My family CFO has approved the purchase of a new bike, YeeHah. Here's my specs: 50 years old, bum right leg (need E-Start), ridden KDX220 which was fine, then a KTM300, now a KTM200EXC (easier kicking for the right leg). The 200's light weight is great, but I'm putting over $100/month into the whole herd in parts. Time to sell 'em all & go new. Local Dealer has a smokin' buy on hold-over 2011 TXC250's, but I have a couple Q's: 1. How would you guys compare the 4-stroke TXC in weight-feel (not simply weight)... 2. It seems like everywhere on the 'Cafe' site they mention JD tuners & iBoost...what should I buy from Day 1 so that I'm properly prepared... Hey, the more opinionated your response, the better! Thanks
If you don't mind fiddling with the EFI, I vote for the TXC, much more usable powerband and the riding weight feel is not much different from a 2T. I am Husky biased, but traditionally have preferred 2 strokes, but the X-lite bikes have swayed me.
I’m older than you and had the perfect dirt bike in the KTM 250 XC-W. 2-stroke simple, e-start, light and nice wide ratio gear box. Unfortunately… here is SoCal the bike was Red Sticker and only legal to ride off-road half of the year. KTM did not offer a light, street legal bike that year so I went with the Husky. So….I now ride the TE-250 (2010) and other then the close ratio gears (on a dual-sport ) the bike has been a blast to ride and works very well for me. I had issues with the erratic engine response & decel popping off idle so for a few hundred bucks, I installed the JD Jetting kit and the bike now runs perfectly. JD was a simple install & no fiddling required as the first time setting (one step richer off of idle) was all it took. The 250 feels light and has enough power for any off road situation. The seat sucked & the bike a bit tall, so Seat Concepts & a lowering link fixed that. Oh....and a few other mods I did was an FMF muffler, light weight battery, and replaced that humongous rear tire with a Dunlop.
I sold my 2007 KTM200XC and bought a 2010 TE310. Very happy with the bike. You are talking about a 250 but going from a small 2 stroke to a small four stroke is not a big deal. You'll find that you won't miss that 200.
I have a 2012 TE 310 and a 2012 Beta 350 RS. The Beta is smoother withe the wide ratio Trans and counterbalanced. I'm taking the TE to Mammoth as it's broken in and needs some riding. beta need adjustable jetting....I think.
IBeat is the Mikuni Fuel Inkection adjustment software, as well as the ECU interface for Huskies. You can adjust fueling at low, mid, and full throttle, as well as set TPS, whic in a roundabout way is timing, a zero set for spark advance etc.
Is that something I should plan on right away, or will the JD tuner alone be fine for a low performance rookie?
Only iBeat can set the Throttle Position Sensor value. Both items can set fueling, the JD doing so at more points on the throttle opening spectrum..... JD Item sits on the bike and interfaces with ECU. IBeat can change settings in the ECU so is not a permanent mounted item. Without a wide band O2 sensor both of these are seat of the pants fixes. With O2 sensor and readout digital display you can get a bit more feedback on rich or lean ratios even as you ride the bike and some have a logging feature. Borrow or get use of iBeat first, then if you want get the JD or ride somethin( similar that has it. Mikunii tried to mimic a carb with iBeat software but the multi-point fueling setups like JD have been around a long time under other names.
Took her for the first ride Sat 8/4. Two observations: 1. Idle is set alittle too low. 2. Throttle only turns 3/8 of a turn, & even on roads, won't get-up-&-go. Honda's & others left me in the dust. Is there a throttle stop that needs to be removed? Are these 2 things digital / EFI issues that need a tuner?
As the owner of a 2011 TE250 and previous owner of 3 KTM 200's I would suggest you look very hard at the KTM. If I could go back a few months I would have gladly paid 2000 bucks more for a 2013 200 Xc-w instead of this wheezing poor excuse of a bike.
8/11/12 - Second Ride. Conditions: Muggy 80 degree day, super slow single track Affliction: After 20 minutes of riding, the bike stalls, sputters, then dies. It wouldn't restart for 10-15 minutes, then would only run for 1/2 mile before dying again. My Ignorant Theory: The throttle body area is smokin' hot. I still have the 02/Lambda sensore in. I'm speculating that running in the EPA-lean condition, it's running hot enough to vaporize the fuel in the throttle body. When I got back home, I removed the Lambda/02 & installed the jumper/connector to hopefully richen it up & cool it down. Question: Am I on the right track? Anybody else experience this? Help! An OldCoot needs help from you EFI Electron Experts. Thanks Muchos
I think you're definitely on the right track. Did you find the throttle stop I assume? Your bike should definitely run better in "race mode" with the lambda sensor removed. Mine was in race mode when I bought it, but I put the lambda sensor in just for fun one time and the bike would barely start and then would die within a minute. If it still isn't running right, you might need to dive in with iBeat and check the TPS and possibly richen it up even more. Or get a JD Tuner. That will let you fine tune it on the trail without need for a computer (though you can't mess with the TPS with JD).
Im not sure if you purchased a Husky or not, but the 200 is a wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better trail bike, but not street-able. Its lighter in every way. I love Huskys, but after selling my 200 to get a TE310. I purchased a nice older 200 exc (still have it, though its dusty) for those tight trails. I split my time now between a KTM530EXC (50 state legal) and a Husky WR250.
hi ihad a ktm 200 2001,did over 20k in 8 years & 1 complete rebuild loved that bike to death,bought a 2009 te310 had it nealy 2 years always perfect in e.f.i,handling & very partial to how it looked however it lacked fun factor of the 200 for me the 310 is very clinical & electric & predictable & ride all day bike,sold it to buy a te 630 as the riding has changed,please dont bag me in saying i would buy another ktm 200 if i went back to single trail,or a new di 2 stroke {hope husky make a 200}btw was fond of e start
8/31/12 Update Initial problem. At 20-40 minutes, bike shuts down. Won't restart for 10-15 minutes. Can only go 1/4 mile before it dies again, then you have to wait 10-15 minutes again. Dealer installed a new fuel pump, does the exact same thing. Ride 20-40 minutes, bike shuts down, but now restarts after only 2-3 minutes. After restart, still only goes 1/4 mile before repeatedly dying again. What are the odds a second fuel pump is bad? Any opinions are appreciated . . . Thanks Gang
