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Only $10 for all 2026 SX, MX, and SMX series.
I own both
The mapping is different for sure
Along with the transmissions having different ratios, not just and added 6th gear in the XC.
But the YouTube videos of guys running out with gas still in the tank are concerning.
https://youtu.be/E0CHmWWFTVg
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I put Cone valve forks and a Trax shock on it, because I’ve gotten spoiled to having good suspension and that’s just what I do… I also swapped the triple clamps for the x-trig clamps and changed the bars to a Pro-Taper EVO bar. Other than that, nothing else I’ve changed should make the bike feel any different than a stock bike.
I’ve been riding my XC300 up in the tight/technical terrain and I am blown away at how good the bike is.
I have not been to the track since June or July and I went to a track that I haven’t been to in a long time and the layout was all new. There were 3X as many people there than usual and the track got pretty rough. With a brand new bike with new cone valve forks and a Trax shock, the bike was definitely a little stiff and that will get better with a little time on it.
The motor-
Holy shit, this bike has an enormous midrange/ torque that is smooth, yet very robust ! It will take some time to get use to, no doubt. Just like the XC, it can be lugged in 3rd gear in the corners and it just pulls without any clutch work and when I say pulls, it really gets your attention. It doesn’t feel like you’re riding a 2-stroke, other than the bitchen sound from the FMF Fatty with the 2.1 Silencer I installed. It wants to be short shifted, but I found myself in 3rd and 4th gear All day. The track has one long straight with a big booter in the back section and I did get into 5th gear, but didn’t have to… I don’t think I ever ended up in 2nd, other than taking off from my van. This motor is really something else, I can’t wait to ride it again, hopefully at a more familiar track and not tired from riding OffRoad from the day before.
The thing I really screwed up on was not trying the mellow (white) map, I think this would have really helped me get used to the bike, not sure why I didn’t think to switch it, but I will start off with the white map next time, to ease into it.
The chassis-
As I mentioned, I’ve got 5 rides on my XC and I have ZERO complaints on the bike, happy with everything, including the new frame/ chassis. The bike is so nimble and light, it’s a pleasure riding it and it’s made me a better rider already.
The SX-
The bike felt tight, but in all fairness, I didn’t set the sag, although it was pretty close, but no idea where it sat. This could’ve played into the stiff feel of the forks, but they are set up different than the ones on my XC300, so I expected them to be stiffer.
I backed off the motor mounts 5nm from the torque in the manual to help with the feel, which I also did on the XC. I’ll revisit that, once I have some time on it. My cornering skills were NOT on point, I’ve been riding too much OffRoad and I was not comfortable with the ruts and I usually am on my 350, so I will have to see how the next ride goes.
I’m hoping that with the sag set at 108 and feeling fresh and not worn out from the previous ride day, I’ll have a better idea on how it feels in the corners.
The bike took a little getting used to jumping the bigger jumps, I had to pay attention to the speed I was hitting the face of the jumps, it’s different than a normal 2-stroke and a 4-stroke as well. This is just something I’ll need to adapt to, it’s got a lot of torque and I over jumped a few of the jumps until I got the hang of it. I did get comfortable on it doing the bigger jumps and the bike feels really nimble and I found myself moving it around a lot in the air, without really trying. I don’t really whip the bike much and it kinda wants to be thrown sideways. Lol
Overall assessment-
It’s an incredible machine and I have no doubt that in the right hands with a fast local pro speed, this bike can compete with 450’s for sure. It has way more power than my SXF350 did and I had a vortex with Jamie’s maps and a FMF system on it. I was really comfortable on that bike and I hope I can get there with this bike.
The 14/49 gearing is just fine for me, I will not be changing it. If I did I’d be going down to a 47 or 48, which just seems really whack, but I don’t desire anymore power from this bike at all.
I’ll have a much better assessment on the bike after a couple more rides, but KTM has really done a great job on these bikes
Funny thing is, KTM engines are fast stock so they can't do this with crap pipes or reeds or carbs (although they've had some funny carb settings. on the 2018 sx150, all silencers apart from pc shorty lost power over stock. Most pipes did also aside from fmf fatty. I've also seen 450s with aftermarket pipes no better than stock. Vforce and other stuff did little also on 150. Everyone says the stock reeds look bad from new, but the bikes run great.
I bought the FE seat for mine and haven’t had any kind of tearing yet, I have 5 rides on the XC and only 1 ride on the SX, but both seats look to be ok still.
I’ll replace the stock cover and foam on my stock seat and replace it with the Seat Concepts. I’ll make sure to sand down the edges of the pan, before I staple the cover on.
Pit Row
Need some input on either 6500s, CV's or a KYB conversion.
The 6500’s are a great fork insert for most. Tyler Medaglia was running KYB the last couple of seasons and recently switched to 6500’s over KYB and CV’s. He mentioned that the 6500’s give him more front end traction than the KYB’s. He seems pretty happy.
Components are high quality and they seem to be way easier to find a good setting that works for the rider than XACT Pro’s.
I find the grey plastic to be ghastly.
Now, the 'Heritage Models'; they are quite nice :
......
Graphics and plastics color are a whole different discussion, but I’m not much for white plastics, especially the whole bike… but I’m sure it’s appealing to some.
I change all my plastics to orange on my KTM’s, then keep the graphics very simple. Just what I like, that’s why they make several colors of plastics.
But, flamin' heck / hooly dooly, langhammx , on a brief, far from accurate count I just made, I reckon you've got over 50 brand names / emblems on (each of) those Beautiful bikes.
Me, I thought I just had the 5 on my ancient old thing, but No, I realized that there is an Acerbis decal on the front disc guard, and, I have a strip of duct tape on the rear fender to cover my number plate, that's there to place if there are cameras / 'concerned citizens' with mobile phones that think I'm not supposed to be on trails that I've ridden on for more than 5 decades.
As far as I know, everywhere I go is legal, especially with a legit plate, and an as quiet as a grumpy mouse exhaust, but you never know when the rabid greenies have decided to close off an area, from we tax payers, without telling us. It's getting a bit silly in the Blue Mountains - places that have had roads and trails in them, for at least a hundred + years, that never change, well, they are now designating as Wilderness.
Post a reply to: 2023 KTM SX300 Official Thread