Madhatter wants a dirt bike….

greg the pole

There are no stupid questions, only stupid people
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Calgary AB
The newer KTM 300's are pretty darn reliable. Mine was a 2005. I just got rid of it last year as I'm no longer doing the all day "trail torture" type of rides.
yep..my 2011 xc was 2nd hand and needed some love, but once sorted it was great.
my 2014 xc300 has been damn near bullet proof.
Trail torture is all we have. Rocks, logs, roots, ledges...rocky mountain stuff! I love it!
 

Madhatter

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buda texas
interesting stuff , I like what I hear about the 2 strokes , whole lot of life getting in my way right now, January hopefully I will know..... and remember yall , I already have a 4 stroke , aka, tenere…...
 
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ballisticexchris

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greg the pole, the picture you posted is so nice it looks almost fake .... beautiful place you live in.
No kidding!! My idea of pristine riding is stuff like this. It looks easy but pictures do no justice.....

100_0347.JPG100_0353.JPG

IMG_2709.JPG
 

Defekticon

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500 EXC's compliment the Tenere well. Many folks here do the 500 EXC. I have a 2017. I like it because it rides as light as a mountain bike, with the power of a rocket ship.



ktm.jpg
 
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ballisticexchris

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that looks awesome and challenging ballisticexchris….
The bottom picture was a dead end. I was relieved. Looking at these pictures I'm reminded of what kind of riding not to do anymore. I'm fine with just a section or two of challenging. I'm riding my off road bike less and less these days. Age has caught up to me and I'm liking flowing smooth single track a lot more than the hard core stuff. Besides, rocks are unforgiving. Snapped off foot pegs, holes in the cases, bent subframes, tweaked and crushed pipes, bent radiators and guards, body armor that only lasts a season before it's broken and shredded to bits, overheated motors, the list goes on. Then you get home, tear down the bike and spend a whole day welding, repairing, and replacing parts.

Just want to give you an idea of what to expect when you get off the beaten path and go for those black diamond trails. You will get a lot of opinions of what bike to get for trail riding. I suggest a very lightweight 250-300cc 4T if you are starting out. You wont be disappointed. I'm actually looking to purchase a small bore bike myself.

My buddy is starting to sell those SWM's along with the TM's. I'm looking real hard at the SWM RS 300R. I can't wait until he gets one so I can swing a leg over it. It's got the the older Husky "red top" motor which is a already proven reliable power plant.

http://getdirtydirtbikes.com/1502-2/
 

Madhatter

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im getting great advise from all. it will be a hard choice in some ways . neighbor has a 500 exc-f I have ridden , and that bike is on the list , to go small is to go against ego.... now that's the hardest thing of all.
 

Defekticon

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Defuniak Springs, FL
The 500 does absolutely fine in singletrack and sand. I wouldn't step down to the 350 I don't feel there is sufficient difference in handling or weight to offset the loss of displacement. If I were in the market today it'd be a hard press between the EXC-F 500 and the new Honda 450 enduro (and if yamaha even cared to compete in that area, I'd look at them as well). The next step would be to a 250, and at that point, it depends on where I'd use it most. If I had legal offroad trails or an mx track for unplated bikes, I'd get an older 2006 CRF250R two stroke (always wanted one!). My last two strokes were a 93 KTM 300 and a 79 Honda Elsinore.
 

Madhatter

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I rode the 2019 honda crf450l today..... I did not ride far or push the bike hard . here are my impressions..... bike has been warmed up , pull in clutch pushed down gear lever, so smooth was the engagement like nothing felt or heard. but it was in gear and ready to go . it revs quickly and is geared low so no issues on taking off in first. shifting through the gears was very smooth and quiet. went through all 6 gears no issues no false neutrals ( short test ride ) no felt vibration in the handle bars , mirrors were clear through all the gears ( no tach so can not say what rpm I was running in any gear. ) the only felt vibration was in the seat , no buzz in bars or pegs , but some felt vibration in the seat. the bike felt snappy and felt like there was enough power to do what I want a bike to do. I have ridden my neighbors ktm 500 exc-f , that bike vibrates everywhere , the honda was except for seat very smooth,( and the vibration was not excessive or uncomfortable, just there ) and I wonder if the felt vibration was from tires . after leaving dealer I thought I should have pulled in clutch and coasted at idle to see if felt vibration changed or not. im thinking the street legal knobbies are the source, at idle at stop signs no vibration any where comes to mind. my top speed on this bike was 6th gear and 50 mph, felt tight and not broke in , so I did not push it. its not my bike. I could see me owning this bike , it is a very quiet machine. before I close it has a cush hub and a full subframe ,led headlights and is not orange.
 

Defekticon

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I could see me owning this bike , it is a very quiet machine. before I close it has a cush hub and a full subframe ,led headlights ...
These are all big advantages if you plan to ride it more as an ADV bike. There are no good pannier solutions for the 17+ KTM due to a lack of a real subframe, the cush hub is nice and lack of vibration, all pluses that make it more streetable if you plan to use it as a long distance multiday offroad trip (TAT, SEAT, etc). The KTM sure does buzz, even though it'll cruse smoothly at 70 in 6th for long stretches, the wind and seat will get you long before the motor does.

Did the Honda 450 feel any lighter than the KTM?
 

SilverBullet

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MH are you sure it has a cush hub? I've read it has a rubber damper integrated into sprocket. Big difference, maybe salesperson mis spoke?

I wish they would have ditched the titanium valves for stainless. And sad to see no kickstarter. But all in all is a great effort.

_

Sent from my SM-G860P using Tapatalk
 

Madhatter

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the sprockets are rubber damped , I was sleepy and miss spoke ….. as far as feeling lighter ,its been a few months since ive ridden the ktm , but compared to the tenere its feels like nothing..... titanium valves , what can you do .... at some point replace with stainless steel I guess.
 

Madhatter

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the dealer said for me to take my time not to rush the test ride and I was by myself , no dealer guy shadowing me as some have . it was getting late in the afternoon and I was starting to feel bad.... strep I think, feels like im swallowing glass.... should have done the test earlier when I was better the report would be better. all in all I think honda has built a good motorcycle that is capable of doing what most people want to do with it. I weighed the neighbors ktm it not that much lighter (270 lbs with gas ) some test reports that compare are saying it rides lighter, at a thousand plus dollars cheaper than a new ktm 500 and with my currant skill level , the honda is looking good.... just need to add barkbusters and ready to trail ride....
 

Madhatter

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buda texas
a final thought for the night , the ktm dealer is having a demo day in January were I can test 2 stroke and 4 stroke before I decide . have a birthday in January and if things work out it will be a cool birthday ( would like to buy on my birthday ) , orange or red ,we will see.... april or may are the back up plan.
 

Madhatter

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GtP, looks like great fun, except for the snow.... not a fan . last year before Christmas we had a snow storm here in Buda Tx. lots of fun in the 4x4 , the heater was working fine. we Texans like to see snow , its pretty , as long as its not here for more than a few days.... I like warm days best . was 45 today , stayed inside all day as it was to cold for me. the wife looks at me a bit crazy , she knows I will ride in colder weather than this but complain its to cold to do anything else.
 
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