on muscles.
i dont like the 350.
1. I have never owned a four stroke and i was advised i should try one at least once in my life and im not getting younger.
2. As ML said to me if he were to have 2 motorcycles he would want 2 that were different and the 350 is more similar to a 250T than a 450F and that made sense enough to me.
I pulled the trigger on a super clean low hour 2016 KX450, if its too much, im going with the Husky 350 next year!
I went back to a 2 stroke, after the 450 flamed out on a jump face and I almost went over the bars. I can tolerate a crash when its my fault, but not when its the bike. It went back the dealer, and Ive been on a trusty 250 2t since. Love the 2t but miss the torque and stability of the 4t, also as I get older I feel more inclined to find the bike that I would be "safest" on.
I do prefer to lug a bike, because every time I get a little too much throttle off of jumps I wind up having to climb the tank. Thats where the 350 idea came in, I was wondering if Id be more immune to whiskey throttle, or having the front end high off of jumps with the 350 vs the 450. (when I had the crf whiskey was only a real problem in big high speed chop, probably about the same as my current 250 2t would be I suppose)
Being a bit of a lightweight, I would think that the 350 would be able to pull me around just fine, but then If I plan on riding a gear high and lugging it, maybe the 350 isn't the best choice?
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