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Source: My son has a 18 KTM350, one of my close friends has a 19 KX450. I can ride either of them whenever I want. In the last few months I've also ridden a 18.5 Factory Edition and a 19 YZ450. Truth is they're all so much more capable than I am it's silly.
I’d have a new Kawasaki if they still made a 2-stroke.
they didn't like being talked down to about the way the sport was to be going.
so here they are, doing well, filling up the podiums.
good for them, they kept giving the riders choices, which in the end rewarded them with more sales and popularity.
The fix for this and any pro mx mechanic will tell you is to run a crank works or carillo rod,
well long story short carillo is owned by pankl, which is what comes factory in the ktm.
Also the mapping is terrible on jap bikes, and the valveseats have a chemical reaction to pump fuel causing them to deteriorate, and not only that but when the valve starts to seat too far into the head the collets get loose and then drop the valve.
Some bikes getting produced today (im not gonna say which ones). Are designed to fail on purpose.
I had to learn the hard way,
Yamahas have weak rods, terrible mapping,
kawis have a issue that needs revised on every model year for 250f and 450f which is a crankcase breather shaft that is a pressed fit that turns in crankcase, and then bottom end cant release pressure,
suzuki's aparently fixed there issue with transmissions.
hondas mapping is so slow it cant produce horsepower, thats why there motors last the longest, they are bullet proof but will never ever get you a holeshot.
KTM/Husqvarna is made with Del west valves, basically a vortex ignition, and carillo rod with cp piston, and hinson clutch cork.
so i mean in reality they are a bike that comes with all the upgrades factory except Ceramic bearings and copper seats and guides
i know im gonna get hated on for this post, but its the truth and ive rode all models
I Rode a ktm 250sx in 2014 at demo day and hated it. Theyve slowly got nicer and nicer over many year with the Achilles heel being the suspension. Then once the aer48 came out the ktm became the perfect package.
Still, I miss my heavy and outdated 2014 Kawi 450. Maybe it's because I don't ride that much anymore but I never enjoy riding the KTM as much as I did with that bike.
HP, weight, etc are just numbers, there must be something else...
Pit Row
4CS hater, thanks for going against your user name. You should have mentioned the awesome forks that Ktm has come with over the years...That EASY to work on shock... Etc.
Parts prices
Uh uh uh
MINI 50 SL70 XR75 XR400 CB750 CB400 CR125 RUCKUS XR250
TM125 RMZ250 RMZ450 RMZ450 RMZ250 DL650 DR650 DRZ400
YZ125 YZ250F WR400
KDX200 KX400 KX125
LC400 520EXC 450XC 250SX 125SX
200EXC
And some other bikes
I love them all.
Yes and I haven't had one come loose or seize up in a brass insert.
And what Austrian metals are superior to Japanese metals specifically used on motorcycles? What steel compositions? I snapped an oem KTM motor mount bolt torquing it to spec. My old man’s SXF250 had the rear shock spring snap in half. Looking at the steel you could see it was defective in the grain structure. To KTM’s credit, they did warranty the spring.
I’m not saying KTM bikes are junk, they aren’t. I’m happy in general with mine but to say it is a higher quality motorcycle than the Japanese brands is just not true in my experience.
The OEM YZ 125 cylinder is $359.48 plus $97.21 for the piston and ring so $456.69, nearly $350 less than the KTM 150.
I take it that you're trying to imply that I can't compare the parts costs because Yamaha doesn't make a 150? The KTM 125 cylinder and piston kit is $689.11 so still over $200 more than Yamaha.
I don't believe KTM is the only brand standing behind their products. KTM attempts to market themselves as a premium brand and they've done a good job at it but that doesn't mean they're the only owns manufacturing a good product and taking care of their customers. The last Kawi I bought new, a 2014 KX250F, I paid less for than what a new KTM 125 would've cost and I never had any issues with it.
I don't like riding 4-strokes anymore so my modern bike is now a KTM and good on them for continuing to develop new 2-strokes but I don't buy this better quality than the Japanese bikes narrative that some people try to create.
Post a reply to: Japan defeats the world...until now? I don't understand