yea, i guess my bike was perpendicular to the ground but if i went faster and got more comfortable with it i could have leaned into it more. That little KLX will take me anywhere i wanna go, really, im sure the rider has a lot to do with it.

Yea that was this bike, i think i actually found a mechanic, not a parts changer. So far its running great! no noises or anything.

 

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I have a chest strap for my hydrapak that i put my camera case on so its easy acces, dont have to take my gloves off or anything, thats how i get so many shots.

That 450 is crazy, its almost too much for just woods riding, like that one hill climb, it just wanted to spin or lift the front, but i went right up. I dont think ill ever get a 450, im sure i have the skill for it now and once i were to get used to the power id be ok.... but im really happy with my bike, i think the 300 kit would be all i would want, i was on finger mullets bike with the 300 on it and it felt stronger, but not that much. so that might be about all i would do. Pumpers are not worth the money at all ..... but the bigger cc would be.

 

looks like another great ridethanx for the pics[8D]

 

The KTM EXC power is designed for woods riding - very smooth, tractable, and controlled which is very different, for example, than from something like the CRF450X which is much harder hitting, or so I've heard. Having had extensive time on both the KLX and the KTM EXC, I see no disadvantage to the extra power of the KTM and feel just as comfortable on it as I did on the KLX. I think it's just a matter of what you are used to. When I first rode my KTM, it was scary and an unknown quantity. As I got used to it and the power delivery, and got the controls and handlebars and all that adjusted to my liking, I liked it very much. Before I delivered my KLX to Dirtsurfer, I'd been riding my KTM for several weeks and had not been riding the KLX. But before delivery, I changed out the KLX fork springs for a stiffer rate and took it for a test ride to make sure everything was OK. After a few weeks on the KTM, the KLX now felt like a totally foreign bike to me, one that I no longer felt comfortable on. So ... all I'm saying is that you need to ride it long enough to adapt and get use to its feel. One very big difference to me between the KTM and the KLX is that I feel that the KTM is very stable off-road and more-so at speed than I ever felt on the KLX - it's hard to explain, maybe its the overall geometry of the frame, maybe it's the off-road suspension, I don't know. Could be that my suspension on the KLX was never dialed in, but it is on the KTM. While the KTM 450 has got power to spare, that was never an issue on my KLX as I'd already overbored it to 331cc, so I really don't think power alone is a big difference, though the KTM surely has more, that's not the difference I'm seeing. For me, the biggest difference lies in the overall feeling of stability.

I just wish my legs were longer so I could wrestle the bike around more. But I had that problem with the KLX too which is only a hair lower. Being a little height challenged, I have to rely more on finesse in the tight technical sections. I can't just put a foot down and whip the bike around, I pretty much have to do it all from the pegs. Which is fine - just a different style, but I am a bit envious of the long legged bent-knee flat footers which would be the equivalent of me on a pit-bike.

BTW, that camera setup you had at NJ was great and I got me a camera carrier that goes on my back pack strap now too. It's a lot easier to take pictures when your camera is so handy. Thanks for that!

 

No problem brian, its great having it right there. Great comparison brian, like i said im sure i ifi rode it some and got used to that power it would be ok, but man is it a monster. Speaking of seat height, he had the aftermarket taller KTM seat on it, and i think he was 6'4" and he dropped it once on an off camber hill, i came around the bend and it was on the ground...lol.. kinda funny. He asked me if he could ride my bike i said sure, but not here... he wanted to switch up on the trails for a little bit, theres no way i was gonna jump on that thing on trails right away. It sure is one hell of ride though. Nice bike, but i dont think its for me for a long time maybe. Like i said id be happy for a long time on a KLX300S, just need to get that 300 kit and ill be happy, I love this klx, the two guys on the dr350's said it felt more like a dirt bike than thier bikes did. I did not ride one of thiers though. Thats just alot of power for woods riding, can you even tap into half of the power? I dont open my klx up fully in the woods that often, i dont have alot of open areas to blast through, its more tight stuff and ups and downs...

 

cool pics Eric, looks like a fun group . Thanks sharing[8D]

 

It's too bad the pictures never show how steep the hill's are,i bet that was a killer ,
anyway it's good to see you having fun again.

 

I do but maybe not how you might think. I definitely don't wind it out at high RPM in the woods - that would be suicide for a relative noob like me. What I do do, though, is short-shift to make best use of the low end tractable power. For example, I recently found myself at the bottom of a short, but very steep and rutted hill with a 90 degree turn right there so the run-up was only a bike length. As I contemplated my next move, I was concerned about spinning out or looping it half-way up. So instead I started out in 2nd gear and just clutched it a little and the big bottom end carried me right up with no drama.

In general, I ride the KTM a gear or two higher than I would on the KLX. The low end chugs along easily, nice and docile, but when you open it up, it spins up quickly and with authority. I rarely have to shift, just throttle and a little clutch control and you can stay in one gear most of the ride, gliding along with ease.

There are only a few open areas where I can go any speed off-road here and those are iffy. I'm pretty familiar with the kinds of areass you ride in, I grew up in WV which is very similar to PA. It is largely similar here in NC, but down here it is just a whole lot flatter. But other than the flatness, the terrain is similar with roots and rocks around every corner, twisty tight single track, ruts and wash-outs, etc. Yesterday I had a pretty good slide-out when I tried to brake real hard to make a sharp left hand turn but the layer of pine needles was like a slip and slide. I almost saved it. It was like slow motion, and if I had managed to keep it up just a few more milliseconds I would have made it and would have done a full 180. But instead I took a sample.

 

I kid you not, i would not sled ride down some of the hills we went down and up... crazy, the little klx tractor'ed up them with ease... A ton of fun, already planning a ride for the middle/end of october. Great guys.


Im sure there is alot more to think about on the 450 than the 250... looping out is not even on my mind at all....i know me and how i ride, that 450 would be the death of me.