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The problem is riders are not setting up their suspension correctly on KTM’s - just about every KTM I see locally has way too much sag,
I helped one young dude parked next to me over the summer with his new 250f, he was compllaining about his fork being harsh. I checked his sag and it was like 150 mm !
If the back end is soft the front end can’t do what it’s supposed to. with their soft linkage ratio, it’s really important for KTM to sit at the proper level in the rear end.
KTMs always need to be at 103 sag - no more, no less
Pit Row
I feel like I could put WP stickers on a Yamaha, tell them it's an air fork setup and most would complain that it wasn't as great as a stock Yamaha KYB setup.
Proper settings are so important on current bikes, but no one has the patience to get their shit straight before they ride. No bike really sucks if you set it up right.
I race REM Saturday motocross against the MXA orange helmet crew, and one of their vet heroes just jumped on a MXA test KTM, I think it was a 2021, no sag settings, no tire pressure check, fork was hanging so low on his 350 that I thought the seal had blown out.
Crash and Burn midway through the moto. You know who you are, Randy
Over the last few years of owning KTMs I have been lucky enough to get set up advice from a guy I ride with who works at WP here in Murrieta, and the owner of REP suspension, Mark Johnson, who used to be Dungeys tech.
They have shown me how this shit can really go sideways if it isn't set up in the ballpark, sometime one or two pounds of air, or a couple MM of sag can make BIG difference on the balance of the bike and how it absorbs bumps.
I need all the help I can get with the suspension because I ran out of talent years ago.
I sold the 19.5 KTM 450, got a 21 CRF450R. That sucker took about 15 hours to break in, very rigid frame feel, way more rigid than the KTM, but after the revalve the suspension is a big improvement over the AER. I’m not brand loyal, it’s just better.
I defended the AER fork all the time, I was able to get it like pillows on the small chop, and the bottoming was amazing. It’s that middle part that beat me up. Wasn’t horrible, just not as good as what I’m on now. Hoping the newer gen AER is better with that bigger bypass. Anyone do a direct comparison?
I love 250F's thing they are the funnest bike around to ride but im a bigger guy and sometimes the lack of power with my weight and lack of talent gets me in trouble when my head goes "Just hold it, youll make it". So ive been exploring going back a 450 but riding that 350 was a blast and im driving 4 hours wednesday to pick up a 22. It had a lot more power than i thought (I rode a 16 and it didint feel great) but im pretty sold over the winter i can make it a really enjoyable powerhouse.
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