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The counterbalanced 250/300 have the least vibration of any bike I have ridden. 250f are paint shakers in comparison. You probably get arm pump because the throttle response is almost instantaneous compared to a 4t. Try riding a gear higher.
I am not an Austrian bike fan by any means. I rode my friends 2018 350sxf the other day. Kick it till Monday got it right with the 350f, probably my favorite bike I've ever ridden. I do not like the air suspension, But the bike makes power everywhere, I rode it in aggressive mode and loved it 100%.
Try listening about 4:30 in, ML says the frame has a different part number. MXA has as many typos in their web content as KTM does.
Incorrect. Different head angle.
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The different part number comes from a slightly different head tube angle. Every other aspect of the frames are the same
Does that make them the same or not? Changing head tube angles has a big affect on handling.
I have my 23' FC 350 pretty dialed at the moment. Spring forks, bladder in the rear, vented air box cover. For me, it's the best bike I've ever ridden.
Years ago, I used to moto on a 2005 YZ 250. I'm not sure if I'm being biased over time but that chassis and suspension was so damn good. I'd jump ship in a heartbeat to a YZ 350f to potentially get that chassis feel back.
Same here. I loved my 2020 350SXF engine. But hated every single other thing about it. I’ve owned three KTMs over the past couple of years, and they have all been rubbish quality. Always loved my Yamahas chassis feel and quality, just wanted a little more power than 250f. If the YZ250 two stroke was electric start, I’d snatch another one of those in a heart beat.
It’s easier, a bigger piston, jug and different crank. Done.
As far as ktm goes they are using the same frame and lower end as the 250 with different cyl, head, rod etc. if another oem chose to make one who knows how they’d do it.
It feels like if Yamaha had a 350f developed and waiting in the wings, they would be stupid not to launch it right now while the KTM group is struggling financially and reducing their racing platform. While sure, Yamaha may sell less of their own 250's or 450's, the sales from converts buying a Yz350f would certainly offset those losses.
As for Kailub, I don't think KTM needs him back. They have the reigning Champ Ben Kelley, and the current champ Johnny G. on their roster. KR won his titles and so they put him out to pasture. I won't doubt his ability to win overalls again, but a championship seems far fetched. That said, Randy Hawkins is a smart guy - so there's gotta be some upside to him.
Yamaha and Honda both have a history with 350's so it just seems too logical that they would make one now.
The company really missing the boat is Suzuki. Those big bore kits from Athena have an 85 mm bore and a RMZ450 has a stroke of 62.1 mm. With a little bit of parts bin engineering they could build an engine with 352.39 cc's. That and an electric starter could take Suzuki from the least popular moto/off road bike to one of the hottest sellers out there.
They aren’t making one.
Hence me saying that they are missing the boat. Was I not clear?
Yamaha developed the first 250f in plain sight, it looked so similar to the 400f that nobody noticed. I’m a nobody who knows nothing about what Yamaha is doing, but if they were working on a 350, I’d be watching for a really torquey, fast “YZ250F” at the practice tracks.
I don’t mean to get into semantics but what you actually said was Suzuki is the one missing the boat. And that Yamaha and Honda have made them in the past so it seems logical they would make one.
I had a wr400f back in the day and now have 2 yz450fx's. The newer platform is way better and the newer engine is so much better with the app's ability to tune it. Anyone saying the new 450 is too much in the woods hasn't played with the power tuning app enough. I get the fueling figured out and leave it alone, then just use timing to adjust the power characteristics.
KTM may be struggling because they make too many models that compete with each other...
Pit Row
I’ve been curious on the new YZ450FX, but was worried it would be way too much bike for harescrambles and gncc. Does it feel heavy when weaving between trees at lower speeds?
The meaning of what I posted was that Yamaha and Honda were familiar with that displacement so they would be natural fits.
The part about Suzuki was a complete other thought. I was just spitballing as if I was tasked with rejuvenating Suzuki's off-road program. If you think about it no other move could make Suzuki as relevant. If they made an electric start 2026 RMZ it would be met with derision as they are finally catching up to 10 years ago. The only way for them to knock it out of the park would be a displacement or type (300cc 2 stroke) that no other Japanese bike had or an electric bike.
The only one that will do it is Yamaha.
You're not. That was a great platform made better when they went to sss suspension.
Yamaha developed and tested a 150f to go against the honda, then shelved it. Could do the same with a 350.
Thats something I don't think about much but a modern 150 is a bit of a hole as well.
ML…can you link me the video/podcast where you spoke on this? Would love a listen.
A little late to this thread, but I wanted to flex that I used to beat Grant Davis on the super-minis in ECEA. Sure he was 2 years younger than me, sure that completely invalidates any actual bragging rights, but I CAN technically say that I beat the current GNCC points leader / XC-2 Champ straight up lol
Post a reply to: Kailub Russell helping Yamaha develop a 350?