138 | JUNE 2017 http://www.adbmag.com.auKNOWING THAT EDITOR
Mitch Lees was on the mend I
have been getting in as much
riding as I could on the
350EXC-F before the dreaded
phone call to say he was
coming to get it. It was
non-stop rain here for most of
the month so riding in the dry
just wasn’t happening.
Instead I had to wait for
breaks in the weather to get
out there. Riding in the wet isn’t
that bad, riding in the rain and
being soaking wet sucks but
riding in mud can actually be
really enjoyable. That is unless
the yahoo 4WD crew have been
through your local tracks.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s
great to see everyone enjoying
the bush but why these guys
need to go back and forth
through a tiny puddle in their
lifted trucks with R.M. Williams
mudflaps and fake exhaust
stacks and turn it into a swamp
is something I will never
understand. Us motorcyclists
unfortunately get lumped into
the same group.
The rangers see 4WD guys
destroying the place and then
want to lock us all out. I’m sure
I’m not the only one who gets
frustrated by this and I’m sure
I’m not the only who gets a little
excited when I see gates up to
keep the 4WDs out. Gates mean
I don’t have to ride around
every blind corner in fear of a
bullbar at eye level.
Our savior is the mighty
singletrack, although I have
come across a few morons
trying to widen our primo
singletrack with their Tonka
toys. Speaking of guys with
trucks, here comes Mitch.
If I had my way I certainly
wouldn’t be giving the Kato up
anytime soon but the Editor
has been given the all clear and
he wants his bike back. My time
with the KTM has been
thoroughly enjoyed and it has
definitely opened my eyes to a
whole new world.
I grew up riding and
practicing in the bush but I
always raced motocross and
supercross. I wasn’t blessed
with rich parents so I never had
my own private test circuit, but
I was lucky enough to live in a
place where we had plenty of
tracks cut into the bush which
we used for training. The big
thing for me was having a
registered trailbike.ROAD LEGAL
Being road legal and able to
commute to the bush whenever
I felt like it has been a blessing.
It also opened up a whole new
range of trails that I have never
been able to ride without rego.
The thing I have enjoyed the
most is being able to come
home from work and duck out
on the bike for an hour and be
home in time to bath, feed and
put my daughter to bed.
This is a win for me and the
wife. Going for an hour ride
with a motocross bike means
three hours by the time you
load, unload and drive to and
from the track. So the big
question here was whether the
KTM would make me an enduro
convert. The straight answer is
yes, but I’ll still ride motocross.THE MITCH
IS BACK
BOYDY PREPARES FOR THE POSSE FROM SYDNEY
REAR GUARD
HOW TO RIDE / ADB GARAGE / WE RECOMMEND / TECH / KIDZ KORNER / USED RIDE /
I’m just really enjoying the
convenience of enduro riding
right now. Motocross is much
more serious and requires much
more time to get to the track.
I’m finding the guys out in the
bush much more relaxed and
it’s just easier to enjoy.
Enduro riding is all about
enjoying yourself and that is
certainly what I have done over
the last few months. If the
option of another enduro bike
came up I would not hesitate to
put my hand up for it and a KTM
would be nice.
The 350EXC-F has been
fantastic. I can’t fault it. The
power is user-friendly and the
plush suspension makes riding
all day not a problem. The
chassis is nimble and well
balanced. The bike steers well
and is effortless to ride.
You don’t need to fight it or
muscle it around, it just does
everything it is designed to do
perfectly. I have kept the KTM
serviced and have had no
mechanical failures with it,
although former Enduro Editor
Jake Stapleton had to replace
the fuel pump due to a broken
plastic part when he took the
bike for a few weeks. The only
thing I would change on the bike
is the springs, but only if I was
to race it. For trailriding the
suspension is fine but when it
comes to a rough track where
you are pushing the bike during
a race I feel the springs will
need to be stiffer.
I have really enjoyed this
experience and am disappointed
I had to part with the bike.
Technical Editor Mat BoydKTM (^)
350
EXC-F