Do-It-All Dual Sports: 350 vs 500 EXC-F

I am 68 with a 2019 500 with a Vortex and PMB end cap.  It is really fast and pulls very hard off the bottom, but I puttputt around and have lifelong clutch skills, so it is by no means a difficult bike to ride.  It is very nice to have unlimited power at all RPMs in any gear.  I would go 500 all day long.  

PS - my singletrack bike is a 300 XCW Hard Enduro, and the 500 is no more difficult to ride, just heavier.

I'm 66 and weigh only 140. I really like my plated 2021 fe350 for everything I ride. I don't race. I do have it set up soft for slower tight trails, but just a gearing change, a spring preload / clicker tweeks, mount my Giant Loop bags and go ADV riding/camping. As it's set up now it kind sucks for black top. Gearing mostly. 

Buy a Beta 390 or 430 RS. Beta doesn't have all the emissions BS other bikes have and all you have to do is have your dealer throw the RR map in (not necessary but it really wakes it up) and you'll get hundreds of hours out of it with minimal maintenance and need to upgrade parts. Plus you have an excellent dealer kinda close to you, 3 Seas Recreation. Jared is very knowledgeable and super responsive to customers.

People sleep on Beta's, but they really are amazing bikes and Beta stands behind their product 100%. 

390 Beta.  You just cruise buy the rr.  If you ride above a novice, buy the race edition.

I have a 2018 KTM 500 EXC. New ECU and muffler is a requirement for any late model KTM EXC. They are just too lean stock to run correctly.

I have a good friend who rides tight single track in SC. He's a long time KTM 500 fan, but he now owns two Gasg Gas 350's, the race model and the dual sport model. He says he rides his 350 exactly like he rode his 500. Says his 350 has plenty of power. 

As mentioned above, look into the BETAs. 

You never mentioned your size and weight.  I have many bikes and I ride my plated Beta 390 the most.  As others have mentioned you don't have all the crap emissions garbage on these bikes out of the box.  This is huge because all you need to do is get it flashed with the race map and add a pipe and you'll have plenty of power.  Being that you are close to one of the best Beta dealers in the Country I would go there instead of trying to uncork a KTM/GG/Husky.  Beta 390 with race map was my call in CA even with having a great relationship with 3Bros KTM where I could have gotten a great deal on one.

If I had to sell both of my bikes and pick 1 bike, I'd probably go with a 2025 Husky FE350s. The 500s just weigh too much for me, and the 350 is just easier to get race ready than the 501 (In my opinion) via weight loss, ECU mapping, and exhaust.

I personally would not get a KTM dual sport, I despise PDS suspension and it drives me nuts through the whoops and on moderate-large jumps.

I installed the Vortex and PMB only to resolve the flameout issue.  I did not ever need any more power anywhere.  Here is my flameout data:

2007 525 EXC: no flameouts ever (obviously because it has a Keihin)

2014 500 EXC: some flameouts, but never an issue - stock ECU and stock exhaust.

2019 500 EXC: stock the flameouts were dangerous and unacceptable.  JD Tuner was no help.  Vortex and PMB still has more flameouts than 2014 stock, but it's okay.  If I did not have the 2014/2007 for comparison I would be obliviously happy.

And you for sure cant get a tag for it? Not sure how NJ is I know here in NC its almost impossible to title anything that doesn't have highway vehicle on the title. Guy I bought my 2021 FX350 from had a NC street title with it somehow. 

Would sort of suck to have to buy a new bike when you still like your old one then spend money on a pipe/ecu etc. For what its worth the XCF/FX/EX do great as trail connectors I do a few dual sport events a year where we connect single track with a few miles of road and it cruises 55 with ease. I just slap an OEM headlight on and a tail light for those events the stock stator runs it no issue. 

The fiancé’s 350 year s no slouch   The modern bikes are not as bound up as the older models   My 2019 EXCF 450 didn’t have anything until I went vortex. I was surprised how much better her 23 350 is. 

I have a ‘17 500 with full FMF exhaust and smog stuff taken off. Thing has all the power I need. Torques through single track great in 2nd gear (did the ol mxa on the rear). I recently purchased a 300xcw for more single track use but enjoy the 500 on dual sport rides and feel no need to upgrade it.

Those are some wild fenders 

I’ve got a 500exc engine in a 450xcf chassis, 2018. Vortex and an FMF slip-on. It has great power, super rideable or massive snort depending on the vortex adjustments and the handling is amazing. A Husky 510 is basically the same thing as I’ve got, so that’s what I’d suggest.

I was kind of in the same situation. I wanted a WR450 but my State will not allow that even if Street legal Title from another State. Did a bunch of reading and picked up a gently used late teens Beta 500 RR-S (since all RR-S/RS are 50 States street legal). I loved it. The previous owner had put the 4.5 gallon tank on it which made it fairly wide.

I ended up buying a new 2024 Beta 500 RS to replace the previous one. It comes with traction control (haven't had a chance to use it yet) and most of the Betas have a switch that toggles between mellow mode and party mode. I always used mellow mode on the street to reduce the chance of getting a ticket. I mainly picked up a 2024 because up until Nov of 2024 there was no news on a 2025 being released. Beta's website still does not show it, but I'm hearing it might be released soon. I added the IMS 3.5 Gallon tank which is the same width as stock, so it will be better for trails compared to the 4.5 on the previous Beta. Added a lower seat and R-Tech rear under fender to remove the HUGE license plate assembly.

This is my 2023 500RRS. Full beta suspension work over, FMF can, RR mapping, and a some other goodies. It's now back to a full dual sport, but this thing is the best all around offroad bike I've ever owned, and is more than a capable track bike for a normal vet rider.

RIP LACR

Another vote for the Beta.  Love my 430RRS.

I went from a well setup 15 500 xcw to 24 350 exc when KTM had the crazy rebates back in December. Both are about the same static weight but the 350 feels like it's got about 25 lbs less in the gas tank area when riding. The 500 was fast, much more prone to flameout than the 350, and a handful in anything tight. You can do any type of riding you want on the 500 but need to be in shape and on top of your game. I previously had a '15 Beta two stroke which was solid but had a bunch of smaller typical Beta issues. You can find Beta 350/390 rr new for about $1000 less than a KTM however they are cracking down up here on registering non-factory legal bikes even if not marked for off road use on the MCO. A few of the Beta dealers I talked to that sold multiple brands said they wouldn't stock Beta four strokes due to reliability issues and waiting a month+ for parts/new engines. I wasn't too concerned about that but Beta resale, especially at a few years old seems to be far less strong than KTM EXC's. I saw a '23 Beta 350 with 1000 miles sitting for months at a Beta dealer for $3900. I sold my '15 500 with snow on the ground around the holidays very quickly for $5600. 

My back tire looks like yours right now.  That's the only issue with having a plated bike.  I just can't help myself on the asphalt.

At the dual sport events I go to Beta has really upped their presence. I would say it’s pretty even split of KTM/beta with a sprinkling of Huskies and then a handful of other OEM. We have  great Beta dealer near me and I would consider a Beta for my next bike. Only thing holding me back is the resale value and also seems they often need to sort some electrical issues out during the first 10 hours or so

gasgas had big rebates so I picked a 500 up back on November. did a few mods to it and for the little bit I got to ride it it seems like an awesome do it all bike. desmog, vertex ignition and a 450 pipe woke it up a lot. looking forward for the weather to start getting nicer so I can ride it.

I had the supermoto wheels on it in the pic but I have another set of wheels/tires I swap for dual sporting. Crf450r plated and it’s plenty so I’d say 350 be enough for you. Whatever you get you’ll love and ask why you didn’t do it sooner

Haha, very true. I’m on the Tusk dual sport tires now. So far pretty good, especially for the price.  

What were the rebates they ran last year? Kicking myself a bit for not picking 1 up now!

Picked up my 2024 500 excf for $10,700 OTD last November in California. Had John Ross at tpituning flash the ecm. For $650 , I got the flash , end cap , map switch and the misc small parts to bring it back to life. For sure you want the 500 over the 350. It rides like a much smaller bike than it is and will not pull your shoulders out of their sockets in the mellow map. 

I paid 9k otd with pa sales tax and registered for the street. By far the cheapest I could find. The ktm version was 2000 more. 

IF you are used to riding track bikes a stock KTM/Husky 500 will feel decent stock but the engine is pretty bottled up and it runs hotter because of the constricted stock muffler cap. delete the smog, put a better flowing muffler and an ecu and it really wakes up. You're probably gonna drop close to $2k to get it running it's best

24 gg es350 and 500 were $7999 back in oct/nov/dec here in the midwest