Cycle News

Cycle News 2017 Issue18 May 9

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/821592

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2017 KTM 250, 350 AND 500 EXC-F FIRST RIDE P110 suspension works well for what it was designed for—trail riding. Out on the pavement and down the dirt roads, the 500 is king and the most comfortable to ride thanks to an abundance of torque and just plain excellent overall power. The stock gearing works great for off-road and still provides a comfortable ride at 70 mph. The 250 EXC-F, believe it or not, was our next favorite on the road thanks to taller gearing and a less vibration. The 350 EXC-F's final drive is geared significantly different from the 500 and the 250 and revs out earlier. A simple rear-sprocket swap will fix that if needed. After a few hundred miles and some complaints about comfort of the stock EXC seat, we tried an SX-F seat, which is a bit taller with thicker padding—it worked out well. We happily traded a little more seat height for comfort. Improved mapping for the 500 eliminates popping and stalling. You can now tackle any obstacle with pure confidence on the 500 EXC-F.

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