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New Bike Review: Orange Flavor Buck-Fiddy

Steve300xcw said:
Perfect, was hoping I didnt have to buy a chain
Click to expand...

I flipped the axle blocks to have the short side forward and then adjustment was easy. The stock chain is a nice DID X-ring so I wanted to keep it as well. My swingarm pivot to axle length is 591mm which is as close to Keefer's recommended 595mm as I could get. Adding links would put the length around 606mm which is too long.

www.keeferinctesting.com

KTM 450 SX-F Chain And Axle Position Tips - Keefer, Inc. Tested

Sometimes I get to work with people that are way smarter than me and that makes me smarter on the back end. Recently, Mark Johnson of REP Suspension threw out some adjustments/numbers for me to try on the KTM 450 SX-F and I came away with a better feeling on the track. Now this article
www.keeferinctesting.com www.keeferinctesting.com
 
LOL i didnt even look to see what way the axle blocks were facing:homer: Yea, theres plenty of room for the 52t:laughing:

Tossed a tape on it and its about 23 3/4" from the swing arm bolt. Thats about 1/2" longer than where my 300 is at. I woulda put money on it being the other way around..
 
Steve300xcw said:
LOL i didnt even look to see what way the axle blocks were facing:homer: Yea, theres plenty of room for the 52t:laughing:

Tossed a tape on it and its about 23 3/4" from the swing arm bolt. Thats about 1/2" longer than where my 300 is at. I woulda put money on it being the other way around..
Click to expand...

I was also surprised at the swingarm length. Once I looked into it the short side of the settings were actually preferred over the long side.
 
Funny. When I first got back into riding. I wanted that tire stretched as far back as I could. Bars pushed as far forward as I could, with risers as well.:laughing:


These days the bars are pulled back and low and cut down, forks are sucked up as well as the rear tire. So pretty much the exact oposite of what I used to think was legit:lmao:

Have not cut down the 150 bars yet...though the controls have been moved in....
 
Steve300xcw said:
Funny. When I first got back into riding. I wanted that tire stretched as far back as I could. Bars pushed as far forward as I could, with risers as well.:laughing:


These days the bars are pulled back and low and cut down, forks are sucked up as well as the rear tire. So pretty much the exact oposite of what I used to think was legit:lmao:

Have not cut down the 150 bars yet...though the controls have been moved in....
Click to expand...

I still go for taller bars or small risers, but it's mainly because my back is messed up. But my bars are pretty much flat and I don't cut them down because I have long arms. My clutch perch is right at the bend already.
 
Moving the levers as far in as you can, only makes sense!

Get wedged between 2 trees on a downhill at speed and shit happens when you get home:lmao:

About 2-1/2" narrower than the factory bars. Every once in a while, it makes a difference:laughing:

20230708_154417.jpg
 
Damn that's narrow!

Most of the trails in this area are 50" wide ATV trails, and some are full width 4x4 trails. Only a few are legit tight singletrack until you get deep into the hardcore Gifford trails.

I've always ran 790mm MTB bars so moto bars at 800mm don't feel too wide.
 
All of the state funded trails around here, a guy could drive a bus down.:barf:

There is a ton of riding that the state hasnt fucked up..yet. Some of that stuff gets stupid tight. Thats what we try an ride
 
Steve300xcw said:
All of the state funded trails around here, a guy could drive a bus down.:barf:

There is a ton of riding that the state hasnt fucked up..yet. Some of that stuff gets stupid tight. Thats what we try an ride
Click to expand...

Yeah... There are some legit singletrack trails in TSF and I need to head out that way soon. But for a quick weekend ride, the convenient stuff local to me is mostly mixed use.

Speaking of which I'm about to head out for a quick trail rip.

If you ever want to come up this way and ride, definitely let me know! I can meet you at TSF or we can hit some stuff in WA.
 
Steve300xcw said:
Might take you up on that:beer:

Super secret squirrel trail from this morning.

20230709_101540.jpg
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Looks like a good time!

Our narrow stuff gets so overgrown if it's not maintained twice a year. So, like you said, it gets built for a freaking schoolbus...

Only remembered to snap one shot yesterday on the easier section of the big loop:

PXL_20230709_213414483.jpg


The climbs in the woods were damn near destroyed and all I could think about was maintaining momentum. This area tries to harden some of the steeps with concrete grass pavers and blocks, so when those get chunked out it's a mix of 1' holes and 1' rocks.

But it was still a great ride overall.
 
Yea that pic was after I trimmed it. Last year it was brushy, this year it was just to thick to ride, but its good now. Try an pack a chainsaw for the first few rides after winter as well. Makes things lot nicer and you dont have to worry about getting stuck in a canyon.

Still prefer it that way over what the state does.

Those open trails through the cuts can be fun. Seems to also be where I get hurt the most for some reason:laughing:
 
Steve300xcw said:
Yea that pic was after I trimmed it. Last year it was brushy, this year it was just to thick to ride, but its good now. Try an pack a chainsaw for the first few rides after winter as well. Makes things lot nicer and you dont have to worry about getting stuck in a canyon.

Still prefer it that way over what the state does.

Those open trails through the cuts can be fun. Seems to also be where I get hurt the most for some reason:laughing:
Click to expand...

The open trails are fun, and this pic was actually a smoother area, but my bike was straddling a big root wad next to a stump. There are plenty of little features to pop off of or dodge to make it more interesting than a dusty sidewalk or flat gravel walkpath type trail... those are the worst.

Many clearcut sections up here are hardpack dirt covered in square edge baby head 6-8" rocks where you feel like your tires are flat. There are also some 4x4 trails with double size baby heads that are 12-18" and those are challenging on a bike.

I'm with you though, it's easy to come into a rough section way too hot after a smooth section. Then you're just trying to keep it rubber side down.
 
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Most of what we ride, on the 300, you are short shifted into 4th on the fast stuff. So when you get to ride some of the real fast sections, for some reason I get carried away and its not long before I end up doing cartwheels out through the brush
 
Steve300xcw said:
Most of what we ride, on the 300, you are short shifted into 4th on the fast stuff. So when you get to ride some of the real fast sections, for some reason I get carried away and its not long before I end up doing cartwheels out through the brush
Click to expand...

Most of the riding I did on the 150 in stock form was at my property, but lately on the trails I've been in 3rd for most trails, and 2nd for tech stuff as long as I can keep my momentum. 1st is for when I lose all momentum or need to do some pivot turns or techy shit, and occasionally 4th when things open up.

The TSP mods gave it more grunt so I can just roll on the throttle for more torque which is a pleasant surprise. It's the complete opposite of a peaky race 125/144/150 where you roll on the throttle and it just goes "BLUHHHHHH" until the revs build and the PV opens.
 
Sprocket should be here this week. Cheaped out an snagged a $25 one:laughing: We shall see how long that lasts.

New head should be here next week I think. I'll wory about tuning some other day
 
Steve300xcw said:
Sprocket should be here this week. Cheaped out an snagged a $25 one:laughing: We shall see how long that lasts.

New head should be here next week I think. I'll wory about tuning some other day
Click to expand...

RK head?

And honestly, sprockets are too damn expensive. I have would have bought something cheaper if it was available locally at the time but the KTM Supersprox was all I could get that day. And I'm not patient when it comes to buying things. 😂
 
Yea, I went with the RK head.

Local shop only had a 51 so I ordered one. If a guy buys the ironman sprockets or whatever they are called now. They will damn near outlast the bike. Well worth the price.

But I blew my fun money buying the bike. So $25 no name sprocket from Rockymountainatv is the one I need:laughing:
 
Steve300xcw said:
If a guy buys the ironman sprockets or whatever they are called now. They will damn near outlast the bike. Well worth the price.
Click to expand...
I've had a few of those, and they really are that good. Love those damn things.
Steve300xcw said:
But I blew my fun money buying the bike. So $25 no name sprocket from Rockymountainatv is the one I need:laughing:
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I have mixed feelings on most Primary Drive stuff, so lately I've been buying JT steel sprockets for about $25 and those are doing pretty good. At a certain point a sprocket is a sprocket and going to last for tons of hours as long as a magnet sticks to it :laughing:

Helps if your bike doesn't make any power too :flipoff2:
 
Rode it today. Bikes got 5hrs and 100 miles on it now.

52t sprocket, rk tek head and stacked base gaskets. Its way better:smokin: but I think a tune will still happen.

Managed to get it stuck in a snow drift and stuck in the mud today:lmao: Did not notice it before. But as high as the pipe an motor sit. If you can get the front wheel over a big log or rock, it just slides right off the other side. Pretty handy when you suck:laughing:

With the 52t running down the road just below where it comes on the pipe is right around 35mph. I wish it was a bit faster there, but not a big deal

The front tire can fuck right off. Its sketchy on a gravel road.
 
Steve300xcw said:
Rode it today. Bikes got 5hrs and 100 miles on it now.

52t sprocket, rk tek head and stacked base gaskets. Its way better:smokin: but I think a tune will still happen.

Managed to get it stuck in a snow drift and stuck in the mud today:lmao: Did not notice it before. But as high as the pipe an motor sit. If you can get the front wheel over a big log or rock, it just slides right off the other side. Pretty handy when you suck:laughing:

With the 52t running down the road just below where it comes on the pipe is right around 35mph. I wish it was a bit faster there, but not a big deal

The front tire can fuck right off. Its sketchy on a gravel road.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear you like the bike!

The stock front tire isn't great, but I dropped pressure to 13 and it sucked a little less. Though even with my Goldentyre front the bike is still a little washy feeling in deep gravel. I attributed it to be being out of practice but it could be the handling of the bike... Maybe? Or both.

The pipe and frame are definitely higher than a 250/300. I'd seen that mentioned somewhere in the past, and I also need all the clearance I can get. Be careful with the pipe, there aren't many aftermarket options for the XC-W.
 
I installed a stupid expensive kickstand. 😂

I anger purchased it after stripping out the spring pivot screw threads on the stock one. It's notorious for loosening and tearing out so I was trying to upgrade to a better/longer screw. Instead I buggered the threads and then stripped the screw head.


PXL_20230728_233653486.jpg
 
Steve300xcw said:
Hard to get motivated to ride during the summer
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SERIOUSLY. Way too much going on...

Fall is my favorite time of year, as is Spring when we can get a break between monsoons. This spring started super late so all my property work is months behind.
 
Fall is allright.

I like the winter though. Snow is fun, never know if you are going to get stuck in a hole or not. Your hands hurt because its cold and you have not installed the grip heaters that you bought 6 years ago:laughing: I love it

Perfect weather:smokin:

Resized_20180211_114704_2210100471912153.jpeg
 
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