2023 KTM 350 XC-F test run, Doe Mountain

[@TwistedTriggerEnduro]

Looks like a pretty intense test track. Excellent riding and video. 💪😃👍

[@appalachianboundenduro]

Thanks, this new bike is pretty awesome. If I was on faster double track type stuff the suspension stock is pretty good it’s just too stiff on this slow or tight ride. Motovations is fixing that right now though

[@f3vermonkey318]

@@appalachianboundenduro who should I talk to at MVR?

[@appalachianboundenduro]

@@f3vermonkey318 It’s Motovations Racing in Hickory North Carolina. You can pull it up on Google maps and talk to Marc he is the owner. He is amazing with suspensions I will not ride a bike anymore without having him do my suspension. The downside is once you have him do your suspension you’ll never want to ride a stock bike again lol

[@nightbasser73]

I Just picked up a 2024 350XCF and I agree the suspension is just too harsh and stiff for the rocky, roots, sharp edge stuff! Mine is going to Corey and Protune soon! @@appalachianboundenduro

[@appalachianboundenduro]

@@nightbasser73 nice! You will love it

[@alekfoy9362]

This has to be the guy I followed on 890 through the damacus dual sport ! Looking forward to that rear camera view of me on 1290

[@appalachianboundenduro]

Hey alek, yes this is Adam smith. I’ll look you up on messenger and send you some videos.

[@bikemancody2752]

Love Doe. Did the last 2 races there.

[@appalachianboundenduro]

Yes, Doe will wear you out! No place to relax there or you eat a tree.

[@Shecki603]

Great vid, man! I've got a 23 350 as well. Looks like you're having a little better luck with the hot map than I am. I get far less flame outs on map 2 than map 1 in the rough stuff. Subbing to the channel.

[@appalachianboundenduro]

I was getting quite a few flame outs on my first ride around my yard. I’m sure you have already done it but I turned my idle up quite a bit and that solved the problem. Another thing I did that I believe helped believe it or not is I went with the KTM power parts clutch lever it just changes the angle of your pole a little bit. Not necessarily from a flame our standpoint but from a stall standpoint especially since I ride a 300 XCW a lot and their nearly impossible to stall

[@Shecki603]

@@appalachianboundenduro I will def give the power parts lever a look. I noticed that they used a 9mm clutch on these new 350's. I have a 2017 300XC as well that I installed a 9mm clutch on to a couple years ago and the pull is substantially harder on the 350 with the same clutch. Will have to give that a look. Thanks for the tip!

[@appalachianboundenduro]

@@Shecki603 A few guys that I ride with use the Midwest mountain engineering clutch lever on their newer KTM’s. I tried it and the only reason I don’t like it is because I ride several different bikes and I like the clutch pull to feel the same on all of them. The mid west mountain does make it a much easier pull though

[@SkinnySkinch]

That is impressive on a big 4 stroke!

[@appalachianboundenduro]

Thanks, all the changes they made on this bike are nice. Feels as light to ride as my 300 xcw

[@SkinnySkinch]

@@appalachianboundenduro Nice that is very promising to hear! I am really eyeing a 250XC-F. I had one back in 2016 and I loved it. Been on 2 strokes since then. Currently on a TE150 but I would love to add a 250F to the garage

[@appalachianboundenduro]

@@SkinnySkinch Interesting you say that I had a 2018 350 XCF and really loved the bike but sold it a couple years ago and have been riding a 2022 300 xcw smoker. As you know the 2 stroke is just amazing. This new 350 just blows my mind but it still will not lug and tractor like my 300. But… this doesn’t flame out like my old 350 and it just feels lighter and closer to my two stroke feel but peppier and faster out of turns. I’ll use my 300 for hard enduro and “playing” but this 350 for hare scrambles and enduros. It was really a lot of fun to ride. I had my suspension tuned and will be riding Saturday on some pretty nasty stuff

[@appalachianboundenduro]

@@SkinnySkinch I’d say add it!! I think you’ll be impressed. Ktm really made a lot of good upgrades. I keep finding more.

[@Rc51gemini900]

Nice riding, been there a few times,love it ...

[@appalachianboundenduro]

Thanks, we ride there often. Fun place and becoming more challenging with the ruts

[@sdr7008]

"Suspension is harsh..." I've found with that with these new WP suspensions you need at least 10 hours on the bike for break-in before evaluating what you need for a new setup. As after 10 hours its a night and day improvement over out of the box.

[@appalachianboundenduro]

That’s good to know. I did have it revolved with the guy that does suspensions on my other bikes. I’m just not patient enough to wait for 10 hours lol. I rode a pretty hard Enduro loop and it went through like butter. I am really liking how Ktm did on these new bikes I noticed on a longer ride that it naturally hold you tighter to the bike just by the way the rear number plates flare out I don’t know if you have noticed that as well

[@sdr7008]

@@appalachianboundenduro Bought a brand new 2019 350-sxf. Was harsh. So got out the credit card and sent it to Kreft... with only 2 hours on the bike. Kreft said they "like to see more hours on the bike before we rework, but OK". Got it back and it was harsh. Send it back to Kreft. Got it back. Rode. Harsh. Then at about 8 hours transformation, and perfect. These things are so Austrian/German tight out of the crate. Anyway, your video was really helpful for me as i'm looking for a light 4stroke that can moto and do what you did in this video (even by New New England standards you got some serious bone down there). So very cool to see you ridining the XCF in those conditions. Think that with this video pretty sure with a Kreft Setup I should be able to moto or do New England enduro with one bike. Now just got to sell the wife on it... ugh!!!! P.S. I think the number plate flare is new with the new 23 frame. So interesting. Another reason to get out the check book.

[@appalachianboundenduro]

@@sdr7008 you will like to know I had a 2019 SX-f that I converted to an Enduro bike. You will see it on some of my earlier videos you can tell just by the sound plus I didn’t have a headlight. I loved that bike and I did hard Enduro with it but I can honestly say these new 2023s feel as nimble as my 300 XCW and the feel on the bike is pretty incredible. It is hard to explain but I stand a lot and it feels smaller, lighter and certainly narrower in your normal stance but when you are on hills or hard on the throttle it naturally holds you in position with how the rear numberplates flare out. I do have another video after this one that you can tell I’m on the 350. As you know videos don’t do justice on how bad a trail can be but a lot of what we were riding was pretty much vertical

[@appalachianboundenduro]

Look up Andrew Strouth on KZbin and his last video coal Creek he is riding behind me at about 6:45 into the video. You can get a good rear view shot of my 350

[@sdr7008]

@@appalachianboundenduro OK, dam-it. I now have a 2023 350xcf fever. And local dealer has one sitting on the floor. For sure will look at you older video Sx and you're buddies vid. Thx for all this. You can't test ride these things so videos like this really help!!!

[@bryand2978]

Have you tried a 350 with a rekluse? Honestly if you can swing it match it up with it. I just bought a used 2018 with a rekluse already installed and it's unbelievable. It has a fan installed and it works great for the slow goat trails like the ones you are on. You have a nice bike. I lived in Wilmington years ago it would be nice to make it out there again.

[@appalachianboundenduro]

I did have an 18 as well with a rekluse and it was awesome. I do love the Rekluse clutch, I just don’t like the Rekluse for hard enduro and having multiple bikes it’s tough to go from one with and one without. I did get my flame out issue fixed anyway just by stepping up the idle.

[@cliff1551]

Hey man thinking of moving to burns tn USA from the UK what you think ,would it be a good idea 👍

[@appalachianboundenduro]

Tennessee is a great state, tax friendly. Looks like burns is fairly close to nashville and Aliso Loretta Lynn’s where they have the amateur motocross championship every year. I know there is great enduro/ single track around knoxville and East Tennessee but not sure around burns.

[@luiscarlosariasraigoza3748]

Hello, I want to buy a KTM 350 XCF Factory 2024, but I want to know if you would recommend it for enduro riding

[@appalachianboundenduro]

Absolutely, I also ride a 2022 300 XCW and in my opinion the 350 is an easier bike to ride on easy or difficult single track. For me, the suspension was too harsh for singletrack enduro so I had it revalveed to my weight (180) and riding style. The power delivery is great. I ride 90% of the time in the mild map

[@f3vermonkey318]

Great vid! Did you notice the stiffness and rigid Ness of the new 2023 frame?

[@appalachianboundenduro]

i dont really know how to describe the specific feel when it comes to stiffness. i will say that we did a faster paced ride a couple videos later and got into some higher speed rocks / terrain and i did not feel anyhing rigid. I also ride a 2022 300 XCW-tpi and a 2020 500 EXC-f and can say this bike feels smoother and more nimble than even my 300. if I did not do some nasty hard enduro i would sell my 300 XCW and just ride this new 350 becasue it was that impressive it just would be too difficult to ride in slow hard enduro situations. with that said... i will ride it in some hard enduro places we go just not when we decide to do extreme trips where you really need to work the clutch alot. hope this makes sense

[@f3vermonkey318]

@@appalachianboundenduro by the way i have 2022 350 XC-F and IMO 13 / 50 is the way to go with sprockets. Like you I also have a Husqvarna TE 300i plus a KTM XC 250 TPI. I think 250 is my favorite for both hard/medium enduro and WOT faster stuff. Although for only hard enduro, hard to beat an Austrian 300…

[@appalachianboundenduro]

@@f3vermonkey318 agreed especially with the gearing. That’s what I have on my 300. Clearly you know your bikes as well I think if you rode a 2023 XC you would be shocked at how good the new style bike feels. It has blown me away

[@devontibbetts7880]

Are you running stock gearing or did you switch up sprockets?

[@appalachianboundenduro]

I was, 14/47 and the first ride I felt like it is geared too high so I tried a 48 rear and it felt quite a bit better even with the small change. I do think if I geared it any lower it would make first gear unusable unless you’re only doing hard enduro. I may try a 13/50 but I’m going to ride a couple more places first.

[@chrisringler1118]

Where is this single track located?

[@appalachianboundenduro]

This is at doe Mountain recreation area in Mountain city Tennessee. Many miles of awesome single track there.

[@flemingg11]

What gear are you in, in the first climb?

[@appalachianboundenduro]

I was in second. I have 25 hours on the bike now and have messed with different gearing and have ended back at the original 14/47. I believe it comes geared perfectly. If you go 14/48 or above I think it makes 1st so low it’s unusable. 2nd seems high at slower speed and hills but it’s really not and these clutches last forever so I use them lol. Helps with traction too being in a higher gear

[@flemingg11]

@@appalachianboundenduro Nice. Thanks 👍

[@kyleabney2796]

No real summary just video of riding... 😆

[@appalachianboundenduro]

No real summary needed it’s an awesome bike I have had this model in several different years if you have any specific questions I can probably answer how the bike feels compared to past models

[@SkinnySkinch]

Just checked out your channel Kyle. I imagined you'd have some awesome videos seeing as how you're critiquing this guys video.. I was shocked to find nothing....

[@kyleabney2796]

@@SkinnySkinch LOL, used to before it was popular like 12 years ago... Was hoping for more run down on the bike from the title of the video. I don't watch to just see someone else riding, LOL... Some good content out there nowadays on other test videos! Back to my armchair warrior battles,! 😄Cheers...