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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...

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...

Yea. If I could get a CRF, for the same price as Kawi, I’d probably go for it, but the deals on 24/25 kawi right now are crazy, I’ve got a 22 kx now ( had a 20 before ) it’s good, but I’ve always wanted it to turn better, and in all my many years of racing I’ve never had a Honda, and the reviews on them are pretty good this year!

Another point of view, which I don’t think I’ve shared, is cutting the shock. I had Enzo lower it by 2 mm, which effectively kicked out the head angle, and ultimately had me go back to the stock offset clamps. Big change in balance front to back and in regards to the bike staying flat. I can now comfortably run 106 mm of rider sag and the bike doesn’t feel too high in the rear to be off throttle or downhill. Wiggle and fast turning feel on the front end are also gone. Adding spacer to lower shock is probably...