Real world KTM 350 EXC impressions?

[Eagerpooch]

the 350 exc is an amazing bike. loads of power and light. im going through the steps of trying to figure out what to do to maximize power and stripping unneaded DOT stuff. Has anyone done this magic mod from Best Dual sport bikes. Curious about it.

http://bestdualsportbikes.com/dual-s...13-ktm-350-exc

Also, i want to beef up my front spring to a .48 from the stock .42. I got the spring and the wretch to open the forks but im really hesitant to do anything. Not sure how difficult it is. I did the rear spring and that was easy.

[little squirt]

If I can't get a new 500 here on the island, maybe this 350 would be a good ticket. I went from a WR250X to Husky SMR 450. Maybe this bike might be a happy medium??? My local dealer has a 350 on the floor and said he will not be allocated a 500 this year either from KTM. Reports say this 350 has all of 45hp, which sounds pretty close to last SMR. Bike will be used here on a island, not much anything over 55mph and mostly pavement duty. Looking at buying 17" supermoto rims for it as well to keep miles off the knobbies and sticky tires under me. I just don't want to buy the 350 and wished for the grunt of the 500 later down the road.....hmmmmmmm

[Crawdaddy]

I think it would be waste of $/machine to relegate this bike to mostly pavement.....that's not its mission statement.......just my $.02

[Cyberg]

Originally Posted by little squirt

If I can't get a new 500 here on the island, maybe this 350 would be a good ticket. I went from a WR250X to Husky SMR 450. Maybe this bike might be a happy medium??? My local dealer has a 350 on the floor and said he will not be allocated a 500 this year either from KTM. Reports say this 350 has all of 45hp, which sounds pretty close to last SMR. Bike will be used here on a island, not much anything over 55mph and mostly pavement duty. Looking at buying 17" supermoto rims for it as well to keep miles off the knobbies and sticky tires under me. I just don't want to buy the 350 and wished for the grunt of the 500 later down the road.....hmmmmmmm

I think the 350 would be a blast with SM wheels. I own a 350 and they do haul ass. If you want more grunt it's 700 bucks for TR 390 kit.
So I say do it.

[Crawdaddy]

Originally Posted by dvwalker

really good list of mods crawdaddy, looks like you're going to have a blast...a couple other items to think about not on your list.

- heat shield over header pipe, if you like you're riding pants

Check

- check your muffler for a little worthless screen baffle, not sure the xcw has this, but remove it if you have one, will blow out on the trail eventually anyway

Gone

- light switch: the plug play sicass is a lot narrower than the stocker, more room on the bar, as a bonus you can turn off light

No switches on the XCF-W bars other than start and kill......you just pull up/push down the light toggle next to the computer to turn the lights on/off

+1 on the Acerbis 5.3, nice fit with good rad protection

Check -


Ben at Just Gas Tanks is a friend of mine.....good dude.....fireman trying to scratch out a living with a side job combining passion and profession....

I drove over to his store in Oceanside and picked up the Behemoth 5.3 gallon tank for the KTM 350XCF-W on Tuesday night....kinda big and fugly as all tanks are that are THAT big, but it weighs very little, is less than ~2 inches wider than the stock tank with shrouds, protects radiators from side impact, carries 3 gallons lower than stock tank carries 2.25 gallons for even better (lower) weight distribution, and obviously offers stooooopid range if I ever actually fill it up beyond ~3 gallons.....

Heading over to AZ tonight....I'll pop into the MVD in the morning and snag my street plate

[BanhXeo]

Right on Crawdaddy

[Crawdaddy]

Just back from Bullhead City...... the KTM 350XCF-W is now officially broken in and I've adjusted to its handling/power after ~8 hours/~250 miles on the clock......simply put, the bike is a dream on the trails.......very light/responsive.........probably the best dual sport bike I've ridden/owned for "trail" riding.........seems more peppy/strong than my old 400 EXC.....especially when you bang hard on the throttle.......I was surprised (pleased) by the fun "hit" in the power band at mid/three quarter throttle.........uncharacteristic for a four stroke........they're usually pretty boring/flat/linear as you roll on the power...........sure, it doesn't have the bark/top end of my old 520 EXC/620 ADV, but there's plenty enough low end torque/top end speed "for me"......wicks up to 70 easily yet also very easy to ride in the tight stuff given its weight/smaller power plant.....

The behemoth 5.3 gallon Acerbis tank took a bit of getting used to in terms of width but I've adjusted........at 3 gallons the bike actually feels LIGHTER than the stock tank with two gallons since the weight is carried lower with the big Acerbis........speaking of low, I low sided once this weekend........nice to have the radiator protected from side spills in rocks........I filled it with 4 gallons yesterday morning just for kicks and the front end was STILL light/responsive........I have some big rides planned where the stoooooopid full tank range will be nice to have in reserve....glad I pulled the trigger and went big on the gas tank....

It's definitely a bit more buzzy than the WR250R on the boring highway stretches between trail segments......that's where the porkiness of the WR pays off and why it would still be my bike of choice if my mission statement was a "traveler" for longer trips/baggage......I've already changed the stock 13T counter sprocket to a 14.........once I eat up the 52T stock aluminum rear sprocket I'll probably move down to a 50T steel sprocket....that'll address some of the buzziness at ~60+ mpg......I'm not there that much anyway......I'm a trail rider not a racer.....

A few pics from the weekend:

Nice to have stoooooopid range when you're out in BFE



Sunset high above Lake Mojave:



Did I mention there's a lot of fun single track out there?









See ya out on the trails!

[BanhXeo]

Hell ya Crawdaddy! Lookin good.
+1 on the radiator bash guards that hold fuel. They have payed themselves off a few times over already. I'm curious as to what some of you other guys are gearing yours for your types of riding. I left mine stock for now as I can comfortably not get run over on the highway when crossing the valley, but I'm finding it just a touch to tall on the trails lately. Thanks and have fun

[wizz]

You can run out to 85 with 14/50, 14/48 would be good for dual sport as well. I'm still running stock but am going to change to 14/50. Stock is way too tall for anything besides wide open off road.

[dvwalker]

Slightly jealous crawdaddy, what an awesome time of year to be out in the Mojave, on a new ride no less. The rear mt43 looks perfect for those conditions.

I geared mine down to 14/48 with 2 extra chain links so the axle blocks would be neutral. Good mixed use compromise gearing.

[Crawdaddy]

Originally Posted by dvwalker

Slightly jealous crawdaddy, what an awesome time of year to be out in the Mojave, on a new ride no less. The rear mt43 looks perfect for those conditions.

I geared mine down to 14/48 with 2 extra chain links so the axle blocks would be neutral. Good mixed use compromise gearing.

The riding around Laughlin/Bullhead IS really nice this time of year.......

The MT43 is pretty much the only rear tire I use anymore.....solid "all rounder" and a "cheater" on slippery/rocky uphills: http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/392/19...re-Review.aspx

That's what I was thinking......14/48 or 50.......the stock/aluminum 52 shows a surprising level of wear after only ~250 miles.......I might be replacing it with a steel sprocket sooner than I thought......

[Crawdaddy]

Originally Posted by dvwalker

Crawdaddy, yea the 5W LED is definitely not a night light, but in a pinch should get you out of the woods...

I was mainly thinking function and the small 196w stator, and potential draw. We really didn't have to think about this on the WRR and the 350W stator.

I believe battery charge should stay positive using the 5W LED light with fan/GPS running. I installed the sicass light switch so one can always turn off the head light in a pinch. I'm still on the fence spending the bucks on a squadron as well..

Dropped one in yesterday.......that thing really does kick out a lot of light for a 5W pencil beam........the XCF-W comes with a push pin shutoff for the headlight......it's mounted just to the right of the computer dash



Also set up the dash panel......HDB hands guards/computer dash......replaced the stock grips and ran heated wire elements underneath the new grips......put in an "on/off" push button switch to activate grips (high or off).......also dropped in a Powerlet for misc. accessories (I have a SAE pigtail to plug into the Powerlet that I'll use to tie into whatever).......the third (unswitched) line will go to the GPS........just waiting on the Eastern Beaver 3 Circuit Solution to arrive so I can tie it all together

[Crawdaddy]

Originally Posted by BanhXeo

Hell ya Crawdaddy! Lookin good.
+1 on the radiator bash guards that hold fuel. They have payed themselves off a few times over already. I'm curious as to what some of you other guys are gearing yours for your types of riding. I left mine stock for now as I can comfortably not get run over on the highway when crossing the valley, but I'm finding it just a touch to tall on the trails lately. Thanks and have fun

I had a coupon laying around for Rocky Mtn ATV so I picked up a 50T steel sprocket ( http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/...+rear+sprocket ).......might throw that on today.......14/50 oughta be a tad better than 14/52.....I don't need to go THAT low with the gearing for most of my riding.....

[calltrex]

I use 14/48


2012 KTM 390 EXC-F

[Crawdaddy]

14-50 worked well this past weekend in the Bullhead City/Laughlin area.......up to ~500 plus miles on the bike now......loving it......