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Damnit, can’t resist my 2 cents. I’m not brand loyal, all dirtbikes are cool and have good/bad things. Comparing a KTM to a Honda (have both) the Honda just seems overbuilt. The KTM engines are like Swiss watches and no reason to even touch a top end on a 450 until 160+ hours. Clutches last forever. I’ve OJ’d more than a couple times, no issues.
ONE area they need to improve is the wiring security, rub points, seems kind of thrown on there, they need to clean that up.
Honestly, if I had more disposable income, I would probably have one instead of my KX450F. But when you can get a new Kawi for $3k less than a KTM, and you’re a broke ass, you look at things different.
.pick a color or dealer you like.
The Shop
Personally i dont see how a wood screw is stronger than a normal bolt of the same diameter. The ID is smaller on a wood screw. To each their own i guess.
The Japanese bikes are actually damn good, the KTM and Husky bikes SHOULD be good too, they have more expensive materials, aftermarket parts, etc.
Imagine IF the Japanese bikes all went back to steel frames, with great air forks and super small light and reliable engines....dont want that? then dont complain.
Vitards are fickle, they hated air forks, some Japanese manufacturers went back to spring so they hated on them adding the weight because of the spring forks ....no win situation right there.
I suspect Japanese bikes are also being rebuilt before necessary.
A mate went on the course for the Husky motor , and he said its unreal , even compared to a 15.. so much stuff just pared away.
Also the top Husky SM team in Germany, who we just picked a couple of bikes up from , recommend not running quickshifters , because the gears arent as strong as they were .
It all adds up.
Pit Row
Believe it or not, they are actually more expensive to buy and use in manufacturing than the traditional steel bolt/nut.
They are more expensive per unit because they are designed for low-volume niche applications like this one whereas the traditional steel bolt/nut fastener combo is bought in volume at drastically cheaper prices.
On top of the purchase price, it also costs us more $$ in labor to pay the operators to run them down by hand because it is mostly a "feel" application when they are tight. With the steel bolt/nut, we only have to pay an operator a few seconds of labor because they can use a power tool (like a small impact) to just run it down tight. The fasteners we are talking about here require us to pay the operator for 10-15 seconds of labor because they must start and finish the rundown by hand.
KTM made the decision that the extra cost and assembly time was worth it to save a couple tenths of an ounce per bolt. If you can't use a simple scenario like this to understand their logic and passion for performance, you need a major attitude adjustment.
Back to back with any other Japanese brand bike it seems like the ktm/husky model machines have a few more issues than say the average Japanese brand bike. Not saying one brand is better than the next. Each brand has items they do better than the next. I can list off certain aspects about every brand that I like better than the next, and ktm has some great things they do and others not so much. One thing sticks out for sure is durability. I know as stated above there are gentleman reaching stupid amount of hours on "x" brand of bike etc. But are you bouncing it off the Rev limiter? Are you a Justin Barcia or a Kevin Windham? Are you weekend warrior cruising trails or a avid racer etc. Each wears a bike differently... How you maintain a machine (obviously) affects performance/reliability/and longevity...
I'm not debating how one person maintains their machine over the next....
But things I have seen which baffles me. ( All of which were low hour machines, under 20 and by trail riders/weekend warriors and amature racers) maintenance on these machines were taken care of on a normal routine basis
Egged cylinders
Broken frames
Broken foot peg mounts
Transmissions transmissions transmissions!
Sub frames
Triple clamps....
Cracked cases
Most of these items were warrantied by ktm and replaced for nothing so kudos to them that's awesome, I know before anyone says it... Yes trying to get a Japanese brand to warranty anything is like pulling teeth... Good luck.
250sxf
350sx/ xc?
450sxf
The “wood screws” are actually awesome in their intended applications. They NEVER back out. Not once, not ever have I lost a screw...Nor have I ever had one strip or fail. Squirreldick is just arguing that the sky is green.
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