Realibility/ Hassle - Ktm 50sx or Cobra cx50 king

peltier626
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LA US
1/6/2021 8:38am
Suggestion as to which one is more reliable and less headaches, Thanks.
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1/6/2021 8:49am Edited Date/Time 1/6/2021 8:57am
They are both headaches.

Cobra has better components/materials but some odd fit/finish issues. Frames have been prone to cracking in past.

Clutch maintenance is the main time drain for both and they require new clutch oil every ride. When you see where these things are designed to disengage -- like 9k rpm or thereabouts -- it is easy to see why. The KTM clutch does hold up a little better, but the replacement clutch is a lot more expensive.

Personally, I think the Cobra is a better bike from a performance standpoint, but both are just miserable little things to own. Fortunately, the kids are on them for a very short period of time.

AngryBear
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Asheville, NC US
1/6/2021 9:09am
They are both headaches. Cobra has better components/materials but some odd fit/finish issues. Frames have been prone to cracking in past. Clutch maintenance is the main...
They are both headaches.

Cobra has better components/materials but some odd fit/finish issues. Frames have been prone to cracking in past.

Clutch maintenance is the main time drain for both and they require new clutch oil every ride. When you see where these things are designed to disengage -- like 9k rpm or thereabouts -- it is easy to see why. The KTM clutch does hold up a little better, but the replacement clutch is a lot more expensive.

Personally, I think the Cobra is a better bike from a performance standpoint, but both are just miserable little things to own. Fortunately, the kids are on them for a very short period of time.

cobras are faster

ktm/hus/gasgas are super nice

teach kids how to ride right. mini dads like to go on and on about how much maintenance they are, but a lot depends what kind of riding, and how your kid is riding.

a beginner kid, who is riding right, ie not constantly blipping the throttle? i have one of those with over 50hrs on the clutch, and its fine. i change oil every 3-5hrs. really the only difference in maintenance between our 50 and 65 is more frequent oil changes.
2
MOTO120
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MOTO, IL US
1/6/2021 9:19am
I'm thinking an electric KTM/Husq/GG is going to be in our future this year....
6
Titan1
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Lehi, UT US
1/6/2021 9:30am Edited Date/Time 1/6/2021 9:31am
My son has a 50sx...I'm selling it an getting him an electric KTM. The reason is 3 parts maintenance (I hate it), and 2 parts performance.

He's a beginner, and riding off road...its throttle blipping all day...and since they have no torque down low...and can only gain power/torque with speed...off road its hard when he has to go slow over a techy section, but still needs power to get over an obstacle. The e-bike is the best for him right now (if he was a better rider the sx wouldn't be such a disadvantage in the technical stuff).
3

The Shop

drivrswntd
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Johnston, RI US
1/6/2021 9:56am
They are both headaches. Cobra has better components/materials but some odd fit/finish issues. Frames have been prone to cracking in past. Clutch maintenance is the main...
They are both headaches.

Cobra has better components/materials but some odd fit/finish issues. Frames have been prone to cracking in past.

Clutch maintenance is the main time drain for both and they require new clutch oil every ride. When you see where these things are designed to disengage -- like 9k rpm or thereabouts -- it is easy to see why. The KTM clutch does hold up a little better, but the replacement clutch is a lot more expensive.

Personally, I think the Cobra is a better bike from a performance standpoint, but both are just miserable little things to own. Fortunately, the kids are on them for a very short period of time.

AngryBear wrote:
cobras are faster ktm/hus/gasgas are super nice teach kids how to ride right. mini dads like to go on and on about how much maintenance they...
cobras are faster

ktm/hus/gasgas are super nice

teach kids how to ride right. mini dads like to go on and on about how much maintenance they are, but a lot depends what kind of riding, and how your kid is riding.

a beginner kid, who is riding right, ie not constantly blipping the throttle? i have one of those with over 50hrs on the clutch, and its fine. i change oil every 3-5hrs. really the only difference in maintenance between our 50 and 65 is more frequent oil changes.
Bingo on trying to teach the dont blip but also difficult when they are woods riding. My daughter just came out of her KTM 50. 2018 and we got 80 hours out of the stock clutch before we had to replace it. Combination of woods and MX riding. The newer style clutch's are much better than the old spring/washer stack setups. My son has 40 hours so far on his 20 KTM 50 and its been a rock star. Have a 21 KTM 50 FWE on order.

We use Pax spec jet carbs on all of them and they run great. They come rather rich from the factory. Also with the clutch the best way to start these bikes when cold is on a stand. They can be a pita to fire on the ground when cold. Ours always fire first kick with the choke on when on the stand. Also call BS on everyone that makes the stator claims with these. We have never had an issue and our local KTM dealer that supports us has not seen a stator fail yet on a 50. Keep fresh oil in them and clean filters and they run great. Oil changes intervals are more on rider style. I will change after 2-3 hours of woods riding and before and after every race moto weekend. If your kid stays on the throttle and isnt slipping the clutch you'll be surprised how clean the oil will be. I'll change the oil after a weekend of racing on my daughters bike and it will come out still red and clear. My other we are still working on it but he doesnt have nearly as many hours on the 50 as she did.
3
AngryBear
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Location
Asheville, NC US
1/6/2021 10:23am
They are both headaches. Cobra has better components/materials but some odd fit/finish issues. Frames have been prone to cracking in past. Clutch maintenance is the main...
They are both headaches.

Cobra has better components/materials but some odd fit/finish issues. Frames have been prone to cracking in past.

Clutch maintenance is the main time drain for both and they require new clutch oil every ride. When you see where these things are designed to disengage -- like 9k rpm or thereabouts -- it is easy to see why. The KTM clutch does hold up a little better, but the replacement clutch is a lot more expensive.

Personally, I think the Cobra is a better bike from a performance standpoint, but both are just miserable little things to own. Fortunately, the kids are on them for a very short period of time.

AngryBear wrote:
cobras are faster ktm/hus/gasgas are super nice teach kids how to ride right. mini dads like to go on and on about how much maintenance they...
cobras are faster

ktm/hus/gasgas are super nice

teach kids how to ride right. mini dads like to go on and on about how much maintenance they are, but a lot depends what kind of riding, and how your kid is riding.

a beginner kid, who is riding right, ie not constantly blipping the throttle? i have one of those with over 50hrs on the clutch, and its fine. i change oil every 3-5hrs. really the only difference in maintenance between our 50 and 65 is more frequent oil changes.
drivrswntd wrote:
Bingo on trying to teach the dont blip but also difficult when they are woods riding. My daughter just came out of her KTM 50. 2018...
Bingo on trying to teach the dont blip but also difficult when they are woods riding. My daughter just came out of her KTM 50. 2018 and we got 80 hours out of the stock clutch before we had to replace it. Combination of woods and MX riding. The newer style clutch's are much better than the old spring/washer stack setups. My son has 40 hours so far on his 20 KTM 50 and its been a rock star. Have a 21 KTM 50 FWE on order.

We use Pax spec jet carbs on all of them and they run great. They come rather rich from the factory. Also with the clutch the best way to start these bikes when cold is on a stand. They can be a pita to fire on the ground when cold. Ours always fire first kick with the choke on when on the stand. Also call BS on everyone that makes the stator claims with these. We have never had an issue and our local KTM dealer that supports us has not seen a stator fail yet on a 50. Keep fresh oil in them and clean filters and they run great. Oil changes intervals are more on rider style. I will change after 2-3 hours of woods riding and before and after every race moto weekend. If your kid stays on the throttle and isnt slipping the clutch you'll be surprised how clean the oil will be. I'll change the oil after a weekend of racing on my daughters bike and it will come out still red and clear. My other we are still working on it but he doesnt have nearly as many hours on the 50 as she did.
this.

honestly, i feel like its some kind of mini dad right of passage to complain about clutches/stators. reality is all bikes are maintenance, and there are trades. you'll get more life out of brakes/tires/etc on these than a bigger bike. keep filters clean, and oil fresh.

and I hear you on woods. our current TC50 has now being ridden by son #2. if I was buying new, i'd absolutely be looking into electric. it should solve a lot of the engagement @ 9k rpm issues for woods riding. the issue then will be battery life when on the trails/far from the truck...
LungButter
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Yellow Pine, ID US
1/6/2021 11:02am
What year did the clutch get better?

My son is gonna be ready to step up from the PW by the end of this year I think, he is on the throttle pretty hard on the PW so hopefully he's not a "blipper" but we do ride primarily off road.
drivrswntd
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1/6/2021 11:33am
LungButter wrote:
What year did the clutch get better? My son is gonna be ready to step up from the PW by the end of this year I...
What year did the clutch get better?

My son is gonna be ready to step up from the PW by the end of this year I think, he is on the throttle pretty hard on the PW so hopefully he's not a "blipper" but we do ride primarily off road.
Clutch redesign happened in 2013
2
mtndoc_842
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1/6/2021 12:15pm Edited Date/Time 1/6/2021 12:17pm
I have two kids on 50s right now. Both race off road in the 4-6 class on KTMs. We looked at Cobra but the CX50 is pretty tall compared to a 50sx and new Cobra are about impossible to get.

Clutches-once you get them adjusted they aren't bad, we have had good luck with them. My daughter is the fastest of the two and runs 12 clicks in. My boy is younger and only runs 9. Finding the right setting where they don't blip and don't over heat takes work, but when you find a setting things are pretty stable. Get a clutch cover with the port to adjust the clutch and it's a lifesaver.

Overheating-I had awful over heating problems until I switched to water with water wetter in the radiators. Just make sure they dont freeze in the winter. I thought about running Evans but sounds like it doesn't cool any better it just doesn't boil over.

Gearing-this is huge, the little bikes had trouble going up the hills, change up your gearing and it helps a lot.

Stators-my daughters mini had 150 hrs on it and on the stock stator, but she rarely over heats the bike. My boy has cooked one stator but he over heated pretty bad, I wasn't surprised. The biggest symptom was hard starting and cutting out at high revs.

Oil- I just run the cheap wal mart ATF, they only hold like 200cc, I always over fill, and change it every ride.
3
kage173
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TX US
1/6/2021 12:17pm
The KTM 50 is a giant pain in the ass.
1
4DAIVIPAI2K5
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Coshocton, OH US
1/6/2021 4:24pm
If you want to be serious and race get a cobra. Ours were reliable as could be. From Jr's and Sr's to 65's
chump6784
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AU
1/6/2021 6:33pm
My kids put 84 hours on our 50sx with no problems. When I bought it for my daughter I adjusted the clutch to 4 clicks in. As she progressed I wound the clutch in more. When my son started riding it I set the clutch at 6 clicks in and then adjusted as he got faster. I also added an extra tooth on the rear sprocket to allow those clutch settings to work
peltier626
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Location
LA US
1/7/2021 8:46am
They are both headaches. Cobra has better components/materials but some odd fit/finish issues. Frames have been prone to cracking in past. Clutch maintenance is the main...
They are both headaches.

Cobra has better components/materials but some odd fit/finish issues. Frames have been prone to cracking in past.

Clutch maintenance is the main time drain for both and they require new clutch oil every ride. When you see where these things are designed to disengage -- like 9k rpm or thereabouts -- it is easy to see why. The KTM clutch does hold up a little better, but the replacement clutch is a lot more expensive.

Personally, I think the Cobra is a better bike from a performance standpoint, but both are just miserable little things to own. Fortunately, the kids are on them for a very short period of time.

Thanks for the input, I'm focusing on reliability and ease of ownership over performance.
peltier626
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LA US
1/7/2021 8:50am
They are both headaches. Cobra has better components/materials but some odd fit/finish issues. Frames have been prone to cracking in past. Clutch maintenance is the main...
They are both headaches.

Cobra has better components/materials but some odd fit/finish issues. Frames have been prone to cracking in past.

Clutch maintenance is the main time drain for both and they require new clutch oil every ride. When you see where these things are designed to disengage -- like 9k rpm or thereabouts -- it is easy to see why. The KTM clutch does hold up a little better, but the replacement clutch is a lot more expensive.

Personally, I think the Cobra is a better bike from a performance standpoint, but both are just miserable little things to own. Fortunately, the kids are on them for a very short period of time.

AngryBear wrote:
cobras are faster ktm/hus/gasgas are super nice teach kids how to ride right. mini dads like to go on and on about how much maintenance they...
cobras are faster

ktm/hus/gasgas are super nice

teach kids how to ride right. mini dads like to go on and on about how much maintenance they are, but a lot depends what kind of riding, and how your kid is riding.

a beginner kid, who is riding right, ie not constantly blipping the throttle? i have one of those with over 50hrs on the clutch, and its fine. i change oil every 3-5hrs. really the only difference in maintenance between our 50 and 65 is more frequent oil changes.
drivrswntd wrote:
Bingo on trying to teach the dont blip but also difficult when they are woods riding. My daughter just came out of her KTM 50. 2018...
Bingo on trying to teach the dont blip but also difficult when they are woods riding. My daughter just came out of her KTM 50. 2018 and we got 80 hours out of the stock clutch before we had to replace it. Combination of woods and MX riding. The newer style clutch's are much better than the old spring/washer stack setups. My son has 40 hours so far on his 20 KTM 50 and its been a rock star. Have a 21 KTM 50 FWE on order.

We use Pax spec jet carbs on all of them and they run great. They come rather rich from the factory. Also with the clutch the best way to start these bikes when cold is on a stand. They can be a pita to fire on the ground when cold. Ours always fire first kick with the choke on when on the stand. Also call BS on everyone that makes the stator claims with these. We have never had an issue and our local KTM dealer that supports us has not seen a stator fail yet on a 50. Keep fresh oil in them and clean filters and they run great. Oil changes intervals are more on rider style. I will change after 2-3 hours of woods riding and before and after every race moto weekend. If your kid stays on the throttle and isnt slipping the clutch you'll be surprised how clean the oil will be. I'll change the oil after a weekend of racing on my daughters bike and it will come out still red and clear. My other we are still working on it but he doesnt have nearly as many hours on the 50 as she did.
Track only, my son's coming off a pw for 2 years and now on a lowered ttr110. He rides well and can pass kids on fast 50's at the track but he is tiny and the ttr is heavy and limited to it's capabilities. I was hoping he would grow quickly and would be able to skip to a 65 but the lil man ain't growing. Thanks for the pointers.
peltier626
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LA US
1/7/2021 8:51am
mtndoc_842 wrote:
I have two kids on 50s right now. Both race off road in the 4-6 class on KTMs. We looked at Cobra but the CX50 is...
I have two kids on 50s right now. Both race off road in the 4-6 class on KTMs. We looked at Cobra but the CX50 is pretty tall compared to a 50sx and new Cobra are about impossible to get.

Clutches-once you get them adjusted they aren't bad, we have had good luck with them. My daughter is the fastest of the two and runs 12 clicks in. My boy is younger and only runs 9. Finding the right setting where they don't blip and don't over heat takes work, but when you find a setting things are pretty stable. Get a clutch cover with the port to adjust the clutch and it's a lifesaver.

Overheating-I had awful over heating problems until I switched to water with water wetter in the radiators. Just make sure they dont freeze in the winter. I thought about running Evans but sounds like it doesn't cool any better it just doesn't boil over.

Gearing-this is huge, the little bikes had trouble going up the hills, change up your gearing and it helps a lot.

Stators-my daughters mini had 150 hrs on it and on the stock stator, but she rarely over heats the bike. My boy has cooked one stator but he over heated pretty bad, I wasn't surprised. The biggest symptom was hard starting and cutting out at high revs.

Oil- I just run the cheap wal mart ATF, they only hold like 200cc, I always over fill, and change it every ride.
Thanks for the suggestion.
peltier626
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1401
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Location
LA US
1/7/2021 8:52am
If you want to be serious and race get a cobra. Ours were reliable as could be. From Jr's and Sr's to 65's
We are definitely not interested about serious racing, hobby/ professional practicers here. I'm looking for less headache and reliability over performance. Thanks for the input.
peltier626
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1/7/2021 8:53am
chump6784 wrote:
My kids put 84 hours on our 50sx with no problems. When I bought it for my daughter I adjusted the clutch to 4 clicks in...
My kids put 84 hours on our 50sx with no problems. When I bought it for my daughter I adjusted the clutch to 4 clicks in. As she progressed I wound the clutch in more. When my son started riding it I set the clutch at 6 clicks in and then adjusted as he got faster. I also added an extra tooth on the rear sprocket to allow those clutch settings to work
Thanks.
Twosonsllc
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Location
New Iberia, LA US
3/8/2023 4:40pm
chump6784 wrote:
My kids put 84 hours on our 50sx with no problems. When I bought it for my daughter I adjusted the clutch to 4 clicks in...
My kids put 84 hours on our 50sx with no problems. When I bought it for my daughter I adjusted the clutch to 4 clicks in. As she progressed I wound the clutch in more. When my son started riding it I set the clutch at 6 clicks in and then adjusted as he got faster. I also added an extra tooth on the rear sprocket to allow those clutch settings to work
peltier626 wrote:
Thanks.

This is a topic that comes up more than which oil to use in what. Everyone has their own opinion. With that being said I would like to give you mine. Haha…. I have had Oset mx10,pw50 a, ttr50s, crf50 s, and now own two ktm 50s. One is a 2021 50 factory edition and the other is a 2014 50 mini. The 2021 has about 7 hours and runs flawless. The 2014 however is a nightmare. Constant stator and clutch issues. I would not advise anyone to buy an older ktm 50. There was a post further back that was considering going with the Ktm E5 electric. I will advise against it based on the stories I have heard but I do not own one. I will say that I have have a Oset Mx10 and honestly that bike has been the best bike I have ever owned. I actually mean it’s the best bike I have EVER owned based on service and reliability. I don’t work for Oset and I’m just a dad that likes to take his kids to ride dirt bikes. I have only had one problem with the Oset and that was ME breaking the charger oring and had to get a new one. They had a lot of issues with the earlier charges from what I was told and they warranties the $300 charger. I wish the suspension was a little better on the Oset but that’s probably the only other gripe. Definitely look into them because of the reliability and the battery life. Ktm e5 = 45 min or so, Oset = 2-3 hours on full charge. We actually only get about a hour and a half but that’s with my oldest running it ragged.

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