Posts
393
Joined
4/11/2008
Location
Redwood City, CA
US
Edited Date/Time
6/20/2022 4:56am
Straight to the point. I currently ride a 2021 MC450 and love it. Have a young son, new business and a wife who would prefer I didn’t race Moto for now. I can still do the occasional track day but am just very limited for time. My thought was to pick up a new Husky that I could ride from the house to the trails when I have a little window to sneak out for a rip. Looking for input deciding between the two bikes? Obviously the power of the larger displacement would be fun but would it turn like a tank in comparison to the 350? Thanks!
Basically the 350 is better in technical singletrack, the 501 is better for general dual sport or faster terrain. Both are seriously neutered from the factory and need work to make them perform as you would expect them to. I’m in the process now. The expensive bits are the suspension and the ECU.
Exhaust, intake, ignition and desmog to get the engines running right and the forks need work, so figure on spending $2500 or so. That being said these bikes are great once you fix them and have earned a reputation of being incredibly reliable and bulletproof. Also stupidly light for a dual purpose. 30-40lbs lighter than the Honda which also needs a lot of work to uncork it.
Lots of guys ride them stock but you’ll be disappointed coming from your 450. You can buy a Beta RRS that works much better out of the box but will the engine go 600-1000 hours without needing any work? Maybe, but the KTM/Husky is proven.
What kind of riding will you be doing with it? I chose the 501 because I wanted something that would do it all AND I found a great deal on one. I would have happily bought a 350 instead for $1000 less in similar condition/mileage but the seller was very slow to respond and I missed out on it. Both sound like great bikes, Like everything else the smaller engine just has less reciprocating mass so is less tiring to ride if you do hard enduro type terrain.
I have not even ridden mine yet, nor have I ridden a 350, so don’t take my words as gospel.. I’m just repeating what I’ve learned from other owners’ experiences that helped me decide what to buy.
I like lower RPM’s and torque so that pulls the 250 and 350 off my list.
The GasGas 350 Enduro (Not a Street Bike out of the crate) is a smoking good deal. If you're gonna ride at night? Get a better headlight. Btw, you -can- register that bike for the street if you do it correctly...see some other forums for how people do that. But, if registering the bike is concern? Get the Husky FE350S.
Good luck!
ps-I'd get a better headlight, like a Baja Designs, for just about any enduro other than the CRF450RL or the new KLR650 (great headlights on both!).
I am in this exact same boat. I currently have a deposit on a Beta 500 RRS. But it has been 4 months. I really want that bike. But since it's taking so long I was considering either the 501 or a 350 as well. I ride from the HD up into Big Bear all the time. Love to hear more responses from peeps in the know.
The Shop
I’ve owned a KTM 500 for the last 15 years.
Started with a ‘07 EXC500, then a ‘09 EXC500, ‘14 EXC500, ‘17 EXC500 and currently a ‘20 EXC500.
I have ridden them in tight/technical single track and just about every type of riding. I’m 56 years old
I went from riding a 450 at the track, to riding a 350 and will never own another 450. Best bike I’ve ever had for motocross, hands down !
Being that said, I bought a XCW300 in ‘19 and love it, it’s my 1st choice for tight/technical riding.
I’ve ridden the EXC350 in Costa Rica and I’ll have to say, I don’t think I will buy another 500. The 350 is a fantastic bike and is plenty of bike for me.
If I could only own one bike, it would be a EXC350, no doubt in my mind.
Personally, and I know they've cut this off for now, a certain state that has Mt Rushmore on it's license plate has VERY friendly licensing rules(S.D.)...but, the county I used has STOPPED out-of-state resident plates. So, you could...look into that.
Note: I would NOT get caught by a CHP/any Bay Area LEO with an out of state plate!
As I said, you can just get the FE-S and be done with it.
Now you can plate almost any bike as long as you can make it meet the equipment guidelines like lighting, horn, mirror, signals, etc. And you no longer have to go to the State Patrol for inspections, an authorized MC dealer can sign off on them.
Our little town has seen a big increase in SXSs and quads being plated, too. Those are mostly only allowed on roads with speed limits of 40-45 or less, though, but from the way it sounds law enforcement doesn’t really care as long as it isn’t a major highway and you aren’t doing anything stupid.
On the track, I've done the suspension (as you would for the extra weight at least) but definitely notice the lack of power. While hot-rodding the motor is the next step, my friend's experience in this regard with his 350 suggests the gains for the 501 will be more accessible and easier to use, both on the track and the road. And if you want to be competitive at all on the track, you will definitely need that extra power. I've raced an MX once this year (riding to the track and back) but noticed the deficit immediately and won't try it again until the motor is tweaked fully. I'm told and would expect that deficit is even more noticeable on the 350.
In the woods (Eastern slope Rocky Mtns), I've been amazed at the tractor-like quality of the motor and the relative agility of the bike on the whole. While the fancy boys on their 300XC's can always run away from me, the 501 stays reasonably close, handles all the gnarliest and tightest trails, and has never let me down.
Frankly, I think you need to be a better rider to get the most out of the 350, while the 501 offers the broadest canvas for riders with varied skill sets. This might sound a bit counter-intuitive, but my experience bears this out.
Pit Row
I want it bad but I don’t want to spend the 13 or 14k and then have to do 3k more in upgrades to get it to feel like a 501 should feel.
They also had a 350 and the salesman even admitted it always really anemic off the floor.
Also looking at CrfRl too but same song different fiddle. Albeit a heavier fiddle.
https://dirtbikemagazine.com/a-closer-look-at-the-2023-ktm-450xcf-w-the…
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