250 vs 350

YZ 250

I think the 250F is the best choice for kids moving up and kids who want to race.

For a vet guy, especially a heavier guy, the 350F has a lot more to offer and they are very easy to ride.
The 350F doesn't have the gnarly torque that tires you out, but you can still get over a jump from an inside line or torque through the deeper dirt.  
The 350F does its best work when revved and ridden like a 250F.

I think the guys who dislike the 350F are the guys who don't want to rev the bike, so they gravitate toward the 450F...  Since you're considering the 250F, I will assume you don't mind using the mid and high RPM power.

This. You won't regret the 350. The extra torque and rpm response from the 23+ bike is awesome, but it's not gonna kick your ass after you get tired.

I think your best bet is to try to ride a 350 if possible.
In my opinion, it is the best engine in the sport.
The 350 has a lot more torque than a 250, but similar engine character.
Some guys say a 350 feels heavier than a 250.  It's a very small difference in my opinion, as long as your suspension settings are good.


The 350 is nothing like the character of a 450.

 

Lots of threads on here about this stuff....but whatever you can get the best deal on. I would lean orange or red unless you are vertically challenged. Not a fan of the lower Husky suspension. That also limits you a bit on aftermarket suspension options. CW we can walk you through all that stuff better than I could.

Im in the same boat as you. I have a YZ250F and YZ450F. I also owned a 2020 KTM 350SX-F. I wasn't a big fan of the 350 personally. It felt like a slow 450 and a fat 250, I would rev the hell out of it and I wasnt a fan of the steel frame. I would say you would have better luck with the new generation of KX450. They are very tame and friendly power wise and probably cheaper. 

I'm on a 21' 350, and have ridden many a 250f.  The 350 is the way to go if your choosing between the two.

The yz 250 was going to be my bike of choice this year , but my ktm had full mx tech suspension as close to being set up for as possible.  I was pleasantly surprised and I like it more than I'd thought.

Stark Varg

Vet C rider….check

Over 200 pounds….check

Can I interest you in my old guys 125 club?  We don’t need no stinkin 4 strokes!  😁

I have a somewhat similar opinion. I know I am the minority but I hear people say it's like the perfect middle ground of 250F and 450 and I just don't agree. To me it's it's own bike with it's own set of pros and cons and it's own way that it needs ridden. I found it to be really good on some days and some tracks and kind of bad on others. Also, when actually racing it is when I started to change my mind about it (for the worse.) They just take too long to spool up and if you have to change direction, forced to take a line that you don't want to, or make a mistake, it punishes you due to lack of torque - combined with a long spool up. To me, I'd rather either have a 450 with torque or a fast 250F that I can rev quickly, in those types of situations. So for me, the 350 is just not something I would consider. That being said, on the right track or in the right circumstances, it can feel like the best bike ever made. But I just had more situations where it frustrated me to not make it worth getting another. Again, I'm the minority, more than likely.

Hands down the best bike I’ve ever owned and completely revitalized my love of the sport. I’m riding faster than I ever have at 28 and I’m constantly itching to ride. 

I have a ‘24 KTM with these mods:
- KYB forks purchased on MX locker (eBay is good too) and bought the rebound adjuster from @cwtoyota 
- did the internal swap myself — mind you I don’t regard myself as mechanically savvy, but following his instructional video made it extremely simple.

- Luxon clamps, 24mm offset

- REP linkage. I regret not buying the Luxon linkage, because you can change the ratios easily with their hardware. But the REP stuff is leaps and bounds better than stock

- Vortex ECU (XPR) + exhaust flange. I highly recommend this because the stock ECU has a lot of engine breaking and really effects body balance when cornering (among a host of other things, but this was the biggest benefit for me)

- other than that, I had the suspension tuned by REP, however Cwtoyota generously offered me some suspension settings to save a heap of money, but I sissied out of doing it myself.

I believe the bike out of the box will work very well at C speed. You won’t ever really go fast enough to be thrown off by the quirks, BUT these mods made the bike feel absolutely perfect. I’m going to keep this thing for years.

If you haven’t ridden Austrian before (like me), you will initially wretch at the insane vibration, but 2-3 rides will get your body / muscles used to it. I don’t notice the vibration at all anymore (perhaps a side effect of the 10 hour break in as well).

All that to say, the 350 kicks ass

My $0.02 here. I bought a used 2019 KTM 350SXF and loved the bike. It had KYB inserts in the forks and a FMF exhaust, but had a ton of hours. I liked it so well I found a 22 model 350SXF with 4 hours on it for a deal I thought I would put my KYB forks on it (had a pipe) and be happy. I never liked that bike and even after having those forks valved twice from big name companies, they never felt right. I put the almost new stock forks back on and loved the forks (bone stock), but still didn't gel with the bike. SO don't be so quick to judge the stock AER WP forks if that concerns as the newer ones are MUCH better than like the 2017 AER forks I had on my 450SXF. I think it was more the engine didn't run the same and I wish I had put a Vortex tuned by XPR on it. I ended up back on a 450. Now that I have lost 45 lbs, I'm thinking a 350 might work better now for me.

I have full done up one forsale suspension set up for your weight. It’s on the forsale page.

For you I'd say 350.

300 smoker if you go premix.

I have the 2024 KX450 and 2023 MC350F...   Rode them both on Saturday 9/20 at CMX in Belfair, WA.


The KX450 is really easy to ride (Keefer map, PC exhaust, Twin-Air filter) at a moderate pace.
I am consistently 2 to 3 seconds faster per lap on the MC350F.

I've done a couple of 30+2 motos on the 450 on hard pack clay and sand.

@BraapMan199 , I did a 30+2 for the first time on the MC350F Saturday mixed in between a 15 minute and a 20 minute moto on the KX450

An observation on the MC350F is that the rigid mounted Neken bars do have more vibration fatigue in my hands if I'm not mindful of staying loose. I would count that as a negative on the GasGas brand, among a few other items...

GasGas negatives (relative to the KTM)
-No map switch
-BrakeTec front brake (I can live with the rear brake & clutch).
-Choked up muffler (at least on my 2023 model)
-Rigid mounted bars...  I might be calling Luxon MX to try a soft bar mount.
-Softer suspension settings (probably not an issue for a 200lbs guy since you need springs & valving on any bike you buy).
-My 2023 GasGas bodywork is a tad wider at the tank, between the radiators and seat. I don't mind it, but feel it back to back with a KTM.

Like @Ehm24 mentioned, I run my own valving in the KYB forks using the drop-in conversion kits I manufacture at https://dialedmfg.com along with a revalved shock and REP linkage.  The 2021+ XACT 48mm air fork is a big improvement over the older stuff and KYB stuff is typically a fairly good improvement on that.

I'll say one thing to the OP -- if you can get a test ride on a 350, make yourself explore the rev limiter and how high it can go. If you don't, it's just going to feel like a peppy 250 or a lazy 450, you just don't get the full picture of what it can do until you let it eat. 

In practice I don't access high revs very often, it's nice to save a shift on a long straight and it absolutely rocks on the starts, but even after four years with mine I don't spend a lot of time in that maximum HP range. Probably because it's the same peak HP as some of the stock 450s out there....

A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME THAT A 350F IS LIKE A REALLY FAST 250F. SO IF YOU LIK YOUR 250F YOUD PROBABY LOVE A 350F.

I second this.  Pulls harder than you'd think when you let er go.

350 for sure, especially a 23+ model. I truly believe the 350 engine size is the best for the majority of people. It just sucks more manufacturers don't make them.

Also just want to add — I’m a firm believer that anyone who says a 350 isn’t enough doesn’t like to twist the throttle. 

My hypothesis is that people get scared of the sound, but I wear ear plugs and it makes everything feel calm and manageable

Ride an R6 on the road courses for awhile. The 350 revs won’t seem bad at all.

Yes, earplugs are great.

#350crew

Very true, and to expand on my prior post - I think in fast sections, the engine is probably the best engine I've ever ridden. It's the lack of recovery/torque in some situations that frustrated me. But letting the bike sing in 3rd was amazing. I thought it felt a little bound up revving out 2nd though. And there was a weird gap to 3rd. But keeping revs and momentum once singing in 3rd is just magical. The top end power and how it ran in fast sections is the best of the 3 bikes. Pulls way harder than a 250F and feels more free'ed up than a 450. Very nice. 

As others have said, the '23 and newer 350s are simply fantastic, possibly the best overall bike for the masses.  I absolutely love mine.  Hands down best bike I've ever had and the 350 is the perfect platform for Vet riders.  Lose the air fork and get a spring conversion kit - all of them are really good, with the KYB conversion being the best.