• 4 Stroke Husqvarna Motorcycles Made In Italy - About 1989 to 2014
     TE = 4st Enduro & TC = 4st Cross

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TE449 vs 2015 KTM EXC 350 / 500 (North East Riding Area)

gtxscirocco

gtxscirocco

Husqvarna
C Class
Hey everyone,

My brother is buying my 2013 TE449 and I will be looking to replace this month. I have been looking at both the KTM EXC 350 & 500. Anyone from the north east who rides wood trails have any real life input on which bike is most like the TE449? or which bike they like more for the type of NE riding?

I am 5'10 at 180lbs and ride North NEW JERSEY woods with rocky trails. 85-90% will be off road time.

Thanks
 
You should get aTE 511. Don't go to the Orange side. They may be white but they are under the spell of the evil emperor in Austria. Sorry, couldn't resist. Have you looked at Beta?
 
Orange is where things are headed.. Dealers could not get me parts nor were they interested in working on my TE449...
 
I ride with guys that have both and have ridden both. The 500 has more power, the 350 (when it has the power tune) has plenty of power. Any dealer can put in the power tune. There is little weight difference between both, but the 500 feels heavier. It may be weight placement of just the resistance to tuning due to engine mass. The 350 has a little less power than the TE499 (when both bikes are set up properly). The KTMs feel much smaller and lighter. The ergos are very good. The TE449 feels like a big motorcycle. We ride tight technical trails. Binghamton NY area, since your not too far away you may have ridden some of the bear creek trails, such as Kugga Mugga, or the Duals Sport ride. That would give you idea of the trails we ride. All in all, both are very good bikes. Both go down the road (blacktop) much better than the TE449, due to gearing. My take is the 350 has plenty of power, and would wear you out less over a long enduro.
 
I have the FE501 and it doesn't like tight trails where the speed is under 30 mph. It runs really hot in the knar so the 350 gets the nod IMO. The 500 will do tight trails but the fan will run constantly and the heat gets ridiculous after 30 minutes. Being you're not a heavy weight, the 350 will have plenty power to handle your every need. May even consider a TE300 if your riding woods all the time.
 
I own a TE511 and have rode many 350/500 but not the 501. I love my TE511 but it took a little work to get it there. For tighter off road stuff I ride a 250 2 stroke because all big 4 strokes are a beast in the tight stuff. The 350 is very good do it all bike. My overall take on this matter is if you want a do it all bike get the 350 but still expect to drop some $$$ addressing things. If your plans do not include a lot of 1 and 2nd and sometimes 3rd gear tighter stuff both the 449/511 and the ktm 500/501 are very good. Did a super fun DS ride on my 511 yesterday and LOVe that bike for that stuff. With my uncorked motor and zipTy suspension it just shreds, fast, stable wheeling monster. Super fun. So do it all and open stuff the 350 is hard to beat with the KTM500 right behind it. More open stuff the 449/511 is amazing once sorted and much less expensive to start with.
 
I still think you should look into Beta for a little perspective. Parts are easy to get, has the hand made craftsmanship KTM could only dream of. You can order them in a variety of trim levels all the way to one off custom builds. Last but not least it's Italian. You get much more bang for the buck with a less maintenance intensive engine that works out of the box.

If I get a pile of money dropped in my lap, I'd really consider one over an overpriced White KTM. Don't believe me, just go look at one and throw your leg over it. You can't be that enamoured with a sticker can you?
 
I'm keen on throwing a leg over the new Sherco 450 when it arrives here (Aus) in a month or so...... just to make the choice a little harder :D

The 450 in the 250/300 frame they have just released should be awesome!
 
crazy sexy beast. Love it. Sherco and Beta are really coming on strong.

293e3db138_sherco-450-SEF-R-right-2015.jpg
 
It's really amazing how keen the Europeans are to designing really good enduro bikes and in the wake of that you have the Japanese and US manufacturers scratching their balls. Talk about missing the boat...End rant and sorry for the derail, I really needed to get that off my chest.:busted:
 
reveille said:
It's really amazing how keen the Europeans are to designing really good enduro bikes and in the wake of that you have the Japanese and US manufacturers scratching their balls. Talk about missing the boat...End rant and sorry for the derail, I really needed to get that off my chest.:busted:
Click to expand...

They have Geisha girls do the scratching for them:lol: ...too fat and lazy to fire up the computer and do some design updates (with the possible exception of Yamaha) much less scratch the itch.
 
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