Crawdaddy 96 Posted January 10, 2013 Kinda like last time..... You guys are killing me.... I enjoyed my time with the WR and still believe in "light is right/less is more".......I STILL think the WR is perfect for the small ADV mission statement and if I was going to ride for "weeks" at a time that would be the bike for "me".....the extra weight/beefy subframe/350 watts of juice works in your favor for that mission statment.......my mission statement has been re-written based on real world experience and "time" constraints.....the vast majority of my riding is 3-4 day "travel light/fast" dualsport loops where the majority of the riding is off road. I rode Bagstr's 350EXC and really enjoyed it....light and peppy.... Likewise, Chilly raves about the 2012/2013 EXC350: http://www.enduro360.com/2011/11/12/featured/2012-ktm-350exc-review/ & http://www.enduro360.com/2012/10/18/products-tested/2013-ktm-350exc-first-review/ Motorcycle USA Beta/KTM 350 Enduro Comparison: http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/11/12483/Motorcycle-Article/2012-350-Enduro-Comparison.aspx So, long story short, Merry Christmas to me.... I'll be picking up a left over 2012 off road model, 350XCF-W, from All American KTM tomorrow.....they're prepping it for me now (suspension, etc.) Here's my off the bat game plan.... Suspension - AAKTM is installing .46 front (stock .42)/76 rear (stock 69) springs......they'll set me up with sag/best guesstimate on initial clicker settings Seat - Immediately contacted Lendon......a new Seat Concepts seat will be arriving today so my butt will never have to ride on that 2 X 4 stock seat Armor - throwing on front and rear rotor guards along with a skid plate Tires - Throwing on a MT43 rear with Bridgestone UHD tube......I'll ride with the stock front tire for a while....AAKTM is balancing the front wheel for me.... Radiator Fan - My 520/300 spewed coolant in the tight stuff (no fans)....no reason to believe the 350 will be any different..... Switching counter sprockets - I bought an XCW, not the EXC, so the stock gearing is 13/52.....too low for basic dualsport.....14/52 is still a bit too low......I'll chew up the stock aluminum sprocket and then replace it with a steel 48 or 50 tooth down the line GPR - I have GPRs on all my bikes.....solid product/support......local San Diego Company Highway Dirt Bikes guards/mirrors.....and I'm sure I'll throw on heated grips too..... Fork Bleeders.....~$20 well spent Pro moto foot pegs (if the ones on my WR will fit) GPS hardwire Brake switch (a rear brake light and mirror is all I need to pick up a street plate when I head over to my place in AZ. next week) HeadLight: picked up the 45W step up replacement from Sicass along with the 5W LED.....I'll mess around with both just for kicks.... Down the line: Gas Tank.....undecided but leaning towards Acerbis 5.3.....Dave and Mike went with the 5.3 Acerbis tank since that option is actually less expensive than a 3.1 gallon when you factor in the cost of quality radiator braces.....the bigger 5.3 tank protects the radiator from side impacts, the weight is carried low since you rarely fill it above the lower seat line (3 gallon mark), I'm told it's only ~1" wider than the stock tank with shrouds.....and you'll obviously have the freedom to go really remote if you ever actually fill that thing up with gas......I like to ride in Baja/other wide open spaces in the western U.S. so that "if you need it range" option is attractive to me.... Lighting.......we'll see.....the ~$400 Squadron is really not necessary for my primary mission......I rarely ride at night......just need a decent light for the "Oh ----....I broke down" (or by buddy broke down) scenarios....an option to switch the light off completely and not use up any juice from the battery is atractive to me....perhaps I'll put that switch into my HDB clamp?.... Kickstand.....broke the kickstands off my 400/520/620......I have no reason to believe the same fate doesn't await for my stock 350 kickstand.......kind of a sore point with me......KTM charges BIG $$ for these bikes then delivers them with lame seats/flimsy kickstands. Thanks again Bagstr/All American KTM......tomorrow can't get here soon enough.....I'll post pics/impressions of the new ride once I've had some time to ride it.... Pretty stoked to have 2 Orange "Aces" in the stable..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ADV Bum 205 Posted January 10, 2013 Street legal or are plating in AZ? Congrats my mistake 2012 off road model- AZ plate Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CalNub 0 Posted January 10, 2013 will you sell the stock pegs? interested... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Riggerdan 147 Posted January 10, 2013 Down the line: Let Riggerdan borrow it for his next trip down to Baja..... Thanks buddy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
racerbill 0 Posted January 10, 2013 Wow....... Great choice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Crusty Posted January 10, 2013 Nice, See you at Pala. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted January 10, 2013 Nice, See you at Pala. That's not my game/mission statement.....you oughta know that by now......I'm a trail rider not a racer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
danrider 5 Posted January 10, 2013 Congrats on the bike,and a nice one at that, I have a brand new KTM orange 52 rear gear if you are interested. I still like your smoker and AAKTM they are the best to setup your bike, he did well by me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted January 10, 2013 will you sell the stock pegs? interested... I don't think so.....I'll be starting a box of stock "take-offs" that I'll keep for the next owner...pretty small box since the XCF-W is already stripped down pretty lean. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted January 10, 2013 I still like your smoker Me too!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Crusty Posted January 10, 2013 Nice, See you at Pala. That's not my game/mission statement.....you oughta know that by now......I'm a trail rider not a racer I am not a racer either, just looks like a fun bike for the track. Congrats. Craig. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted January 10, 2013 congrats Chris... a 350 should have enough grunt for most things, and still meet your "light is right" philosophy an Arizona address probably helps too. You let me know if you ever have less than 5 people on one of your Arizona rides, I would like to tag along Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Desertrunner 0 Posted January 10, 2013 Beautiful bike. If you ever want to trade for an XR400, just let me know. I'd be very happy to help. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zracing 0 Posted January 10, 2013 I still believe in "less is more" Less is more alright....more $$$ Congratulations Crawdaddy!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AATA 0 Posted January 10, 2013 Very nice!! My buddy has the same bike and loves it. His is also registered in AZ. From what I've seen with my buddies bike first hand, I would add a tuning kit to the list. His bike ran hot and spewed all the time. He installed the kit (I think it was a JD kit) and it runs a lot better. Other than that, he loves it. Congrats! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SlowDown 0 Posted January 10, 2013 Glad to see you drank deeply from the orange coolaid! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted January 11, 2013 Let Riggerdan borrow it for his next trip down to Baja..... Danno on my bike in Baja........hmmmmm......how do I phrase this..... NO! (heal up buddy) I'll let ya borrow this one though.....I'm such a giver.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted January 11, 2013 Glad to see you drank deeply from the orange coolaid! It's intoxicating..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Afry 1 Posted January 11, 2013 Congrats! That should fit nicely on the back of my 950.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daijones 0 Posted January 11, 2013 Nice toy, I rode Chillys test bike a few months ago and was surprised at how good it was, very easy to ride. Well worth getting the fan kit if your ride any real slow stuff in higher temps they will overheat. I never had any issues with side stands on my KTM's so not sure if I've been lucky but always found them solid. Good idea to get a sock filter to fit in the gas tank to stop and dirt getting in the system as can be a pain with EFI, also get a spare inline grey filter and I would recommend a spare injector if going on longer DS rides, if it blocks your basically dead unless you can change or clean it (not easy on the trail). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bagstr 288 Posted January 11, 2013 Bye Bye Girly Bike, Hello Boy Bike! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted January 11, 2013 Seat - Immediately contacted Lendon......a new Seat Concepts seat will be arriving today so my butt will never have to ride on that 2 X 4 stock seat Thanks Lendon.....all carbon wrap with orange thread accent.....looking forward to mounting it on the bike tomorrow Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DustyRock 0 Posted January 11, 2013 Bravo C-Daddy ! i have been toying with the idea of a new bike too. Undecided about the 350 or 500. Would prefer to get the 450 XCW if I could plate it blasted left coast...... Have fun buddy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oracle 195 Posted January 11, 2013 If you look at the bike close.... You'll see my hand prints on it because I was checking it out a couple a weeks ago... Enjoy...that's a sweet sled Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
