BannedCR500Riders.com

have got to ride my new 350sx a couple times , gotta admit i do like it , ya i know this isnt a 4 stroke forum , please remember i am keeping my 500af , but am gonna sell my steely .... but thought you guys might want to know the magazines are pretty much right on about it , 244.6lbs ready to ride , tons of over rev, not much engine braking , almost like a 2 stroke in that respect , very fun to ride , corners and tracks like my 03 conversion, in dust slick puts the power down easier that the 5hunny. no the 350 is not as fast , but again its fun to ride... bash it if you want ,but if you get a chance ride one ,sure you will have fun on it.

KTM have built an awsome bike with the 350SX

Cairoli and Alessi seem to like it. Doin pretty good too.

michael willard wedged one tight at a canadian national, horray, no parts for it in north america

yayy! even more power per CC for the 4 stroke grenade! cant wait to see how these hold up.....if they were as reliable as a 2 stroke, and didnt cost 10 grand to rebuild, i would have one in my stable someday. but ive ridden both, and even though the 450 is faster than my 250, i much prefer the 250 for trail riding and hillclimbing. they are harder to stall, and if it starts to bog, tap the clutch, and your right back in the power. on a track, the 450 is more manageable, but hell that learning curve is what set the "all right" guys apart from the true pros.....

4 strokes make shit riders look good.....for a while.....

just spent the weekend riding at pipestone mt . took my af, it rocks and is still my woods riding weapon of choice , plus its the bike people always look at , and they give you that (your riding a 500 , are you f ckin nuts } look , which is very cool . that said i'm definately faster at the mx tracks on the ktm , which is what i bought it for .

They should be a good thing. Cairoli clinched the World Championships yesterday. That , and the fact that he has beaten the bloke who got 2-2 at Unadilla last week (and I'm a big fan of the MX Panda) and the other 450s fairly comprehensively this year should show that it's a good basis for a 4t MXer.

But it sure as hell won't stay a 350 for long (Cairoli could have all sorts of capacities available to him in that barrel/ case set) - Have a good look at the engine, it's not a shrink fit unit (like the new generation Husky 250/ 2011 310 - now that's tiny! The 310 has a longer stroke than the KTM350 - it should be a good little bike to ride- much lighter / better for my tight stuff than the KTM). The AMA rules allow any bore size that keeps the engine below the class capacity - but you cannot change the stroke. The FIM rules allow at least that - or 'anything goes', more likely.

It's got a stroke (57.5mm - a 400 KTM / 390 'Berg has 55mm)) that will allow it to be taken to a 450 ,if the barrel studs etc allow it - I'm waiting on confirmation from a friend as to how big a bore it looks like it will accept- without an huge piston. 100mm makes it 451cc and still with a very conservative bore stroke ratio, by modern 4t standards. It's why the bike is relatively heavy on the scales - it's a fairly beefy engine, just a logical downscale of a 4t engine from the current twin cam 450/505.

I've read in the Euro press, that the current twin cam 450 / 505 engine will be the basis for the new Rally bike engines, with more oil capacity etc. As Factory teams Must now use 450s, not the restricted 690 + older units. Private teams can still use the restricted bigger engines, at least for another byear, whilst others have already gone to the 450s. Then I would assume the single cam engine format will be left to the 'Bergs. KTM have been using so many different 4t engine formats, it's ridiculous. I believe the only way they've kept their head above water is through the enormous (played down) sales they have of the 2t bikes, which use just 2 engine modules. KTM have had 7 different 4t engines, (including the Split barrel 'Berg and the Sloper 'Berg) from the RFS on. Just on dirt bike models. Let alone the various LC4s, LC8s and RC8s, and that bloody car.

2 strokes have been bloody good to KTM - and the profits from them have largely been splurged on 4ts. You don't see many left over, or massively price cuts / incentive goody packages to get rid of the 2ts, unlike the 4ts. That alone keeps me from being interested in a 4t, nowadays. To buy one, then a few months later, have the price undercut so much, would not make for a happy little vegemite / Bear. And I daresay a lot of people are getting jack of that continually happening.

A lot of those 4 stroke engines are similar to formula 1 technology.
I don't have the support budget for a formula 1 ride.
Seems to me, we're back where we started with works bikes.

4 strokes make shit riders look not as bad as they really are.....for a while.....

fixed

Spent the day riding the new 350 KTM at Cycle Ranch here in Texas. I´ll start off by telling you that it is the best handling KTM I have ridden, and out of the box, it was pretty good, just a little soft for my weight and speed. I ride a 09 CRF 450 (while I build a 500/F) and spent the day going back and forth between the 2 for comparison.

Cycle Ranch is a deep sand loam that likes HP... and the 350 was no where near the 450 on the start straight, or pulling up the long uphill. The bike feels light, even though its actually 8 lbs heavier than the CRF!!!! Less engine inertia must give it that feeling???

My lap times were getting close but the 450 was quicker for me. If anyone is expecting to get the 350 to save energy or have the bike be less fatiguing, they are in for a surprise. Because you have to ride it strung out, i found it a lot more work. Yes it reminded me to carry corner speed and momentum, but i can be faster on the 450 if I remember those same things..lol

Oh ya, the single bolt that holds the seat on fell out and so did the seat, just as I was seat boucing a double out of a corner..FYI, the battery is not a soft cushy seat and I still have terminal marks on my ass!

All in all, its a decent bike, but for tracks where hp rules ill take my 450. Now if I can just get my 08 250F cut and welded Ill have a decent 2 stroke to go with my 450..

Z

i have taken 10cc oil out of forks , raised the tubes up 5mm in clamps , full ti megabomb fmf w/carbon muffler , ktm ignition mode switch in the aggressive position . i weigh 178 plus gear , if the one you rode was stock you need to ride one with this set up turns better , and hasa ton more grunt down low , as well as more top end , its no 450 but it is decieving , doesnt always have to feel faster to actually be faster . and the magazines were right i dont get as tired riding it . gonna take itand the af to our track this weekend and put the watch on both for a fun test.

according to websites 350 only 3lb heavier than '11 450 . not that it matters. shit published on websites probly aint even right anyways

no bs weight is stk 244.6 totally full fuel ready to ride stk. took 2lbs 11oz off thatwith fmf system . ref my 2002 af ride ready is 241.

just a logical downscale of a 4t engine from the current twin cam 450/505

We'll see how logical it is when they pull this boat anchor from their lineup.

they won't stop the 450, The KTM 450 is the best motor in the class.

and as much as I love a cr500 everywhere especially sand, the ktm 505xcf I had would run circles around a cr500 on blue goove.


sand and loam bike= CR500
cement hard pack= ktm 505