450 XCW - 2016

[Bagstr 288]

" Well, I get the 2016 with the slightly changed Offset, why the trouble to get a 450?" Dave

For Me, the 350 was excellent on it's own; loaded with camping gear maybe a little lacking. Reciprocating mass etc leads to the choice of the 450, with a bonus of easy valve shim access. We have property in Bozeman which enables a plate.

Gotta Load the unit up with carefully chosen accessories, so some detail on that to follow.

Bagstr "On the Run"

[Wierdrider 189]

Very nice ride, congrats. Jealous though.

[blakeNY9 0]

I figured you wouldn't be out of the game for too long.

[Beezzz 6]

Is the power increased with the XCW vs EXC. Different layout of engine/pipe/jets?

[Bagstr 288]

"Is the power increased with the XCW vs EXC?" My understanding; There is no 450 EXC, XCW mapping is more rich in bottom to mid range than with EXC with more displacement. My hope is more drive ability, not necessarily more power.

[danrider 5]

Nice bike! you will definitely notice the difference in the pull on a clime. The mapping is different on the xcw, and you will notice the richness of it right off the get go. Congrats, When I get sick of the XL 350, I think I will get one.

[PbdBlue 46]

Nice choice

[Uncle Champ 116]

Purty, that first mud puddle is going to hurt.

[robertaccio 412]

brilliant machine , now get er durteeee!!!!!!!!

One of our crew amigos just got the 16 350XCF-W out of the box once again upgraded from the 15-- hard to believe they are getting better better and better, but Kato engineering is not staying still. Best of enjoyment on this machine its a full on cruiser or full on out of the box E2 race bike right hand twist lets you decide!!!

correct for EXC plated bikes the line up is once again 350EXC and 500EXC no 450 in the US plated bike line. both are PDS chassis like the XCF-W models.

alternative being (KTM) Husqvarna FE350S and FE501S with the XCF type linkage chassis.

[Bagstr 288]

Working my way through the box of improvements. The Sicass Turn-signal kit is 1st class, plug and play includes hydraulic rear brake switch and multi-function bar control with Off-Low & High beam.

Appt with George Wednesday for proper springs and adjustments. Highway Dirtbike box due today.

Goal of riding something other than pavement next weekend!!

[TexasDualler 32]

Those Sicass dual sport kits are top notch. Got one for my XCW minus the turnsignals. Only problem I had was finding one of the connectors. Turns out it was under the gas tank and not just under the seat like the instructions said. Had me scratching my head for awhile.

[Bagstr 288]

Headed to Willy's Electrons Tuesday to help with the Power Distribution connections. The Ram Ball mounts will go on after George's springs are installed.

[Bp619 105]

Looks sweet now get it dirty

[Beezzz 6]

its a beauty.

[paulmbowers 236]

The bike is great.

Greater to see you back "out there"!

[Crawdaddy 96]

The bike is great.

Greater to see you back "out there"!

[Bagstr 288]

Well, I thought I may as well ride this thing before it gets labeled a Garage Prince.

First Thoughts:

Clutch and transmission = Smooth and light to the touch

Firm Seat Concepts Comfort seat = Feels good to me!

Suspension = .48kg and 8.0kg - Really smoooth over Rocky Two Track up on Pine Mountain

Motor = Very Tractable with the stock 13 / 52 gearing . Quite tractable, no herky jerky accelerating or deceleration.

Barely two hours on the clock, so I have not opened it up.

The bike came with the forks showing Two rings, which historically was too low for the triples for me. I will try One ring next time

[PbdBlue 46]

And it comes with spiffy blue side panels! Good to see you back in the game. We'll have to get together for a ride once the desert cools down a bit. Oh yeah and PMB will tell you your gps is mounted in the wrong orientation:)

[Beezzz 6]

Is the 13/52 gearing adequate for highway 55-65 mph?

What speed do you feel it will cruise at comfortably?

What size tank? Standard vs. new one. Tank looks familiar.

[Bagstr 288]

Beezzz,

a. Don"t know, 1.5 hrs on the clock. Probably Not.

b. He will cruise at anything you want. May end with 14 / 52 or 13 / 50 for a trip with ability to shift to 14 / 50 on the road.

c. Tank is the same size as the 5.3 that was sold with the 350. Had to get the big tank for a trip, may go with 4.0 for local work.

And If I am allowed a question,,,,Why are You so curious?

[Bagstr 288]

Opened the Top to do initial valve gap check. = Looks good @ 0.13mm and 0.15mm. This system is less intimidating than the Dual Cam on the 350.

I was expecting to measure both intake and exhaust with the dots lined up, But needed to rotate 180 degrees to get the intake to relax. I tried 360D but was still tight. Owners manual does not detail valve check. " Take it to the Dealer "

[paulmbowers 236]

Practice, practice.

Then come over and do mine.

Thanks.

[Beezzz 6]

bags,

i am wanting more juice than the 08 450 exc.

450 xcw may offer more juice. not sure if it does? cam difference, fuel injection?

i am always admiring your bikes.

they are well maintained and sorted.

ps

i'm in Croatia now starting a 10 day scooter trip on Saturday. wife and i on the coast, two scoots (beverly 125 & x-max 250) and some island hopping. pray for us. i may pick up some border runners to pay for the fun.

[Bagstr 288]

What's Working:

GPR Pro Kit - Under the Radar

Rather Odd, GPR is very quiet on the subject of the Rubber Isolation aspect of the bar mount. hard to find photos or even a description.

I was very specific when making my purchase that there is indeed an isolation system. Well, the system exists and I feel it is effective. I purchased the Pro Kit because the damper mounts directly to the triple and the rubber isolation. The whole unit is quite a clean design, compact. My 350 had the same HDB bar set-up. This system transmits less vibration through the bar.

Seat Concepts, Comfort Seat Firm foam - Simply The Best

Single Cam 450 - More Pull than the 350, not a big "rip it outa your hands" kind of power,

easy - smooth- tractable. The 350 is Great when it is just you and the bike. With

tools, tubes, water dare I say tent, the 450 is more appropriate

Suspension 101 - .48kg and 8.0kg

It gets me in the correct zone with my 190lbs plus gear. Playing with rear sag and triple location on forks.

George is your friend!

[Bagstr 288]

Mostly Final Suspension Setting:

Well, I have arrived at the Final Suspension Settings for this 2016 Xcw. The .48 fork and 8.0kg springs got the bike to correct sag specs with 112mm of rear sag. What remained was experimenting with the fork height in the triples and working the clickers. I my opinion, it turns out that Track settings are different than Off-Road settings, at least in terms of fork height. The forks raised to two rings / 5mm produced nice cornering at the track but somewhat Divey / over-steer condition in sandy loose off-road conditions. Backing off to 1 ring / 2.5mm above feels good with 2 gallons in the tank. With 3 plus gallons, the over-steer starts kicking in. In the Dez, I usually start with 3 gallons. Which may have me go all the way down to flush. For now, I will put some miles of this set-up of one ring and settle in. Changing settings every ride, I could be stepping on my own opinions.

As many of us know, George at Suspension 101 is a Wealth Of Knowledge. His advice has helped greatly as the 450 and I learned to get along. Pushing me to make larger clicker changes than my overly cautious 1 or two clicks got me feel real changes with the compression and rebound front and rear. The odyssey of the hydraulic settings started at the front with bottoming and over rebounding on 2-3 ft lofts. Over springyness to the point of lifting the front wheel. Two clicks of added rebound fixed the boing factor and three clicks of compression fixed front bottoming. All this is obviously for my speed and weight ( 190lbs ) plus tools, tubes, water ). Once the front was under control, the limits of the stock rear setting became apparent. For the first time I got the rear to bottom. Probably because comfort with the front allowed more speed to be carried. The rear finished At 4 clicks added compression with 3 clicks more rebound. George suggested winding the High Speed rear adjustment in 1/2 turn. So far I have gone to the 1.25 out Sport setting with improved results.

These clicker adjustments are apparent vs the KTM Standard recommendations. Moving in a straight line carrying speed, the bike maintains direction without kicking left of right. The front and rear remain balanced and level. Out in the Dez accelerating through a set of 5 - 6 smallish whoops ( 1- 2ft ), the bike rides much more on the top without dropping the front into the valleys.

These clicker settings are all turning in-ward toward the Sport from the Standard recommendations. Your Settings wil vary. My style of riding is toward the cautious end of the spectrum and not up there in speed carried. When I hit 60 in the open wash, that is top speed. The guys have been waiting for me at the next turn,,,so far. In putting this info out here, my hope is to encourage folks to use more of the expensive adjustments you have at your disposal.

Bagstr ( carrying bags, sport touring )