as one of the longest revving bikes
in the class with a huge mid-to-top
range. For '23, they've kept that
same character but added heaps
in the bottom-to-mid range. It still
revs up near that five-digit rpm
range but with a more responsive
hit down low, the bike requires
less nurturing to get it up into the
meat of the power.
The electronics are also much
more distinct. Map two is obvi-
ously different from map one,
where in years past the changes
were far more subtle. The sec-
ond map is much more aggres-
sive from bottom to top with a
harder hitting, more Japanese
style power curve. This will cer-
tainly be the choice for faster or
more experienced riders, while
map one feels more familiar to
KTM's in years past. Quickshift
and traction control also come
standard on the 450 SX-F. The
loamy conditions at Red Bud did
not beg for traction control, but
the quickshift was a fun option
to play with on the fast-flowing
straightaways.
>>350 SX-F
Ah yes, the 350. The often-
overlooked welterweight of the
big-bike motocross world. The
middle child of the KTM family
if you will. I haven't spent much
time on the 350s over the years
and this was the only bike of the
SX-F bunch that I had yet to ride
before the RedBud intro (KTM
did a combined 250 and 450
Factory Edition launch earlier in
the year at Fox Raceway). By the
end of the day, the 350 jumped
up in the rankings as my favorite
four-stroke.
What I like so much about
the 350 is its overall versatility.
Riding a 450 is fun, yes, but it
takes a lot of effort to muscle
that thing around at a race pace
for more than just a few laps.
Most of the time myself, or
most of the motocross com-
munity, isn't riding a 450 to its
full potential. Plain and simple.
Riding a 250 is also fun, but at
six-foot-one and 180 pounds,
I'm definitely on the bigger end
for the small-bore machine. And
similarly, the 450 is sometimes
too fast in a sense, I feel there
are the same number of times
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 23 JUNE 7, 2022 P109
