72 | JUNE 2017 http://www.adbmag.com.auSame deal for the XPlor shock. It is
soft but it works.
I really like the way it drives
compared to the older PDS units and I
found that it didn’t pack and carry on
under acceleration like in the past. It
feels so much more active under you
compared to monoshocks and I like
that. You can kind of get a ‘bunny hop’
going over little bumps and even hop
logs without even touching them.
The engine is noticeably more
mellow than the XC-F and, at first, I
was a little disappointed. But the more
I rode it, the more I got to like the
power. It was just so easy to ride. Come
out of the corners and just wind it on
and the smooth power tracked so well
and did it all without getting out of
control. It was impressive. It does have
a lot less bottom-end snap than the
XC-F but the mid- to top- is very
strong. It is a very rider-friendly
engine and inspires confidence.
FASTER ONE
One question remained for us after I
rode both bikes. Which one was faster?
I’d felt faster on the XC-F straight
away. It was louder, more aggressive
and I just felt like I was hauling arse.
The course was tight to start and then
got flowy about halfway through. I
took off and charged through a clean
lap. Three minutes and two seconds
later I was back.
I then jumped straight on the EXC-F
and went again. I noticed the
difference in power but I felt like I
flowed better as the bike wasn’t as
aggressive and I was making the
corners easier. I flew through the
finish and the ADB timing squad
chuckled amongst themselves. The
time was 2min 56sec – a full six
seconds faster on the EXC! Crazy huh?
I then changed the XC-F to the #2
map and off I went, 3min 01sec. Still
slower. I put it down to the EXC-F
being so easy to ride. I found myself
overriding the XC-F and not flowing as
well. It was very point-and-shoot. The
EXC was mellow and I could control
my flow more. I had a feeling that
around our loop, the EXC was the pick
and the stopwatch didn’t lie.
So what does this tell me? Just
because you feel like you’re going
faster doesn’t mean you are. Quite
COMPARO I KTM 350EXC-F V 350XC-F
MAIN: The EXC-F was a surprise pack- Mat Boyd loves enduro bikes
- Braico thought the XC was faster
1
2
Its louder, more
aggressive and
I just felt like I
was hauling arse
often a louder revving bike and harder
hitting suspension can be a false
economy. In this case the plusher,
slower revving EXC-F was actually the
faster bike on our tight race track. The
XC-F is awesome. I think for anybody
who dips their toes in both motocross
and enduro, and doesn’t need rego,
you can’t go past it. It’s lighter,
stronger, $1000 cheaper and has a lot
firmer suspension. Obviously, a
lighting kit will suck up some of the
difference if you want illumination.
It is a handful compared to the
EXC-F though. The EXC-F is just as
nimble, has an easy-to-use engine and
handling to match. Like I said, it is a
$1000 more than the XC-F but if you
want to race enduros, then it’s the
better choice, according to our
stopwatch. And don’t forget, with
rego you can trailride it also.2:56
LAP TIME
EXC-F
3:02
LAP TIME
XC-F