greeneb

Member
Jan 15, 2000
32
0
Well got to put 70+ miles on the bike this weekend (~4.5 hrs on motor) and had a blast. My previous bike was a 99 250EXC so I wasn’t expecting anything radical, but I was pleasantly surprised by several things.

1) Motor: My 99 was very smooth, even four stroke like, so I wasn’t sure how the new motor would be. Well, it worked just fine. The 03 is strong, very strong. It still has the strong lowend which is a must for the riding we do, but it also has eye watering mid-range and topend. But the beauty is…. Everything is still controllable, and not violent. Thumbs up for the new motor!!

2) Suspension: I wasn’t real sure about the new 48mm forks in the woods. I had the conventional 50mm on the 99 and they were d@mn good. The 48s started of very stiff as any new suspension would, but after about 40 miles they really started to loosen up and show what they could do. They handled the big stuff (larger logs, g-outs, ruts, etc) extremely well. They still seem a little harsh on the small stuff, but still might not be fully broken in yet. The shock work very well, much better than my 99 did. I have no complaints with it at all.

3) Handling: I was very pleased at how the bike handled the rough stuff. It tracked very well and maintained its line thru some really gnarly high speed rocks and roots. I attribute a lot of this to the larger front hub and axle, and to the mammoth rear hub. I have ridden several 00, 01, and 02s and the front seemed a little nervous in the rough stuff……. not any more with 03.

4) Ergonomics: I really like the new tank and seat design. Much easier to get up on the tank for corners and the bike seems more nimble with less gas carried high… makes sense I guess.

5) Odo: One word… AWESOME. Easy to use and very functional. I like it!!!

Overall I am very pleased with the bike. Pretty much everything I was hoping for and a little more. I am trying to get the correct springs for me, but no one in the US has .38s for the forks… (Yes, I am a skinny a$$) So once I get those, I can give a better impression of the suspension. I did drop the needle (N3CH) one clip (to 3rd) since, IMO, break-in is done. The jetting was a little rich stock, which is what I would expect from the factory, but not bad by any means. Might have to drop the pilot one for around here (Huntsville, AL) but we will see.

More riding this weekend!!!! :)

Eric
 

greeneb

Member
Jan 15, 2000
32
0
Layton, YOU ARE THE MAN!!! Thanks a bunch, I just called Tim up and have the springs on the way!

Thanks again... gotta love forums... :)

Eric
 

Fred T

Mi. Trail Riders
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Mar 23, 2001
5,272
2
Interesting. My first ride also was 70 miles. At first I thought the suspension was stiff but it's settled in much better now. I did have the forks revalved by Enduro Engineering before I ever rode the bike and I know he did some work to the base valve so I'm not getting any trouble with the little stuff. We're still thinking about the midvalve as it seems to get a jolt in midstroke when turning and hitting a root or rock. BUT, I am very happy with the forks and the shock which is stock - i just took one click off compression.

As far as comparing the motor I don't have any expereince with any other 250 KTM's to compare it to but I can say that jetting seems pretty good from the factory. I opted to move to a smaller main dropping from a 182 to a 180. I have been told to get the main jet right first as it effects other settings like needle position. I'm happy with the motor but annoyed that I still get a little spooge. "They all do it" isn't good enough for me.

I love how this bike turns, may be the Applied 18MM off set clamps, I don't know. What I discovered was that the bike corners best with my weight more at mid seat ro 2/3 back, feet on the pegs and just point the bike and flick the bars as you turn and apply throttle and the rear just shoots around the turns. I ride in a lot of sand so this works great as we have to keep the nose up. It may be different on more clay and harder surfaces. Having the front tire lite seems nice as a guard against deflection as the tire isn't sending your bars in different directions as much because there not as much weight on the front tire. I like this handling trait.

First gear seems taller than I am used to almost like 2nd on my last bike so in the technical stuff it may be a handful having to keep the momentum going. The rigity of the frame and forks are real inspiring and the bike handles rugged hits well and tracks true. It really likes to ga fast. Fun, fun, fun!
 
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Strick

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Nov 8, 1999
1,782
2
RE: the forks, I set up my '02 SX (48 mms) with a dual stage lower shim stack and lowered to oil (from 110 to 150), and my bike is a rock monster (not to be mistaken with the infamous rock lobster).

p.s. is the '03 power MUCH stronger than the '99?

Greeneb - if the springs aren't the total solution -let me know and I will e-mail you or post my setup.
 

greeneb

Member
Jan 15, 2000
32
0
Fred T, are you saying that you still have the needle in the 4th clip and a 48 pilot??? Just curious.... I am going to do some jetting work over the next few days... hopefully.

Strick, I should have the springs early next week so I can do a little more testing before I decide about the fork. I do think dropping oil level is a good idea... I also have one of the Chuck Waggoner revalve kits coming for the forks. He rides the same area I do and have heard nothing but good reviews from the kit. Not sure if I will do the revalve when changing the springs or not.... sure would be easier to do it all at once.. :)

The motor seems pretty strong IMO. Stronger than the 99?.... I believe so in mid to upper range. The only thing that taints the comparison is I had a Gnarly pipe on the 99 which I remember smoothed out the mid-range... Maybe it's just a perception thing... but by "seat of the pants" it feels much stronger.. after the jetting is to my liking I will do another comparison cause a riding buddy bought the 99 from me. :)

Eric
 

Fred T

Mi. Trail Riders
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Mar 23, 2001
5,272
2
Originally posted by greeneb
Fred T, are you saying that you still have the needle in the 4th clip and a 48 pilot??? Just curious.... I am going to do some jetting work over the next few days... hopefully.

Eric

Yep. Didn't touch that yet. Probably the next step will be to try a 45 pilot and THEN check needle clip positions.
 
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