General > In General...

Man this is going to make me sound old, but...

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alward25:
I agree about the pumpkin patch.  So, to knock on KTM's for a minute.  I work on a lot of them in my shop since the inundation of the market.  What a backwards POS.  People just keep drinking the punch.  F.I. airbox noise is the worst, suspension needs a secret decoder ring, shop manuals are unhelpful and vague (suspension shops agree). Shift shaft design is problematic, it comes a little loose, wich they all do, it gone.  Rear linkage bolt to frame design is aweful, check it out and you will see.  Fuel cap is dumb. Hydrualics on the clutch do not have any less pull than my KLX  450R and is one for system that can easily fail and does.   I ride all these new KTM and Husky bikes and keep being unimpressed with ergo's and handling.  They look cool and that is about all I can say that is positive.  However, they bring me in lots of money because Honda and KTM have been my bread and butter so keep buying them and riding the crap out of them and I will keep rebuilding them for the masses.  I do like it when I get to work on a KX anything.  They have stuff I don't care for either but the list is a lot shorter.  I wish the Japanese guys would get in on what KTM is doing and make more bikes for the variety of purposes like KTM does.

I had to get a rant in too :-D

Ims Roll:
^^ arent rants the reason forums were created  :-D I agree with some of what you said but there are a few that I do not. The clutch being one, I have been riding and racing euro bikes for the last few years and I have had only one clutch failure and it was just a lack of mechanical skills and through on my end. My first set of Flexx bars I run my clutch lever very low (I'm 6'5 and have a bull dog over the front fender riding style) and the downward flex in the bars loosened the banjo on the perch by rubbing the bottom section of the bars. For the clutch pull all of the euro bikes I have ridden have a much nicer pull then my klx450 had, this is comparing ktm stock to klx stock, as well as the ktm lever are shorter and more out of the way from harm. So I think the hydro clutch is to actually give the same clutch pull but having the ability to put a much shorter clutch lever on the bike.

Alward I do not know what size of a guy you are but the KTM/Euro egos are sooooo much better for the larger framed people. Built much closer for a regular sized person then a 120lb mx guy. When I ride a modern MX bike I feel like i'm humping a ttr125.

And last but not least, I have never had a problem with the ktm 4 stroke, only owned one and did not for very long but I have put a billion hours on a KTM 300 and a 250 and have never had a problem except throwing a piston at them every now and then. And that goes for all of my racing buddies that have pumpkins. First race of this year my buddy lost his water pump about 2 miles into a 100 mile race. Finished the race with the bike still running, Crank was black as coal but it never stopped running, came home slapped a piston in it and it is still running today after another 50+ hours on the motor.

Maybe we are just lucky  :?

FYI: I actually ride a Beta these days so i'm not 100% bleeding orange  :lol:

sandblaster:
alward25 is about 5' 3" and weighs in at an astonishing 118lb in full riding gear.
Or something like that  :-D

kxpegger:
I own 3 KTM's now and the newest is the 2015 450SX-F. My 2011 450SX-F has over 300 hours on it and none of my KTM's have had a single mechanical failure other than my 2012 250 SX that kept cracking the pipe near the spring eyelet. Pro Circuit fixed that problem. Oil, filters, chains and tires is about all they have received. The most reliable bikes I have ever owned. The ergos although different are no better or worse than the Japanese bikes. KTM has the best brakes in the business. Although the clutch pull may not be much different, because it's a hydraulic system and the way it is designed it is self adjusting and adds to clutch life. I still have 2 Zooks and the KX500AF. Need to sell something but just can't seem to bring myself to it. 500AF isn't going anywhere!

umberto:
I like the KTM stuff, but the 2003-2007 KX just fits me better.  With that being said if I was to buy a new bike today, it would probably be a KTM or more likely a Beta.  Sadly, Kawasaki wouldn't even enter my mind.  They don't offer anything for off road, and the motocross bikes just don't interest me.

I guess to my original point, KTM is the most like the Japanese brands when I was a kid.  Lots of variety for riders of all skill levels and interests.  I just hope the Japanese brands remember where they were before it's too late, and like IMS Roll said we're all riding orange or white.

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