My KTM ride report

After having ridden KDX's for the last 6 years I too went Orange and it WAS NOT because the KDX is not a good bike because it is a GREAT bike for its intended purpose. It can be trail ridden in stock form and with the right mods it can be made to haul some major butt. The ONLY drawback to the KDX is the suspension. Mainly the forks. Yes they do have some flex and yes they need to be revalved but can be made to work pretty well. So you KDX'ers keep your heads up and know you ride a GREAT bike, and us KTM'ers will grin from under our helmets. ;)

In the words of the immortal Rodney King "Cant we all just get along"

I just have a problem with people making the KDX owners feel like they have a POS.

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Yeap, but not many long time riders have that attitude, rather, you see it more from inexperienced guys who try to "buy game".

Serious riders appreciate the KDX for helping the sport by making it more accessible to those just starting out and those trying to get back into it.

First of all Fred I understand why you are posting here, there are several peeps that surf this board that want to know more about the differences with the KDX and the orange bikes. The little signature that I have at the bottom of my page was put there several several months ago, and this is why. I've not quite understood why so many KTM riders browse these KDX forums in the first place, and on top of that some seemed to feel the need to put in a few snide posts here an there. I guess thats what message boards are known for though, people sitting behind a cpu screen in their plush armchair getting a kick out of pissing other people off. (whew that felt good) Two things and I'll be done venting. 1. I respect the KTM's, i think they are good bikes I've just not understood the Orange Wave Crave of the past couple of years. 2. I'm not a fast rider, I'm not a mouthy rider, but I sure like to pass a mouthy slow rider in the woods. I still think the man makes the bike, not the other way around.

"I've not quite understood why so many KTM riders browse these KDX forums in the first place".

My answer to this is that there are so few 2 stroke enduro bikes to compare with these days.Anyone that wants to move on to another bike but wants to stay 2stroke doesn't have many options and all of them are expensive.Not to many chances to ride any of the other bikes either.Many more KTM's in the states as compared to Gas Gas or TM and others I can't think of at the moment.

ok so that's the comparison of an 2003 250 to a 2000 220 that has a frame that originated back in 1995. i would expect a big difference in the motor and the frame.

have you ridden a 92 or newer 250 mx bike lately. your ride report sounds alot like how i feel when i hop on one of those. what's the diff there?

btw, i'm not bashing your post. i'm curious because i'm considering a second bike (to compliment the kdx) but not a ktm due to parts accessibility. plus a 97 kx250 costs about $2K.

like jeffw said, the kdx has a niche.

Both have limitations outside their respective niche. The ktm is not as freindly and the kdx can't be hurried as effectivly, and of course there are the exceptions to that statement as sage will be quick to point out ( kdx engine kx 125 frame, now thats what I'm talking about). I went to an enduro last weekend and the lot was nearly solid orange, what a surprise! And all the winners were orange! Surprize again! 7-10 years ago it was green. A lot of the ktm riders still sport their green chest protectors and helmets if you get my drift. The ktms are popular for the rider wanting to move up from a kdx or old rmx because they are a good tool for the job and priced fair for what you get. Tm's seem to be a bit more race oriented and gg isn't much of an option for me because of dealer location. Both the tm and GG have great components and were on my shortlist before I got my ktm. I used to have a hotrodded 220 that i smacked my riding buddy around with on his 200mxc, but after I got my 250exc and put 35 miles on it i wasn't goin back.

The lessons I learned are:
1)The support and pool of knowledge on the kdx from this site greatly shortened the learning curve for an old guy getting back in the dirt This type of support is invaluable!
2) don't spend a lot of money trying to make the kdx into a ktm The law of diminishing marginal returns comes into play sooner than the dyno curve
3) the only bike brand that had the same resources as the kdx was the ktm and for the same reasons people are passionate about their kdx's others are passionate about ktm's. This type of support and encouragement is invaluable.
4) my t shirt used to read Krash Test duMmie, circle slash just to needle one of my riding buddies. I'm sure you understand. ;)

Outa 166 bikes at the Missouri Hare Scramble Championship race in Sedalia last Sunday, 58 were KTMs. (http://www.chatrats.com) There were about 15 KDXs, including mine :confused: