2020 KTM 350 EXC-F & 500 EXC-F Review with Grant Langston

[Music] you [Music] [Applause] [Music] hey everyone grant Langston here and we are out in the desert as you can see got two K teams next to me thanks to KTM for loaning us the bikes so we came out here with the guys from up shift to really put them through the tests and see how these 2020 machines go [Applause] [Music] so on the one side yeah this is the 350 and on the other side of me is they 500 now the 500 I actually have a fair amount of experience with I own a 2017 500 exc so riding that quite a bit it allowed me to feel the changes and the difference on this 2020 when I got on the bike I felt the cockpit where you sit feels a little more narrower and these bikes used to be tall and they're still kind of tall but they've changed a little bit so you can touch the ground and the seats a little more comfortable so I still got the KTM feel but they've been able to give people more what they wanted a lot of guys were worried about the bulkiness so new chassis even the way everything's streamlined it really makes you feel like you're one with the bike another thing that I noticed when I rode away immediately was the power they've said they've worked hard on increasing horsepower and torque they've done that it was clearly a change an improvement the bike stock has a lot of power and it's very impressive the handling has also come a long way in my opinion they've always made you know the exe is a little bit softer because yes it's a dual sport bike and you're trying to set it up for a wide range of riders riding ability as well as riders right different terrain you might be in the desert you might be in the jungle you might be an open land so trying to find that happy medium is pretty tough you could be 250 pounds you could be 130 that affects things but what I like what they've done what the suspension is before when it was soft it felt like was soft initially but it never really held up it would sort of blow through so we're soft the whole stroke it's got more of a progressive feel now still got that softness in the beginning but it doesn't blow through as hard so I really like what they've done we were able to attack even a few jumps some sand washes and through the sand the rollers the suspension works phenomenally well really love it then I had a chance to get him to 350 this was new to me so I was expecting to you know have a little less power and maybe not be disappointed but just feel like it's a light up at slower bike well I have to say it took me by surprise the 350 has a lot of power as well KTM have basic eliminated they 250 and 450 off-road machines which I personally think was a good call they had too many ranges and they got people confused but with a 350 what they've worked hard at doing is getting the power to feel more like a 450 and keeping that handling in that lightweight feel of a 250 and I tell you what they nailed it on the head with that one the power is really good the the agility just that that little extra lightweight feel when you're going through the twisties and little areas you can feel it and I have a feeling a lot of guys tend to go straight to the 500 because they think that's what they need but I got a feeling a lot of people are going to be pleasantly surprised if they get a chance to ride one of these you got to do it because this might actually be the bike for you so some of the changes that have been made to these bikes over the years just make them better and easier to work on so first of all one of the things I really love is they've got the compression and the rebound on top of your Forks you don't need tools it's very simple you can just adjust it with your fingers and I tell people often riders get on their bike they don't check the SAG or play with the clickers it's one of the easiest things you can do doesn't cost you anything and if it doesn't work go back just remember where you were and go back but I love how they've made that very easy to work on their clamps I think you've gotten better over the years they've got the neck and bar so if you fall a little sturdier less likely to bend the ODI lock-on grips is a big saver for a lot of us who want to change grips we're not messing with cutting and wiring glue and all that nonsense this makes it easy if you don't like the grips maybe a little firm you can just go and get another set maybe they're softer the headlight they've improved that that was something it used to bug me at night with the headlights we're not that good they've really come a long way KTM also added a lithium ion battery which is not only lighter but it's it helps performance so the old batteries were heavy they were bulky they were often dead lighter and more reliable and when you're out in the trails that's what you want reliability so we've had a chance to ride these bikes for a couple days and if I was to go and purchase one of these these are a few things that I would do one of the first things I would do and I think most people feel the same way it's doing the wraparound hand guards get with the the metal brace that goes through the bars and this is really good for just debris brush Xena do the integrated LED lights so you could also eliminate some of these the bell key lights on the bike and there again if you fall or bump a tree you're not gonna injure your hand you're not gonna bend the bars as likely so that's something I think most people do it's sort of a given and it's a very easy fix for comfort I would suggest a seat seat concepts make great comfortable seats for these xes the seat has gotten better over the years but it used to be one of my pet peeves or the Katie ends they were just uncomfortable and they were kind of rounded so it just wasn't comfortable after a long day riding so that's an option there's other companies as well but they truly make a great one the engine on these things are good but a lot of times people do want to do something I suggest a slip-on muffler there's a couple companies that make a 50-state carb compliant so you're still legal it's lighter looks better better sound maybe a little more performance but you're not going to get a ton but that's definitely an option I think a lot of people like that as well but there is something you can do to the motor and well down in that area at least that could help a lot of riders these days have chosen to go with something like a recluse depending on the riding those can be a real lifesaver for you know just for your average guy as well makes it easier less likely to stall and get you out of tough situations so that's something to consider as well I always say you want to protect your bike you make an investment it's a great bike a lot of us hold on to our xes for many years so let's protect it front disc guard for the brake the chair base and other companies make great ones I suggest that because you go anywhere with rocks if you just hit one rock and Bend that front disc could cause you some issues when you in the middle of nowhere same thing for the rear KTM and other companies as well make really good rear disc covers same thing protects the bike skid plate is a must if you're riding on any terrain at some point you're going to hook that bottom of your chassis so do those things to protect your bikes there's other things you can do as well they've even got guards now that go around the engine casings you can brace your radiator shrouds another thing that I like that's pretty cheap is the plastic covering for the swing arms more and more guys using those now because when you write other stuff it just doesn't go gee aluminum keeps it nice and fresh and finally one of the things I would change as well is the tires these stock tires they're actually decent when we when we ride on harder terrain but they're a little more of a street tire when we hit some of the sand wash yeah the bike was floating a little bit but a tire that I particularly love is the Dunlop 606 it's a do T approved tire so it's street-legal and it really does get good traction on the street the dirt and the sand it's a well rounded tire I suggest having a look at those alright well hopefully that helped you understand a little bit of some of the changes and the improvements on these bikes go to your local dealer check them out I'm telling you'll be impressed but enough from me we're cutting into our daylight and riding time so I'm gonna hop on this and get the heck out of here see ya [Music] you

Channel: UPSHIFT ONLINE

Views: 117,617

Rating: 4.8977637 out of 5

Keywords: upshift online, motorcycle, dualsport, adv, adventure, motorcycle travel, world travel, adventure travel, adventure touring, costa rica, erzberg, erzberg rodeo, red bull, redbull, austria, ktm, 100%, dirtbike, dirtbikes, enduro, offroad, motorsport, racing, motorcycle racing, custom motorcycle, motorcycle repair, how to, van life, overland, trail, trail ride, single track, backcountry, back roads, grand prix, idaho, nevada, motocross, moto, advrider, endurocross, diesel, moto fails

Id: uLg8JackHrQ

Length: 8min 59sec (539 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 16 2020