2021 KTM 350EXC-F - Dirt Bike Magazine

[Music] hi and welcome to the dirt bike dual sport video series today we have the 2021 version of one of our favorite dual sport bikes the ktm 350 exc [Music] the pecking order hasn't changed much in the dual sport world for years ktm is still right on top at least as far as hardcore dual sport bikes are concerned the only other players are husqvarna beta and honda maybe swm the real debate revolves around size some riders swear by bigger bikes others go for the 350. the biggest reason the 350 has so many fans is its weight it's the lightest full-size dual sport bike you can buy on our scale it weighs 239 pounds without fuel that's about the same weight as a japanese 450 motocross bike despite having all the street legal stuff it uses pds rear suspension without linkage which makes the bike about five pounds lighter than the other 350s from husky and beta the big bikes from honda and swm are a good 40 pounds more and even the more budget oriented 300s from honda and kawasaki are over 300 pounds the 350 exe is light and when you write it you would swear it's even lighter for 2021 there are very few changes to the 350 exe the suspension has been tweaked and it got a map switch on the handlebar both maps are still governmentally approved for emissions the ktm's ecu is locked our test bike is absolutely stock except for one change the tires the bike comes with continental tkc 80s which are very street oriented the connies were chosen because they're quiet and help ktm pass the ride by sound test we swapped them out for sti tech 2 tires which are full knobbies but still dot approved for the street we also put in rim locks which aren't installed from the factory but they are included in the bag that comes with each bike as always when you install rim locks balancing the tires is a good idea [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] with or without full knobs the first thing you notice about the bike is that it's quiet the exc is so quiet that opens up new riding areas where you might be nervous about riding a regular dirt bike it's one of the things we love about this bike we're also big fans of the pds no linkage suspension which is the gold standard of off-road suspension designs for a number of good reasons first on the list is ground clearance when you pop over a log you won't get hung up on the linkage there are a lot of off-road guys who still insist that pbs action is more consistent predictable and provides better traction than linkage suspension we can't say we're that devoted to the design but we do feel it's better in most off-road situations both ends are set up very soft which is good for the bike's primary mission but the 350 suspension just isn't set up for race level speeds faster paces will require a trip to your local suspension tuner maybe heavier springs other features that make the exc so good on the trail include a radiator fan that might not sound like a big deal but it is if you take a 350 xcf on a tight trail this summer it will eventually boil over the exe runs a little hotter in normal conditions because the lean fuel mixture but the fan automatically kicks on when it gets too toasty we also like the six-speed gearbox it's clearly better than the sxf's five-speed the 350 xcf and 350 xcfw both use the same six-speed gearbox and even the same final gearing first gear is about perfect for tight trails it's not too much of a granny gear which is a common problem for six speeds you might even want to gear up a little the stock 52 tooth rear sprocket means you're screaming at 65 miles an hour you can get away with the 48 toother and still have a decent overall spread [Applause] [Music] the one real shortcoming comes as no surprise the ktm 350 exe isn't especially powerful in stock trim peak horsepower is in the mid 30s about as much as a 125 two-stroke it has a super broad spread of power and runs clean without bat firing or acting up but an unplugged race bike is much much faster here's where every dual sport rider has to make a decision if you want to use it as a dirt bike and don't care if it's loud you have to change out the ecu and the exhaust you can go even further by removing the reed valve located in the air boot for us that defeats the whole purpose of owning a dual sport bike we love the fact that it's quiet we can get away with riding close to houses and ranches the stock power level is good enough for any regular trail ride it's not the greatest for racing or hill climbing back to the debate of 350 versus 500 it all depends on where you ride on tight technical trails the 350 is much more manageable this goes way beyond the weight difference it's about how quickly the motor responds how it rarely stalls and has less engine brake the 350 is a better bike right until you get to those big hills that's where the 500 takes over the 350 is almost as expensive as the 500 the suggested retail price is 11 199 look for a full test of the 2021 ktm 350 exe in the march 2021 print edition of dirt bike [Music] for more dual sport tests check out these videos and check back regularly at dirtbikemagazine.com thanks for watching [Music] you

Channel: Dirtbike Magazine

Views: 83,192

Rating: 4.9320498 out of 5

Keywords: race, test, ktm, 350, offroad, trail, adventure, california, socal, experience, dirt, dirt bike, moto, motocross, motorcycle, outdoors, amazing, incredible, fast, speed, horsepower, nature, fitness, street, pavement, tour, touring, camping, street legal

Id: 03h1L099xOk

Length: 7min 46sec (466 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 24 2021