Riding the new KTM 350SX

Yes, it’s new. Yes, it’s bad-ass. Yes, I got to ride it.

As a staunch supporter of Japanese bikes over the last few years, I’ve never really considered the KTMs as a bike I would add to my race lineup. It could be the fact they’ve never had the greatest suspension, or available parts (I shop a lot on eBay — Japanese parts are abundant), or the funky ergos… I guess I can’t put my finger on any one thing. But after riding the new 350SX, my mind has expanded somewhat.

My buddy Mark Blue took the plunge and picked up one of the new machines last Friday. After putting a couple of heat cycles on the motor, he let me take it for a spin. Let me say for the record, out of the box, this bike is pretty damn sweet.

The power is the best part—super linear, and super abundant. Not as torquey as my 450, but better than most 250Fs I’ve ridden. It’s especially strong in the mid-upper revs. The fuel injection makes throttle response instant, but not uncontrollable—although a little finicky to start when cold. The stock suspension is descent, but still deflects a bit in the first part of the stroke—but still the best stock suspension from KTM I’ve experienced. No doubt a couple of tweaks could make it sweet for off road rippage.

The KTM ergos still feel a bit funky to me, but I’m sure it’s something I could get used to if I spent some time on the bike. They’re just a bit stink buggy compared to to the Japanese bikes. It didn’t seem to affect the handling—it was pretty much spot on. Light and nimble. The weight is not much less than a 450F, but it feels much more like a 250F. I think this bodes well for the bikes stability.

All that, plus it’s got electric start—bonus! The older I get, the less I like kicking my bike—especially after blitzing a sand wash and getting the bike blazing hot.

There were a couple of small things I didn’t care for about the bike… The side number plates are integrated into the air box, so if’ you mangle a number plate (which I’ve been know to do) you’re in for an expensive fix. That, and the silver rims… although black gets nicked/scratched, KTMs look bad ass with black rims. That’s about it…

With that said, am I going to rush out and buy one? Perhaps if I had an extra $8k burning a hole in my pocket. Otherwise, I’m going to have to continue to nurse my bank account with used Japanese bikes and eBay parts.

Happy trails – Chris