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2/26/2013
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Jackson, NJ, USA
I haven’t ridden in 10 years, I’m 49, he’d a pro card for 3 years in the late 90’s I’m interested in a new 350sxf, I feel I’m to big for a 250f and don’t wanna kill myself on a 450, if anyone has feedback on the 26 350sxf I’d like to hear opinions. My other options if I go 450 would be a 27 crf 450, or 26 yzf 450 n possibly a 26 kx450. Kawi worry’s because of reliability. Also how is the suspension on the ktms? My last ktm was 2015 at bought conevalves otherwise I hated the stock suspension. Definitely won’t buy a ktm if it needs conevalves again. I’m 5”8 215 pounds thanks!
Get the 450.
My new 450 sxf 2027 felt like a 350 due to new sound regulations they try to hit. It's slow compared to previous generations.
GET SX1 ECU, Dyno, 2-stroke cage, remove air restrictions plates and it's better but still with 13/51 OEM gearing instead of 14/51 as you could run on old generation, it's slower.
IMO, given you haven’t ridden in 10 years and aren’t exactly a sprightly youth, get a 350. Still has plenty of power available but will be less fatiguing and more fun. And if after a few months you want to add some more power, its relatively easy to do with an ECU.
The suspension on these new KTMs is quite good out of the box – no its not perfect but not many brands are. And given your weight, it wouldn’t matter what brand you got, you will need to get the suspension re-sprung and re-valved anyway. REP seems to have good settings for the WP air forks.
I just got a 24 350sxf a few weeks ago. Most of bikes lately have been modded out 250f for the last 20 years. It is crazy how much power this 350 has compared to my prior bikes. When I do ride someone's 450 I usually do not like how the power kind of wears me out. So far, the couple days that I have ridden the 350, arm pump has not been a problem. I have not started ridding it like a 250 all the time, I sometimes lug it a little like a 450.
I am a 55-year-old vet A rider that weight is between 170-185 depending on the day. I am glad I switched colors and have a now white ktm instead of a white Yamaha.
Do you favour power or handling and are you a revver or a lugger? I have owned many 350's and 450's and no 450 will ever handle as nice as a 350. I prefer handling over everything else so always prefer the 350.
That's not in anyway saying the 350 doesn't have the power. I'm 220lbs, vet B, and ride mostly deep sand and the 350 has more than enough power, it can be lugged to a point but to get the most out of it likes to be ridden a bit higher in the rev range. If you are exclusively a lugger the 450 might be a better option.
I am a ktm fan but that is mainly because of the 350, if I were to go a 450 I'd definitely be looking at the new red or blue 450's. Or waiting on the new ktm factory edition.
As for suspension on the ktm I feel the stock stuff is very good. If you ride soft dirt the air forks are as good as anything. Some don't get along with air forks but i think this is more on hardpack surfaces. If you wanted to go to a spring fork my last choice would be conevalves. There are alot more options now with the 6500 kit, kyb conversion, ohlins and dal soggio's. I have tried most and my favourite is the dal soggio's by far.
The Shop
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
The Chinese 350 has gotten rave advance reviews from the Vital collective, but if it shits itself in 2 oil changes, its your fault.
I made a post about riding a fast bike slow or slow bike fast. How do you ride and whats your goal, terrain, riding style.
I ride a 450 in 3rd on up bc thats how they're most stable, but its boring. So ride the slower bike fast and swallow your pride but enjoy more laps.
The 350 for sure. Might have to go up a spring rate in the rear, but also maybe not, ride it first and see. Air forks are good now and you can dial that in with a pump.
I just picked up a 27 a month ago….this is my 4th 350…love these bikes….I ride all kinds of different bikes, Vintage/Evo, 125”s, 150”s, 300”s….love them all…but…. The 350 is a bike I can jump on and within a few laps feel right at home…perfect blend of power and handling……they have much improved low end vs the earlier models but still make serious power when rev”d to the moon….all my bikes have been reliable as a rock….the tracks you ride also play a part in what bike is best….most of my local tracks are a bit tighter, technical tracks, the 450”s feel like tanks….7-8 years ago I rode a 350…..never looked back…sold my 450 2 weeks later…59 ..190lbs…Vet/ SR A rider….
You probably didn't mean it this way... but I can assure you there's nothing slow about a 350 at full tilt. They full on rip.
Lots of mid to high end power. I always have a hard time coming from my 450 to the 350. I ride my 450 85% of the time. and it's easier for me to ride.
215, that's a 51 minimum, 54 for sure preferred. But need rebound revalved in rear.
Smoke, 300SX or 350RX. Fixed
Im in the exact same boat. I think I'm gonna buy a very low hour 350 to try. Was heavily leaning stark because itd be the perfect bike for following my kid around (slowly) as well as getting some motos in. However, im not sure in ready to give up racing the races i enjoy since they dont allow battery bikes. I rode my yz450 n loved it, but my riding style is high rpms and riding a 450 like that does me no favors. I hope to buy one with kyb conversion as well and will add fmf pipe with 250 header, xpr flange, and ecu. If i still want more the 2nd injector should help.
go on you tube and watch any 350 vs 450 video and be shocked at the lap time difference, and then be shocked again when the guy that just went significantly faster on the 350 say he is going to stick with his 450 because he just thinks he is a “450 guy” 🤦♂️
So funny lol. So true.
Mosimans national attempt on a 350 where he ate poorly and crashed mid day with no energy from no food, blames the bad results still on the 350, switches to a 450 and has the same results with better food/fueling.
So better fueling on the 350 may have been better results. Certainly 450 wasn’t the answer.
I also love that “the guy” who’s supposed to tell you which torque spec and which handle bar material feels the best, couldn’t tell he was 3 seconds a lap faster on the 350, faster on a 250, and slowest on the 450. He was wrong on every choice.
But these are the guys feeding us all the info and fueling all the narratives on how bikes feel.
This is exactly how my 27 is setup…but with just the fmf muffler and no 2nd injector….conevalve forks setup by FC. Never stops pulling and can cut an inside line like a 450 can only dream about….guys coming off 450”s, and I was one of them, ride them wrong at first….you have to bleed the gears before you shift…it takes a while to adjust….you have to fully commit to the bike….
I post this like a half dozen times a year but the fact that no other manufacturer is producing a 350 makes me feel like I'm taking crazy pills. How many guys in this thread would immediately buy a YZ350F if Yamaha would just make the damn thing?
Im pretty past the mental part. Trying to actually use my brain and ride something that compliments my riding style a little more.
I have one buddy who was around a big batch of 350s. He tells me theyre junk. Some plastic part in the head melts, blew bottom ends apart, all kinda things. Some issues happened with less than 3 hours. However all the reading i do I rarely read of any big issues. People just loading them with hours.
Pit Row
There’s been like 15 350s in my group only 1 ever failed and it had 80 hours when he bought it so who knows its history, and like 130 when it failed. But all the others, zero failures. The one that failed was also the oldest of them all, a 2016, probably not extremely relevant to anything 2020 plus.
Thats what im seeing through research as well. I believe the person telling me tho. He was involved in a pretty high level off-road orange team.
The part was a plastic oil pump gear. The teeth can wear out and strip and you lose oil pressure. For sure a terrible design, but clearly not wide spread enough to warrant a recall or a change for some time, I’m not sure if they ever changed it honestly.
You pretty much described my 350. No ecu though. I do have a Luxon rear link, Ride Eng 23.5 clamps, PHDS mounts, and 6500s. Dual injectors are tempting me…
I’ve considered trying a 450, or a KX327, but I do really like my 350.
This would be the most sold bike hands down. I own a 25 350sxf and a 27 yz250f, if these 2 bikes had a baby it could possibly be the greatest bike ever made. But sadly I think this may never happen.
A Triumph 350 is what you describe.
Nah I had a tf450rc and if they made there 350 along the same line as there 450 I don't think it would be that great. Both yamaha 250f and ktm 350 have a very quick revving lively motor, the triumph is far from that.
How did those 23.5 clamps treat you. I got my '23 pretty dialed but improvements can still always be made. I have a Luxon rear link too
I would be curious if they were running waterless coolant. If the engine gets too hot there is a plastic piece at the breather that fits in the end of the cam and if it melts the cam can have issues.
The 2023+ gen has metal gears. No longer an issue. Also, the newer gears easily retrofit to the previous generation bike.
The bike felt more planted, stable, and soft. Many mods I struggle to feel a meaningful difference, these are easy to feel.
Honestly from what I've seen, guys just like saying they ride a 450. Can be vet guys or whatever that hit the trails a few times a year, but they view riding anything smaller as lesser than. Which is fine because its still bike sales, they have it for a few years before the wife says sell it and a low hour 450 is up for sale.
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