2014 KTM 350 ECX-F v. 2012 Husqvarna WR300 Riders: two gnarled old doods you proly don't wana mess with if they aint had their coffee and Tylenol with over a million trail hours behind them. His bike- stock, sans gearing change to 13/45, KTM Factory re-done suspension. My bike- bone stock Thor's Hammer that's lucky to see a bath or oil change once every year with a RR shock WAY overdue for service and a left hand grip that wont stop spinning. Price: KTM: (a lot) north of $9000.00. 300 Husky: $4899.00 out the door. Weight: about the same. Really, who cares, they are close enough. "Easy to get on the stand light"- how's that. Seat height: KTM is taller with both bikes @ 4" race sag. Terrain: 3500-7000', 40+ miles of fun, dry, swoopy 2-track stuff, ugly steep rocky steps, hard-pan, rocks, no sand or whoops. Impressions: the KTM 350 is probably the perfect bike. It's street legal, has a button, is super slim, the motor really works everywhere, the engineering is amazing, the fit and finish is a 10 and it looks like a race bike with all the killer bits on it. Owner claims it can cruise at 60mph. He's faster than me everywhere and the few minutes I can stay bar to bar with him it gives the 3hondo a solid run for the money. I can bridge gaps at will with a slip of the clutch, but the KTM's modified suspension and expert rider means he's way faster in the ugly stuff that I end up pogo'ing and nose wheelying over- my shock is so WAY overdue for a service, so there's that. But watching him ride he's sitting down and just FLYING up some truly ugly crap and you can see the bike just sucking it all up. It's a flying couch with a button and I hate it! I had to slow down and jump everything- my high-speed damping is now a high-speed spike. So yeh, get 6 feet of air off a 3 inch lip....long day for me, I need to fix that yesterday my shock oil is like mud I bet. On the trailer they are as different as night and day. Really cool to see them side-by-side. I don't think one part from my bike would fit his. This is an Apples to Oranges comparo! But out on the trail they both serve the same purpose- eye-ball popping speed in the trees. I think the 300 turns better, much better, at least for me anyway. I also think the 2012 Husky 300 motor is the best off-road engine ever made, at least for me anyway. It has a TON of flywheel, great clutch and man you snap or slip the clutch and you had better be hanging on. I also like not having a battery or any of that stuff I seriously don't have time to diddle with anymore, I like kick-starting my bikes- good incentive not to stall on steep ugly crap! Oh- and the Katoom STILL gets hot on the long ugly climbs...really? Are they ever gona fix that??? The owner is on top of it and has some ZipTy XF coolant at home. That should help. And a fan. (lol) But that's the only fault I could find with it. Seriously- that was it. The KTM is stupid nice, the Factory has really got their stuff together and it shows. It's VERY impressive. Summary: if I had the cash? Yup, like yesterday. It's not a 250F (too small), it's not a 450F(way too big), it's juuuust right. Burelson said it along time ago- "The 350F will be the perfect bike". Well, he's usually right, again. The thing is street legal, has a Button, engine's exhaust is whisper QUIET and has great power all over the place, it's controls are effortless, everything on it screams "race bike" or "trick parts", it's a thin as a toothpick and man it is WICKED fast, believe it. KTM nailed it, it's ready to race- with blinkers! It really is the perfect bike. As you know, we don't do pics on the trail, so here's a couple from after the ride when we got back to the shop after some major shenanigans.... Two burly doods: One Apple, One Orange: The Perfect Bike!: The perfect bike got roosted! Weeeeeeeeeee!
Well Duke, just drop a few honeys in that Wrrrr and get the boingers dialed. Besides, out there in Amurica, can't you get that baby plated?
The bike is advertised as race ready if you were doing race pace you wouldnt need a fan but people delude themselves at how good they are, leave em to overpriced boiling bikes if it keeps em happy.
