Australasian Dirt Bike – May 2019

132 |MAY 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au

THE2014-2017KTM
350EXChasbeenafavourite
amongenduroridersand
hasn’tcomeinformassive
changesduringitsproduction
run.Itdoesn’treallyneedany
andplacedfourthintheenduro
salesracelastyearbehind
Kato’smuscle-bound 500 and
grunty 300 two-stroke.
Aussiesobviouslylove
big-boresbutwhenitcomesto
theterrainmostride,werarely
actuallyneedthepowerofthe
500EXC-Fexceptforthe
desert.The 350 islightand
nimblewhilestillpowerful
enoughtomakeyoupucker
whenyouhitthethrottle.
Itismucheasiertomanage
thana 450 or 500 whichmakes
ridingsingletrackortecho
sectionsmucheasier.Iwas
luckyenoughtolivewitha
350EXC-Flong-termerforafew
monthsin 2017 andreally
enjoyedthebike,neverfeeling
likeIneededmorepower.
Intheearlymodels,the 350
justfeltlikeafaster 250 butas
ithasprogressedithasbegun
tofeelmuchmorelikealight
450.Thisisbecausethepower

has improved drastically but

they still have the easy-to

ride-nature of a 250.

The 350 engine is reliable.

The plain-bearing crankshaft

means that, with regular oil

changes, the crank will

generally last a lifetime. The

valves and engine components

are all good gear, and so is the

clutch. The only issues I have

seen relate to the fact that the

350 doesn’t agree with dust.

The stuff doesn’t damage the

Del West valves but it does burn

around the piston crown and

will stick the compression ring

in its groove, causing a loss of

compression. This results in the

bike becoming hard to start and

eventually it will not start at all.

SUSPENSION

Fixing the damage means a

teardown to clean out the ring

groove. The solution for this is

to clean the air fi lter after each

ride and make sure it is sealed

well.The chassis and suspension

components are all good

quality, although the WP fork

has coped some criticism over

the years. The Xplor 48 is too

soft and lacks compression

damping for racing but can be

fi xed if you are willing to splash

some cash. There are kits

available from RaceTech and

Dal Soggio, which manufacture

replacement inner cartridges

or valving systems that

drastically improves the

performance. KTM has

improved the fork on later

models but the performance

isn’t drastically better and the

newer ones are still a little soft

and spongey for racers.

The only other issue I have

seen with the KTMs is fuel

pumps cracking but these were

fi xed under warranty. If you are

looking at a 350 second hand

then make sure it starts and

runs easily with no rattles.

Check for a service history and

even remove the air fi lter and

make sure it is clean inside the

fi lter, with no traces of dust.

Then check all the bearings and

brakes but pay special attention

to the swingarm and shock

bearings as these tend to wear

out and can be expensive to

replace.

Technical Editor Mat Boyd

GREAT COMPROMISE

HOW TO RIDE / ADB GARAGE / WE RECOMMEND / TECH / KIDZ KORNER / USED RIDE

REAR GUARD

NEW

2014 $12,495

2015 $13,495

2016 $13,495

2017 $13,495

SECOND HAND

2014 $6700 - $8000

2015 $7100 - $8400

2016 $8300 - $9900

2017 $8850 - $10,500

market

EQUIVALENT

Prices according to redbook.com.au

FRAME:

The double-cradle chrome-moly

frame has a rake of 63.5° and an

offset of 22mm.

BRAKES:

It comes with a 260mm rotor on

the front and a 220mm rotor on

the rear with Brembo calipers and

master cylinders.

ENGINE:

The compression ring will get stuck if

too much dust gets past the air fi lter.

SUSPENSION:

The Xplor 48 fork is too soft for

racing and benefi ts signifi cantly

from a RaceTech or Dal Soggio

damping kit.

2014 - 2017 KTM 350EXC WEIGHT:

The 350EXC-F comes in

at about 106.8kg dry.

14 – 17

Husqvarna FE350

$7100 - $11,700

14-17

KTM 450EXC

$7350 - $11,300

14-17

Sherco 300SEF-R

$7400 - $10,850

14-17

Beta RR350

$6750 - $10,350