Hey brian, I'm considering a 450 or a 530 exc. Can you tell me how your 450 feels compared to your 331 klx and what's your likes and dislikes of the KTM are, powerband wise and the ride are? Any help would be great!


Kevin

 

the 450 is a monster!!!!!

 

If you are considering an '08 KTM 450 EXC, be aware that the '08 is a bigger piston shorter stroke than the 07 KTM 450 EXC that I have. They tell me that makes the '08 a bit revvier with less low-end grunt or so I'm told. Lots of folks used to take the 400 and overbore it to 453. This would be more like what the '08 is.

As for the '07, the power is substantial and it is delivered very usably with a smooth progressive curve. The 525 is purported to be smoother in this regard, but from reports from folks who have ridden both extensively, most say that getting on the 450 after the 525 feels like taking ankle weights off, even though both have the same dry weights - something about the higher gyroscopic effect of the larger 525 piston making it harder to turn and works you more in the tight stuff. Out in the open desert, the 525 would be the clear choice. But there's not much wide open stuff where I'm at so I went with nimble.

As far as the power band, I have not dyno'd it, but it feels to me to be very linear and wants to rev forever, not that I usually do that, because it's a whole lotta bike and it'll take me way faster than I'm comfortable very quickly. I wind it out every now and then, but I generally stay in the lower revs enjoying the low end tractability for the trails.

Where I really think the KTM shines is its stability. Whether this is due to suspension, geometry, I don't know. Could be my KLX was never set up properly and the KTM is set up better as to why this difference to me is so pronounced. But the KTM feels real good. I am considering a steering damper, but I must say the KTM needs it far less than the KLX does.

As for the KLX331, I think that is the perfect bore for the KLX along with the pumper carb. What a great setup that was. I see you've got a 340 an is that a 36mm Mikuni? The 331 + 35mm FCR must have been similar.

The 450 with the 39mm FCR on the KTM is just more of that wholesome goodness. But I think the big difference after all that is the ride - suspension on the KTM is much stiffer and I personally feel a lot more stable on the KTM. Again, part of that is probably due to not having the suspension on my KLX dialed in for me, whereas the KTM seems to be a much closer fit for me from the factory. That, and the KTM valving is tuned more to off-road as opposed to Dual Sport duty.

So if you are looking to save some bucks, you might want to look at a professional suspsension job on your KLX. Because don't expect that the KTM will be a super performer right off the floor. It is 50 state street legal which means you will need to do some mods. I've done a lot more than are really necessary, big surprise there , but the minimum I would consider acceptable to bring the '07 KTM 450 EXC up to snuff are:

1) rejet - $75 + $20 for JD Jet Kit and AP diaphram

2) regear for off-road - around $50 for front and rear sprocket

3) derestrict the stock exhaust - free, just remove the end cap and dremel out the restrictor

4) cannisterectomy - free, remove the smog stuff

5) hand guards - around $80 or so

6) skid plate - around $80 or so

So there's a couple hundred there and you end up doing similar stuff to open up the KTM as it does the KLX, with the exception that the KTM carb is very easy to get to, you don't even have to remove it, stock pipe is fine, it just needs derestricted, and of course you don't need to overbore or get a pumper carb since it already has one. I have an aftermarket pipe on mine because I'm a sucker for a good deal and its a real sweet pipe, I got it slightly used for about half the regular price.

I'm not trying to steer you away from the KTM, but just being realistic about what it costs for purposes of full disclosure. What you don't have to upgrade that lots of folks do on the KLX are stuff like handlebars, foot pegs, suspension, and so forth. Those are all excellent quality components. Oh, I also upgraded my seat for more comfort, but I was going to do that on the KLX as well. The hard KTM seat is fine for off-road, but I found it to be very uncomfortable for road duty.

What do I dislike? Not much. For off-road, nothing. But for on-road, it's a pretty high strung engine designed for racing, not commuting. So I commute less than I did when I had the KLX. Not that you can't, just that the maintenance is a bit more and I'd rather save the miles and time on the hour meter for what I enjoy most and that is off-road. But there are folks reporting over 30,000 miles on the RFS engine with only routine maintenance. I've only got 1200 or so and it's been solid for me. I've done the oil changes and valve checks. There's been minimal valve movement. The valves are just as easy to check on the KTM as they are on the KLX, but they are a whole lot easier to adjust on the KTM. Oil changes are a bit more involved and the recommended oil is a more expensive synthetic - about $12 per liter and it takes 1.2 liters, two oil filters need changed, and two oil screens that need to be cleaned. The KTM old timers say change the filters every 3rd oil change and that's what I've been doing. While its more stuff, it does make me feel good that there are two filters and two screens filtering my oil. The air filter is extremely simple to access and change - just pope the side panel and out it comes. It's near impossible to put it back in wrong, too - its edges are squeezed like a sandwich so you'd have to really try to create an air gap where the filter would be bypassed.

One real downside is that the air intake is a lot lower than that of the KLX so the KLX will forde a higher water crossing without drowning.

Gee, when I started this reply I had no intention of typing this much. Excuse my rambling, I better stop. If I forgot to cover something, let me know.

 

Brian, thanks for the reply. I'm really stoked about looking for a KTM. I'm going to try to ride one before I buy. If the power is what I think it is I'm going to buy it. Since winter is coming I'll look during the winter.

Thanks again,
Kevin

 

Dammit. Thanks Brian now i REALLY want one. Too bad about the 08 though, I was really stoked on those.

 

Hopefully you can find someone that has already done the mods to try it out. The stock bike is not much comparison to the one that has the first four in the must haves list I posted above. Probably the biggest is the gearing. The stock 1st gear on the KTM EXC is somewhere between the stock 2nd and 3rd gear on the KLX. And the stock pipe is pretty stuffed up, pre-derestriction. So if you ride one at a dealership, keep that in mind. If you like what the big bore and pumper did for the KLX, I think it is pretty safe to say that you will like the 450 EXC. It's really more of the same.

My recommendation is don't go to a dealer and sit on one unless you have made that final decision that you are going to buy. Of course, I'd been checking out both the KTM EXC and Husky TE and a few others, but I wasn't planning to upgrade until next year. But to kill a little time I stopped into a dealer this spring while travelling with my wife. Just seeing that bike up close and sitting on it and smelling it put me over the top. I bought one two weeks later.

 

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Hey Kevin, here's a thread over on TT that you might be interested in ... talking about the 400. The '08 450 will be more like an overbored 400 (short stroke) than my '07 450 (long stroke). This may provide some useful information in your decision.

http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=179016

As IG states above, the Huskies are superb as well. My main issue with them though was the narrow transmission and I ride too much roads to get to the trails and the revvy highway miles would bug me too much, so the wide tranny on the EXC sold me on the KTM. If that's not an issue for your, give the TEs a look too.