Posts
4202
Joined
5/16/2007
Location
Ashbourne
GB
Edited Date/Time
8/29/2012 10:47am
Early on when Ryan Dungey signed for Roger deCoster and the new KTM programme, there were loads of posters on here saying how crap, ill handling KTM's were! There was especially a lot of venom towards the KTM SX350F!
Has the championship changed your perspective on the brand ? backed up by their world MXGP success and off road titles.
Has the championship changed your perspective on the brand ? backed up by their world MXGP success and off road titles.
Maybe it was the PDS? Still KTM dominated europe's motocross scene with PDS.
I also like the idea of having a european built bike instead of a JAP bike.
KTM are showing the USA what the rest of the world already new a few years ago.
That 350 is leading the world and British Championship too!
The Shop
But I will if I ever buy a new bike again. Its a 2T thing now.
When it comes time to work on a bike, hands down I prefer to work on the YZ because it "makes sense". I hope KTM will correct the quirks (if they haven't already, mine's an '09) and continue to develop two strokes and bikes that fill the displacement gaps that exist. I hope to have my wife on a 200 when she can ride again and I see the 350 as an ideal size if I ever go back to a four stroke. Electric start is the shit, also. Never thought it would be until I got it.
I plan to buy another bike soon and have been wanting a KTM 2 stroke. I've always owned Honda,Yamaha, or Kawasaki - it will be my 1st KTM owned. I've ridden one, but never wrenched on it.
2. the counter shaft seal will leak when the sprocket wears. I am told that adding an O ring between the sprocket and seal will cure it. haven't gotten that far yet. Purchased the Enduro Engineering CS seal kit instead
3. the stock battery doesn't have enough juice to run the e-start consistently. I installed a Li-ion and it works great even in winter.
4. Jetting changes require removing the carb from the boots. There isn't enough clearance between the float bowl and cases to change a MJ without removing the carb and rolling the carb to the side isn't an option either. KTM's tend to drool also. The jetting chart tends to be about two sizes rich on the main and usually one step rich on the needle (my experience)
5. The internal chamber of the forks need to be bled occasionally because fork oil from the outer chamber will get pushed past the seal and pressurize the inner chamber resulting in a harsh ride. The fork cap wrench and a low pressure air pump with a nitrogen needle is needed
6. The fitment of the air filter isn't as mindless as on my YZ. It takes some double checking to make sure it is correct until you have the procedure ingrained in your mind
7. Not sure if it still the case or not. There is a pin on the power valve actuator arm that needs to be tack welded to keep it from falling out over time. Yes, it will fall into the bottom end of your motor and wreak havoc
8. The owners manual is not as informative as the Yamaha manuals. It is mainly a parts schematic.
Overall none of these are big deals, just minor annoyances. Each of the issues have inexpensive or easy cures, as long as you take the time to cure the issue. Thumpertalk, Slaven's and KTMtalk are good resources especially when the bike is new to you and you're trying to be proactive about the quirks
On the positive side, the power is great and you can tune it easily to your liking with the power valve springs. I like that it is on the quiet side in stock form. When the quirks are overcome, there hasn't been much maintenance to keep up with. The brakes! Holy cow, the brakes. I love Brembo brakes. Ergonomically it is a neutral bike and has similar amounts of room to my YZ. At 5'11" and 210 lbs I find it to be comfortable. For motocross I am a C class rider and in the woods or desert I am a B class rider.
Ping Replica KTM
Skid mark I've noticed 2 of those problems you've noticed ( battery and the throttle cable). I find the Ktms quite nice to work on. I guess I haven't really worked on any others before so maybe I can't comment but I have no complaints. I guess it is just what you are used to.
so I still feel the same and am in love with the 13 450 I just picked up. I have a feeling this will be one of the best bikes I'll ever own.
The 2-strokes were amazing.
No need for a weld. You can peen it.
One big plus about ktm is ktmtalk.com There is so much information that it makes up for the manual being kind of obscure sometimes (or just plain wrong. I spent some time looking for the oil drain until I went to the forum and found out that the picture in the manual was from an older model and the drain was on the other side than where I was looking)
That's how I found out about the power valve pin (mine hadn't moved but I peened it just to be on the safe side)
My opinion of KTM hasn't changed. The only thing I'm blown away by it how fast they got the new 450 up to speed.
Pit Row
There several ironies in this post and the origin of this thread.
One is that the usual overseas twits are acting out of their own parochial worldview to generalize about US perceptions of KTMs based on the half dozen KTM bashers on this forum.
Another irony is that on a predominately US member forum, there looks to be about as many non Americans responding to this thread with negative comments about KTM's.
And another irony is that by and large the health and growth of KTM has largely been built on the foundation of their overall success in the US market over the last 10-15 years. The brand is and has been hugely popular here, if only more so for mx'ers in the last couple years.
That said, and as a KTM owner now and since 2003, as much as its true that Dungey's and KTM's accomplishment validates they have an elite rider and an elite bike capable of winning championships here, no one can say that the new 450 hasn't had teething problems off the factory team (clutch, etc.). It's an amazing accomplishment that there aren't more rough edges given the extraordinary short development time from concept to elite wins. But that's single-minded focus on performance dirt bikes is one of the terrific things about the company.
And i'm sorry, but i can't agree with your statement that KTM 250F would be one of the most reliable 250fs out there in the early days. Just the fact that KTM was the last of the big five to sell a 250f obviously speaks for itself.
It's far from flawless, but i would really consider a new ktm if i was looking for a new bike these days.
I bet everyone's wishing their bike fought them to a bunch of wins and a championship!
your screen name makes me wish I was back there. Spent 19 years there, only left due to the lack of money in construction right now.
I have very little seat time on it at this point but I have been totally satisfied so far with my new smoker.
The suspension was revalved for my extra weight before I picked it up from the dealer. I let a friend ride it who has owned and/or ridden several different current model brands of bikes and although the suspension settings should have been way off for him he got off the bike and exclaimed that it was the best bike he had ever ridden. He is now in the process of selling his existing bikes and going to join the Orange Assault crew as well.
KTMs current success can be seen from Pro ranks all the way down to beginners. Their variety of model choices and premium product will only increase their already good sales figures.
There was a time in my life that I would not have even considered buying a KTM. If you have ever considered buying one and are in the market for a new bike I think you should at least consider one and find a way to test ride one.
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