One can only hope KTM can convince the World that 450 MX four strokes were a huge mistake... behemoths worthy of extinction. Alas, the Japs are too heavily invested in big 4 strokes, and the world goes as the Japs go in MX.
I am surprised that they did not build the offroad version first since there is not an official class and the offroad market is so much bigger.
That's a sweet looking bike! Love the hubs and use of black accents throughout the bike. I've got a feeling KTM is going to hit a home run with this bike. I'm sure the rest of the manufacturers are sweating over this. I dont like the bulk of 450's and 250f's are gutless. This might be the perfect 4 stroke...... Props to KTM for giving riders what they ask for and not creating a bike to meet AMA guidelines! I'd rather see Husky develop this and get the kudos, but whatever, it's still awesome.
Pretty cool. Love the orange frame and hubs. It will be nice of they make a 350 XCF-W. By 2011 I might be ready for an upgrade to my "320" XCF-W. That is, if I manage to not buy a new 250 TXC. What is the real world benefit of linkage on a bike vs no linkage? Is it just height adjustability or are there other benefits? I've always wondered by never asked...
Linkage sucks! I just spent $105 for a linkage bearing kit and a lower shock bearing on my yamaha :rant: Guess I need to stop being lazy and service it more often Back on topic: I think the angle at which the shock lies on a linkless bike puts too great a side load on the shock shaft, which causes goofy handling traits. They work, but I do not feel its an optimal design. It seems KTM finally agrees. This is my worthless, uneducated opinion anyway.
More progressive rear end which means EZer tuning for a wider range of use. Softer initially and stiff towards the end of the stroke. They tried to do this internal with valving tricks, worked Ok but in many peoples minds not up to a well designed link system. Obviously if they are moving back to it they think there is an advantage as well.
The linkage is been on the back of my mind for a while. I am happy to get onto my husky and feel the difference. The new 300 looks very good, way to go KTM. Maybe a pumpkin is in the future...
which is less $$$ than that spendy PDS lower bearing. Nope, just like a linked shock it pivots on both ends and does not side load the shock.
Damn linkage. That's one of the reason I like my KTM, no linkage, no maintenance, no extra cost. And I'm not a good enough rider to tell the difference between my linkage and non linkage bikes.
interesting, most my KTM buddys bitch about the lower shock bearing which wears out quickly and is $$$.
This is the same problem mountain bikes had for a long time. There are many ways to make a single pivot a falling rate which makes the problem worse. I heard a couple years ago that KTM changed the shock angle to make it more progressive. But the theoretical best a single pivot can do is be linear, it can not have a rising rate. I’ve been off the mountain bikes for a few years but I think they have overcome the problem. Some of the newer shocks have the rising rate built into them with complex damping and/or air chambers I believe. I don’t know if this would work on a dirtbike though. I always notice the problem when I ride a KTM. They can make the shock seem progressive for a big and fast hit. But for a G-out, like when sitting and rolling through a large dip in the ground, the shock blows through it’s stroke and then the bike steers like a chopper. It scares me! I have never owned a KTM though so maybe it the suspension is setup exactly for me it would not be a problem. But with a linkage it is much less fussy. For example I am 200 pounds and I rode my WR125 a few times with stock springs. It sat low but other then that handled fine. If I ride a KTM 200 with stock springs (which are about he same stiffness as a WR125) the bike handles really bad. Proper setup is probably a lot more critical on a KTM. Maybe if a company other then WP took a crack at the problem it would be solved?
