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cc304
10/5/2017 6:41pm
10/5/2017 6:41pm
Edited Date/Time
8/26/2021 7:47pm
So just seeing opinions, Im about to pull the trigger on a new ktm350xcf. I’m coming off of a ‘09 ktm250xcfw and I’m keeping that bike, but would love a bike with a little more power. I race harescrambles and single track in Ohio and pa which is tight and has just about every condition. What is everyone’s opinion on the new 350s? (Will be ‘16 or newer). I really prefer my 4 strokes and this 350 weighs the same my ‘09 250xcfw does... what’s y’alls opinions?
The Shop
I can't speak on the 17 350 but the 300 is incredible. Spent two days on one.... it's been tough going back to my yz250. Have a deposit on one now!
It will definately have more of a hit than your 250 when youre feeling frisky and will be a great contrast to riding your old bike.
I feel id go 250f and 3002t or 2502t and 350f. I feel then you will get best of both worlds. Plus you will be happy to work on something new mechanical wise and as a 2T, you'd save atleast a little money in the long run come rebuild time.
Anyways I hopped on my uncles 09 300 xcw and I was actually impressed what 50ccs could do. As i normally dont ring out the bike and use the lower to mid rpm range i found myself going a bit faster and carrying more momentum.
Ive only ridden my friends 250fs and I think they are a load of fun, not too much heavier than my bike but because the bike makes less power I was kind of riding wide open everywhere. I was having a lot of fun in 2nd and 3rd gear on the trails lol.
Anyways, i support the 250f with a 3002T movement
i currently have a '15 300XC and a '17 350xcf (and a '15 450sxf snowbike). i have owned an 09 300XC, an '07 300xc as well as a 15 450XCF, a 13 350XCF and an '08 250xcf. i have a good friend with a '17 300xc and i have spent about 6-8 hours on that bike.
to answer some of your questions, the new 350 feels lighter than ANY of my old bikes on and off the stand. when riding, it feels lighter than my 13 350 but not worlds apart.... it just feels lighter. it also feels the same or slightly lighter than my old 250xcf in the technical stuff and significantly lighter than my 450 anywhere. it also feels lighter than my 15 300 but again, not worlds apart, just lighter. i honestly can't feel much of a weight difference between my 17 and my buddy's 17 300. they feel very similar though different because of motor department (more on that below).
i race everything from hard enduro to hare scrambles to MX. also throw in a ton of trail riding (typically with a bunch of very fast buddies) as well as play riding. the 350 just does everything right for me and at one time i was a "2 stroke elitist." if i had to pick one bike the 350XCF (or the white version) would be it. yes, the 300 would be my pick in hard enduro but not by a ton. anything slightly less technical and the 350 is my weapon of choice.... not by a ton over the 300 but i am faster on the 4 stroke on everything minus hard enduro/very technical.
having said all that, if i was told that i could only have a 300XC, i would be extremely happy.
to compare the 350 to the other bikes that you mentioned, the latest 350 will feel MUCH more powerful than your 250. it has significantly more bottom end, significantly more mid, and straight up and down a ton more top end. when comparing to the 300, it has slightly less right off idle, very similar bottom (just remember the bottom end, mid and top on a 4 stroke is higher in the RPM range than a 2 stroke), a little more in the mid, and 450 type power up top (meaning more than a 300). the bike makes serious power up top... most just don't hold it to the stop long enough. the latest 300s have slightly less bottom end than my 15 but is even smoother (didn't know that was possible) and the vibes on the new 300s are so low, it makes my 17 350 feel like it vibrates.
my '13 350 made great power and i never felt like i needed more.... the new 350 motor seems to have come into its own. what i mean by that is, it has enough bottom end to be short shifted like a 450 but is still soft enough down low that it won't rip your arms out of the socket and tire you out like a 450 will. yes it is also a little down on power in the mid but again, it is no slouch there and rewards you with not tiring you out quite as fast as a 450.... now when you need power that a 450 has, hold the throttle a bit longer and it really does make comparable power to a 450. another friend of mine has my 15 450 and the new 350 will pull it in a drag race, it is that fast. in fact i have out pulled a number of colors of 450s on the 17. the key is knowing how to ride it if you are looking for a holeshot. when your brain is telling you to shift, don't. the 350 will out pull most 450s for an extra 3-3500rpm and those last several thousand is where the 350 gets very serious. the powerband on the 350 is about the widest of any bike i have ridden. compared to a 450, it is an excellent balance of power and energy conservation. my 450s always wore me out during long races or rides. to answer your question "if it is more controllable than a 450?" absolutely.... unless you have the talent to hold it wide open all the time in which case it can be a handfull.
compared to the 300... as i mentioned above the 350 has less right off idle. what i mean by that is the 300 will pull if lugged below idle. a 4 stroke will stall. there is a little learning curve between the two but the 350 will pull no mater what from just a hair above idle. from bottom to lower mid there isn't much difference between them other than the classic way that a 2 stroke makes power vs a 4 stroke. if you are smooth with the throttle hand, the 2 stroke has more of a torquey electric feel where with the 4 stroke, you feel more of a throb/pulsating feel in the lower revs. the 350 has the most 2 stroke feeling motor of any 4 stroke i have ever ridden. what i mean by that is that it first and foremost, it is very snappy, no 4 stroke is as snappy as a 2 stroke but the 350 is very close. also the power band builds like a 2 stroke in that it is soft/not jerky off the bottom, starts making real power in the lower mid and then flat out screams up top. the only difference is the 350 does it in a smoother fashion. where the 300 is better in the uber technical department, the 350 makes up for it in how planted it feels and how the power band is literally 3 times wider.... just a bi-product between the 2 power-plants.
compared to your 250.... there is no comparison. the 250 is down on power everywhere from idle to the rev limiter.... and as you approach the rev limiter.... WAY down on power. while the numbers on the scale don't seem that much, the new chassis will feel lighter until you start getting into the revs at which case the 350 will feel a little heavier. all the added HP and torque are responsible for that and it is the same reason a 450 will feel significantly heavier than the 350 even though there are only 2lbs between them. in the really tight stuff, it will not feel any different in weight than your 250 but the handling will be MUCH better on the 16/17 350.
if you just want a little more power, a new 250XCF would be the ticket. the 350 will be significantly more powerful and i'm not sure if that was what you are going for. but if you want either a 300 or a 350, the 350 would require a little less learning curve for you to adjust to. having said that, a 300 is very easy to ride so long as you respect the throttle.
for a pure race bike outside of hard enduro, the 350XCF would be my choice... and remember, this is coming from a diehard 2 stroke guy... but i would be nearly as happy with a 300XC. think of the 300 and 350 as fraternal twins.
hope this helps
If you were riding more wide open, high speed type of trails, maybe the 350 would be a better choice, but for the type of riding you do, the choice is simple...300!!! It's what they're made for.
There's a good reason KTM never offers rebates on their 300's....because they don't have to. The bike is just that good and sells itself. Also, don't worry about power delivery. The beauty of the KTM 2-stroke is it's tune-ability. You can go from mild to wild and everywhere in between.
Good luck with your decision. Both are great bikes and don't think you'd be un-happy with either. Just think you'd be less un-happy with the 300.
Pit Row
The FX350 has been one of the best bikes I have ever owned. It is light, very fast, and the stock suspension is really good. I feel out of sorts with a 2 stroke anymore. I am so used to the engine braking and feel of a 4 stroke. I guess I am getting old and lazy.
However I love the 350. I was a two stroke guy for a long time and have only owned three four strokes. I had planned on getting a new bike this year, so August rolled around and the cash was there, so decided it was time to really start looking. My 14 kx250f was a great bike, just wanted more. Initially I considered a kx450f, as I already was comfortable on Kawi, and had plenty of Kawi parts and another set of suspension, but man those things made me ride lazy, that's why I went with a 250f to begin with. I considered going back to a 250 two stroke until I rode the 350. Man what a bike. You can ride the bike like a 250f or a 450f. I'm somewhere in the middle, I ride higher in the rpms and that's where this bike (2017 350 sx-f) really shines. Power of a 450 you can ride like a 250. Haven't done a whole lot of trail riding on it, Couple tracks here in Texas have trails as well so I'll dick around inbetween motos on them. The 350 handles tight stuff pretty nice. I feel better in the woods on this bike than any other I've had.
I've ridden it on scramblecross tracks as well, it does great. Such a fun bike. Out of every bike I've owned, I will say this has been my favorite. I plan on keeping this bike for a long time.
Granted, I know your not looking at the sxf, but for what it's worth one of my buddies bought the 350xcf and after awhile on it was sold on the 350 and sold his 450f for a 350 for mx. You'll love it!
The 250 has more overrev and pulls further than the 300, but the 300 has more low end torque and a 'smoother' powerband. With that said, I adjusted the powervalve in to get more of a hit out of the engine.
IMHO the 4 strokes are quite good and you really get a good quality bike whichever you choose, but the cost of getting the bike to my liking and the total cost of having a 4 stroke really puts me off. If you want to tune the engine on your 2 stroke - put in some different reeds, get it ported, get a new cylinder head and play around with the power valve! If you want to tune your 4 stroke pull out the checkbook and be prepared to pay a lot more money.
My point is it's a lot simpler to tune and adjust the 2 stroke towards your liking. It's also cheaper. And lighter. And feels more nimble. And you have to use premix (which is cool as hell). And they sound awesome. Two strokes rock!
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