ktm 350exc vs 500exc vs wr250r

[It'sNotTheBike]

Originally Posted by crazybrit

Dude, relax, I was kidding. I'm starting to sense why you left Portland and moved out East. I think you secretly like that manic traffic

Yeah, you know how highly strung those east coast people are compared to the mellow west coast folks.


I discovered that I fit right in here, and once I installed a railroad tie on the front bumper of my daily driver
cage everything worked out very nicely.



.

[wizz]

what about the 530exc? seen a few seemingly good deals (one was an08 with 200 miles for 6k). yall have mentioned the 525, but what aabout the 530? the wr rode nice, still wouldnt rule it out if i found a good deal, but not for a new otd price.

[Attico]

My opinion only: if you want to buy the ktm, get the fuel injection. Ned has some concerns, buy i think as many have found, you can map the differently.

The 530 remains very nice. The 500 has a few advantages and ktm has been getting better at engine tech.

The wr is great for me, but i often lust after a ktm.

Originally Posted by wizz

what about the 530exc? seen a few seemingly good deals (one was an08 with 200 miles for 6k). yall have mentioned the 525, but what aabout the 530? the wr rode nice, still wouldnt rule it out if i found a good deal, but not for a new otd price.

[crazybrit]

Originally Posted by wizz

what about the 530exc? seen a few seemingly good deals (one was an08 with 200 miles for 6k). yall have mentioned the 525, but what aabout the 530? the wr rode nice, still wouldnt rule it out if i found a good deal, but not for a new otd price.

530 has been mentioned. Has separate oil systems (clutch and motor) early bikes had issue with seal failing separating two and oil migrating .... do some research other than this no issues, shim under bucket valves.

[crazybrit]

Someone asked about 530 just today, few comment in there about avoiding the 08 530:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=826415

[wizz]

throwin the 690 in the mix as it seems similar to wr250r with tons more power? at the shop theres a 350 on the floor, next 500 wont come in till december. 690 seems to have better maintenance intervals. here in nocal getting to and connecting trails can be 1-2 hrs which concerens me regarding exc. so hard to choose when talking about 10g potentially (less for a used 690 if you can find one.) so 350 now, search out a 690 or wait for the 500. bike will be doing the tat fyi

[montesa_vr]

Originally Posted by wizz

throwin the 690 in the mix as it seems similar to wr250r with tons more power? 690 seems to have better maintenance intervals. here in nocal getting to and connecting trails can be 1-2 hrs which concerens me regarding exc.
so 350 now, search out a 690 or wait for the 500. bike will be doing the tat fyi

I don't think you want a 690. The transmission ratios are much closer than either the WRR or the EXC KTMs. You can't ride tight trails and two hours between them and have the right gearing for both. And since you don't like the weight on your XRR, you'll hate the 690, which will be noticeably heavier.

I also think you would find the WR250R feels lighter than your Honda, even if the scale doesn't agree. Here's a post I lifted from another thread that makes the point.

Originally Posted by rsteiger

I am very impressed with [my new WRR]. While it doesn't have the low end grunt of my DR or the power of my KTM it is a nice over all balanced package. I agree with the comment that it 'rides light' - just back to back comparisons with the my KTM 450 EXC it feels lighter and more composed when things are tight and I am going slow. I still need to get more involved with the suspension on the WR to see what I can coax out of it but over all it is a well rounded bike IMHO.

Right now the WR is my long distance DS / do anything bike and the KTM is still the play bike in the group.

I think your decision is between the new 500 or the WRR. If I were you I'd decide based on whether I found a used WRR deal that was too good to pass up between now and December. If you find a good deal on a WRR and it doesn't make you happy you could still buy a KTM, and they will have another year to correct whatever first year bugs show up in the meantime.

[longtallsally]

On a whim I stumbled upon this thread and very much have the same dilemma. We currently have a WRR that I love (I kinda stole it from my wife). My big bike for long tours and mild off road is a GSA.

On the last trip with the WRR that I had just regeared I liked it a lot, but couldn't do a couple hill climbs due to a lack of power. I've "returned" the WRR to my wife and now am on the prowl. The 500EXC is really what I want, but $10k is a spicy meatball for a trail bike. There is no question in my mind that I would love it, but it really is a lot of money for something I'd beat up a good bit (based on how much I crash on the WRR). But, I'm thinking I might not crash as much on something that is better suited for the task at hand with more power and better suspension.

I've done long DS rides on the WRR, and I'm a goon. It beat me up, but was stone reliable and durable.

I now want a more powerful machine. If want to do a DS trip, I'll do easier trails and take the GSA.

Bottom line, get the 500. The WRR is a super nice/cool/reliable/smooth/fun bike- but in an all round kind of way. Plus if you get the 500, I can live vicariously through you until I decide to get one too.

[rickypanecatyl]

I'd like to throw out my thoughts on bike price in the hope of changing enough peoples minds that manufacturers follow up with more bikes in the high quality reliable "niche."

Here in Malaysia where the per capita income is roughly 25% of what it is in America, people commonly pay over 10 grand US$ for a bike - I suppose that would be like Americans commonly spending over $40,000 for a bike. However at the same time it isn't financially irresponsible as we easily average 8X as many miles per bike as the average American. (Malaysians bikers are in absolute shock when I tell them about "craigslist" where you can offer find a DR400 8 years old with less than 10,000 miles on it!) Thus we only spend on average 50% of our total income on bikes.

There are not too many bikes in the WR250R category; a bike that the manufactures tried to make with reasonable quality (certainly not excellent) and yet at the same time reliable. KTM690 tried but failed miserably... the Husky


No doubt the KTM 500EXC is a much cooler bike than the WR250R. But consider the price difference. At present the KTM is aproximately 7X more expensive than the WR250R in "REAL" money. Reliable info is tough to get, but a pretty good guess would be on average you could make it 50,000 miles on a WR250R with the same amount of repair and maintenance you would spend after 10,000 miles on the KTM500.

Or in other words:

WR250R $7,000/50,000 miles or .14 cents per mile of ownership
KTM500EXC - $10,000/10,000 miles or 1 dollar per mile of ownership

The point of this post is not to debate how accurate my guestimates are, but just to encourage bike buyers to think this way before complaining about a bikes price. If my wishes came true KTM would put out a KTMEXC450 "reliable" that might be down on power 5%, up on weight 10 lbs, last as long as a WR250R and perhaps cost $15,000. It would still weigh much, much less than the WR250R and have much more power. That would make it cost 2X as much as the WRR and 3 1/2 times less than the normal EXC in real money.
I'm confident the technology is there to build such bikes but consumers have to understand the value of said bike before manufactures would risk building it.

[justlookin]

Well, I am also interested in these 3 bikes and currently ride the WRR. Like everyone else I love the anvil reliability and have thrown a pile of cash at it to improve the power and hate the weight.
One big difference I notice between the 350/500 is the primary gear ratio and would mean that the 350 would be spinning the engine faster going down the road, so I am thinking the 500 for me connecting trails 2 hours apart, I wish I could get a ride though before parting with that much.

[wizz]

I ended up getting the 350 and will tell you it has no problem doing highway speeds and it is a blast. easy to pick up, feels like a mountain bike compared to my xr. it has penty of power once properly geared, add a megabomb header and fmf pipe and the power is great across the powerband. i ended up deciding that 45 horses on a 250lb bike was plenty and i dont feel tired after a day riding from fighting the bikes power.

[dolphins13]

Originally Posted by It'sNotTheBike

I suggest you consider a KTM 690 Enduro. It weighs close to the same as a WR250R, but has a
lot more power and torque, and it has ( for a big single ) a very smooth engine. Add a Renazco seat
and some means of carrying more fuel, and you'd have your TAT bike and a bike you could ride pavement
on rather than trucking it. The 2012 model is significantly improved over previous years, so if the budget
permits I suggest buying a 2012 bike rather than an older one.

It is my firm opinion that a WR250R does not have enough reserve power for safe highway riding. Sure, the bike
will go 75mph, but at that speed it doesn't have the reserve power that a 690 Enduro or a KTM 525 ( or 450 )
EXC will have. And reserve power can make all the difference on a paved road if a "situation" develops and you
need to put some distance between yourself and other vehicles quickly for safety reasons. Your requirement of
riding rather than trucking the bike means that unless you are going to only ride on secondary roads that a bike with
more power will be nice to have, if you don't want to feel like a sitting duck every time you ride on the highway.

I recommend you do what it takes to find people who will allow you to ride their bike for a short test ride.
Without riding a bike there is no way you can know which bike you will be happiest with. The hassle of
finding someone who will let you take a short ride on their bike is less than the hassle of buying a bike
you end up unhappy with and need to sell. Buy the guy who lets you ride his bike a case of beer or a bottle
of booze or a lunch or something :-)



As an aside I think KTM USA is blowing it big time. If more people could test ride a KTM
the salesman wouldn't need to say a word, because the bikes will literally sell themselves with a test ride.


.

I went to buy a brand new motorcycle 5 years ago, and they wouldnt let me test drive before dumping 12 grand. I said screw it I will never buy a bike I cant test ride. Unless it was being advertised as non-running? So I started studying different bikes. Found I would like a dirtbike that rides on the highway if needed. Then i discovered the 640 and knew I had to have one. I have nothing negative to say about my bike. So the 3 years of studying and test riding different bikes really paid off for me.

[jimhaleyscomet]

In July 2011 I purchased a new 2011 KTM450EXC. Stock jetting was unsafe on the street. It had oil transfer issues from day one and the local dealers did not know enough about the bike to help me maintain / repair it. It spent 3-4 of the next 14 stressful months I owned it in the shop. The motor made 2 trips to KTM Ohio for repairs. Finally, I traded it back to the dealer and lost $5000. Don't even get me going on the 6 month warranty (what a JOKE) and crappy customer support.

I replaced it (somewhat indirectly) with a 2008 WR250r with power mods.

Don't let the light weight of the 450exc (or larger) fool you. I am not exactly sure why but big engines don't like to turn. The KTM was a handful on tight trails as the stock gearing and lack of fan made it overheat.

As for maintenance and repairs remember that KTM's are race bikes. Every part is designed to just barely do the job. There is often only one way to perform most maintenance items (and many ways to do it improperly). It is VERY easy to cross thread screws, mess up air filter installation etc if you make any mistakes. If you are a great mechanic or have a pit crew go ahead. If you need help, forget it. Perhaps you know a good KTM mechanic but I could not find a good KTM mechanic even when I was willing to pay for the repairs.

I drank the orange kool aide and I threw up!

[Foot dragger]

Originally Posted by wizz

its not the bike: thanks for the reply. i did consider the 690 but like i said im sick of the weight which has me leaning
away from the wr. i have the multi 620 so the 690 is too i inbetween dirt and street. i also share your
concerns for situational power. a bike needs somethin left at 70mph imo.

i guess im really wonderin how all these bikes compare too the xr? i dont see much of a diffrence between the 350 and 500 other than power and a few lbs.

If a wr250 didnt weigh 290 lbs I could see the need for one,but they do.
The low end grunt of a big engine would be sorely missed putting around on a little sewing machine like that.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[ADVJake]

Originally Posted by jimhaleyscomet

In July 2011 I purchased a new 2011 KTM450EXC. Stock jetting was unsafe on the street. It had oil transfer issues from day one and the local dealers did not know enough about the bike to help me maintain / repair it. It spent 3-4 of the next 14 stressful months I owned it in the shop. The motor made 2 trips to KTM Ohio for repairs. Finally, I traded it back to the dealer and lost $5000. Don't even get me going on the 6 month warranty (what a JOKE) and crappy customer support.

I replaced it (somewhat indirectly) with a 2008 WR250r with power mods.

Don't let the light weight of the 450exc (or larger) fool you. I am not exactly sure why but big engines don't like to turn. The KTM was a handful on tight trails as the stock gearing and lack of fan made it overheat.

As for maintenance and repairs remember that KTM's are race bikes. Every part is designed to just barely do the job. There is often only one way to perform most maintenance items (and many ways to do it improperly). It is VERY easy to cross thread screws, mess up air filter installation etc if you make any mistakes. If you are a great mechanic or have a pit crew go ahead. If you need help, forget it. Perhaps you know a good KTM mechanic but I could not find a good KTM mechanic even when I was willing to pay for the repairs.

I drank the orange kool aide and I threw up!

Plain and simple, your KTM was a lemon, and every manufacturer has had many of them.
I can think of a brand new DRZ400 that had its engine rebuilt within 1 year of ownership, among many other issues.

And the latter paragraph is nonsense. The KTM uses high quality components, because it is a race bike. Look for the high mileage examples of these motors, there are heaps.
Easy to concentrate on the minority problematic bikes, and unfortunately the news of that spreads like wildfire. It's as rare as the 3rd gear blow up issue on the famously reliable DR650.