Dirt Bikes and Tundra

Any of you woods guys have a lot of saddle time on an xcf or fx 350? Very seriously considering trading in my KX for a multipurpose bike. My main question is - how does the offroad variation of the 350 perform on a moto track. I still ride track a lot, but I’m at a crossroads with my location and time in life. I need a bike that can truly do both: woods bash one weekend, race Vet B moto the next. With minimal tuning - thinking just suspension settings.

 

I have never owned one, but I find it so crazy how popular KTM's are and they are on the verge of going out of business. Horrible management that is being bailed out again by Bajaj for another cash inflow of something like $600 mil. And they are still far from being out of the woods.

 

The financial situation is a situation for sure… I’m all ears for different options. Didn’t ever really want to go back to KTM, but the 350 is very enticing. The Sherco 300SEF would be my choice for a dedicated woods bike, I just don’t know how it would handle a track

 

My wife rides dirt bikes t00. We love going out together.

 

I owned a Sherco 300F for a short while and that bike is lethal in the woods. So fun. I rode it on a track once and I feel with track suspension it would have been just fine for the track. Maybe KTM will have to halve their prices to get out of this situation. IF they do I may have to pick one up lol

 

I don’t have the woods version of the 350, but I have a KTM 350 SX-F set up for mx and a KTM 250 XC set up for woods.
I can’t imagine having the best of both worlds on one bike. If there is one, I would be willing to say it would have Kreft suspension. I heard they recently opened back up.

 

Looks like Kreft is now at NV2 https://nv2suspension.com/

 

Yeah the 350 seems to be the sweet spot for me.

I think the counterbalanced KTM/Husky/GasGas bikes (17+) are really impressive in the woods. If you haven’t and you ever have the chance to ride one I would give it try.

It’s awesome that you two get to share the riding experience together, that’s what it’s all about!

Thankfully the KLX didn’t inhale any water! I know there are some fancy perches out there, but I typically run Teflon tape around the handlebars under the clutch perch and front brake perch. They hold steady but if/when you go down it allows them to rotate, hopefully without bending a lever or breaking a perch.

I know you have been around the block on two wheels but thought I would mention it in case it could help haha.

 

Ride woods with my 350 exc-f and love it. Just started riding track on it a month ago. It’s more capable on the track than me, but definitely looking for a yz250 soon, lol

 

This looks really good.

 

There's a long running theory that knee braces can actually cause damage to other areas of the body because it just moves the injury outwards. If that makes sense. So, in a crash with knee braces, the knees are staying intact but there's a larger amount of femurs breaking. Just something to consider. I've had several different knee pads but always go back to the Fox Titan pads. They work well and it doesn't feel like you have anything there.

 

I just switched from pod braces to evs pads this year. 100% rider preference. I ran braces my entire life until now. No historical or reoccurring knee injuries, but wasn’t happy with lack of feel. Pads give me better contact and grip with my legs, which is something I’ve always chased on any bike. The counter argument to pads is that they are less protective from micro strains - think about how many times you may dab or dip your feet in a ride. This can be corrected with form, but there’s no guarantee either way. Plenty of dudes have blown their knees out wearing braces.

Go with your comfortably/preference and knowledge of any past injuries. There’s no price tag on gear in my opinion. The safer you feel, the better you’ll ride.

 

I used Asterisk braces from 2005 until 2017 and switched to the Mobius braces. Mobius headquarters was down the street from my old office in Idaho a buddy insisted I try them out and I'm glad I did. They're very simple have a great feel on the bike and stay in place that was my one complaint with the Asterisk braces they never quite stayed in place and I would have to adjust them regularly on rides.

 

If I had to guess, knee braces are also following the same trend as neck braces, less people are using them.

There is a PHD student who did a study on neck braces by tracking neck spine injuries at a hospital located very close to a popular motocross track. The TLDR is yes you may break a collar bone, but they do in fact prevent many neck and spine injuries.

i see knee braces the same way, and am willing to take the risk of a bone break to save my knee joints for later in life.

yes, being a better rider and not being hindered by equipment can also prevent injury but it is the choice I make.

still rocking 20 year old cti’s, just had them rebuilt.

 

I’m running the alpinestars sx knee guards. Little bit more support than some knee guards. Really great feel for gripping the bike with your knees/legs. https://www.alpinestars.com/products/sx-1-v2-knee-protector

 

I guess we should also consider knee braces vs pads and also whether you're on the track or out riding single track in the woods. I personally never ride on the track. I've never really been into it. I like to watch it, but not my thing to do.

 

This exactly. Almost everyone I know who has broken a femur was wearing knee braces. I quit wearing them myself when I came to that conclusion. I broke a tib/fib and that sucked enough. Had complications with that. So, a femur would be really crappy.

My knees aren't in the greatest shape, but that's what nearly 40 years of riding and motocross does to your body.

I don't/ haven't ridden in a few years now, but have been mountain biking a lot, and that has helped tremendously with my knees feeling better.

 

Two should do the trick!

Good call on the scanner, these newer bikes aren’t as easy to work on haha

As far as pads vs braces… I wear EVS TP199 knee pads with the sleeves cut out. I think braces are a good idea but I can’t stand bulk around my knees or elbows.

I have broken my femur on a street bike (not on a track- no pads, no braces) and torn my PCL on a dirt bike (knee pads but no braces). If I had a knee brace on when I tore my PCL I don’t know what would have happened, it’s the same leg with the titanium rod haha.

 

I do try as hard as I can to keep my toes pointed in and up when my leg is out in a corner. I also really try not to dab my foot, but it still happens.

 

Same here! The people on this forum make it. I love this place haha. Coincidentally last night my oldest and I saw a nice Tacoma and somehow I got talking about TacomaWorld which led to how Bob started Tundras. I went into the secret santa, different meets, and a few other things. Even he (teenager) agreed it’s awesome.

Haha for sure! Good opportunity to say hats off to those who did and do jump out of em’!