KTM Free Ride 250R VS Freeride 350 review and comparison︱Cross Training Adventure

[@eveRide]

Hahaha! HUGE lol at the adventure mod version! The ending disclaimer was epic. I frickin love you guys :D

[@pauln1557]

I've had the 350 Freeride since 2014, done 200 hours on trail rides and I still love it. As a 60 year old, who started dirt riding at 50, it suits me well. My riding has really improved since I got the 350 FR. I also took up classic trials, which helped as well. I initially started dirt riding on a 450 EXC, which is a great bike, but not the best to learn on - many big loop outs and crashes early on!! There's no real top end power on the 350FR, which is OK for sensible riding. But eventually I wanted more, my mates still ride 450 EXC's, they left me for dead on fast, open sections and big, easy hill climbs. So, I opened up the air filter assembly, removed the exhaust cat's and remapped with KTM's 'Akrapovic' map (90 NZ dollars at a dealer). Now the bike has a reasonable performance at full throttle. The mods didn't affect the low speed torque as far as I could tell. Now I have all the advantages of the original FR350 - light weight, agility, plus half decent performance. BUT, now it will blow out it's coolant after long uphills in hot weather. Too much power/heat for it's little radiator. I've 'cured' this by fitting a fan 'over ride' switch and manually turning on the fan before giving the bike hand fulls of throttle. Bike reliability has been perfect, 200 hours, six years - magic.

[@Freewheelie199]

Get a aftermarket radiator cap with stronger spring

[@miro_s]

Thanks. Can you explain what you did with “opened up the air filter assembly” ? What did you do exactly to it? Removed the pre-filter? Or more?

[@pauln1557]

@@miro_s Hi Vladimiro, I took the pre filter off when the bike was new. My mods to the air filter assembly were in 2 stages; Stage 1, easy mod, gives a little more power - Dismantle the filter assembly, take the inner black plastic part and look thru it, you will see how restricted the air path is. Take a sharp knife and trim away some of the plastic that directly blocks the airway. Stage 2, buy a sheet of air filter foam and make a simple cylindrical air filter that fits over the inner black plastic part, don't refit the 'Dyson' clear plastic outer part. This give a good power increase but also creates some 'induction' roar. If you are interested I can take some pics so you can see what I mean. Cheers Paul

[@miro_s]

@@pauln1557 definitely interested to see what you did. I also removed the prefilter, but I’m reading reports that that leaves the bike prone to ingest water on wet rides, which worries me, so considering to put it back or anyway do something about it

[@pauln1557]

@@miro_s Don't worry about the pre filter, a wee bit of foam will not stop water. There are far too many 'arm chair' experts out there who love to repeat opinions that they have read, so it soon becomes an urban myth. Here in New Zealand I've done over 5000km, all off road, with hundreds of stream and small river crossing, never ever had a problem with water ingestion. I have never used the pre filter. I did flood the engine once, I stalled the bike while attempting a very fast flowing river, the current was so strong that the submerged bike dragged me downstream, it took 3 engine oil changes to flush out all the water!! The Freeride is a real pain if you flood it: -There is no kickstart to try and gently turn the engine over, -It takes ages to get the tank off, to get the spark plug out. On my old Suzuki DR 350 it only took a few minutes to clear a drowned engine. So don't drop your Freeride in deep water!! Cheers Paul

[@icksanoid]

Very professional review! Thanks guys, the 250 is top of my list.

[@quadd0]

Like the review, thanks. I just Bought a 350 and haven't even ridden one yet!

[@kendalllyons3554]

Big Fan of your channel. Keep up the great videos!

[@sirjolly81]

I rode the 250 freeride. First two stroke i've been on. Normally ride a wr450f 09. The owner of the freeride was new to dirt riding. He found it crawled up the hills and was very easy to ride. the power was good but the engine just kept pulling with zero throttle in tight single track. The trottle was very snappy and the rear suspension was to soft and bottomed out on 80kg rider. If you have a number plate remove it before the rear wheel rips it off. Its to small for anyone over 6 foot in MOH

[@crosstrainingadventure]

+sirjolly81 yes at six foot five i was far too cramped but the beta xtrainer is the perfect solution, at least in my case.

[@a64738]

The freeride 350 sounds like just the bike I want :) I used to have a Yamaha WR450, very fun bike but a bit to brutal on the power and heavy for technical slow trails. But I did love that power on the road and on gravel roads :) I also want a bike that is less tall for riding in winter, it is no good feeling on slippery roads when you can not use your feet to help stay upright...

[@deegray8020]

hi all i have a 2014 250 r free ride love it i am learmer rider as have not ridin for years i love it found out there is a mapping plug witch you can put a swich on it witch i recomend i have ridin in both modes its great i highly recomend 250 r in calmer mode for new riders when more experance swich to faster mode i have rode rocky and soft areas its great handling top spped not huge 112 top spead compaered to my freinds 505 at over 200 lol but at low speed it will climb hills amd dose handle great

[@DirtHog365MV]

Great review and interesting to see the hybrid's come of age between free riding and regular trail riding.

[@volcanowb]

Outstanding review!

[@kuladeeluxe]

I think with a bit bigger tank and more comfy seat the 250 would be my ideal bike.

[@Braselton21]

Probably the two best bikes for beginners & intermediate riders looking to improve their skill:) The Best & Worst thing about the 350 is the noise. I love me some Brap Brap 0_o BUT when you live in a suburb or want to ride around the city or explore a built up area,, It's perfect because it won't piss anyone off :D & It is road legal. Get the 2 stroke if you want some background noise :P The 3/250 is enough bike for those hill climbs & the size & weight of the bikes makes them great on the single trials. + if you get stuck or fall you can just pick the bike up with ease :D

[@ManAndMachine23]

Great info guys,thank you!!

[@maingameplayer4828]

Hi man is the 350 any good for mx track riding. I sold my Suzuki RMZ 250 and am looking for a street legal bike to ride trails in the woods and some track riding is it comparable to the 250?

[@crosstrainingadventure]

A Freeride for mx? It would be hard to find something worse.

[@maingameplayer4828]

@@crosstrainingadventure So my old 250 from 09 is better?

[@CustomcrowdMitroc]

im gettng the 250 r im so bloody excited

[@bananahammock3859]

This is such a nice video! thank you! :)

[@TheMrCKW]

Have you tested the Beta XTrainer by now? How does that compare to the Freerides (and your Beta RR300). And for the smaller riders exploring Cross Training - how about the Beta Alp 200?

[@crosstrainingadventure]

+Carsten Wammen they are taking ages to get to australia unfortunately, carsten. i'll get to ride one in about 3 weeks time and report back. it should be halfway between a freeride and normal enduro bike apparently. i haven't even heard of a beta alp 200....

[@spookslam]

As a tall rider (6' 4") can you hold the bike with your knees? I am making my way to a light bike and 250 R is in my consideration (We have limited second hand range in Turkey. A brand new bike costs twice as high as my one year salary without spending a penny. This is the major reason of my consideration.) On the CRF250L my knees are over my seat height a little so holding the bike is a disaster for me. This is why I ask. Thanks.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Hard to remember now, this was so long ago.. but I think my knees were above the seat so I was gripping the bikes more with my calves. It tends to be a problem with most bikes though so put Steg Pegz on all my bikes nowadays.

[@spookslam]

@@crosstrainingadventure Sorry. I didn't notice the upload year. Thank you anyway. I'll check steg pegz.

[@gearhigher2027]

Older 6'0" 200 lb rider coming off YZ 250...Will I be too cramped on a Freeride 250 ? Thx

[@eddienacini6953]

Love my DR 650 want a second bike . Is the Montessa cota 4rt 260 with the removable seat a good option or do you like the Freeride ktm.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

i've never ridden the cota, eddie. i would love to though!

[@tatmandu1722]

Love your vids!

[@kuladeeluxe]

Wonder how much longer the authorities will allow us to ride two strokes?

[@just-fun-stuff6753]

IS it easy to to a wheelie with a stock freeride 350 ? Power and Clutch wheelies ?

[@crosstrainingadventure]

any dirt bike is easy to wheelie once you learn the right technique... the brand or size of bike is largely irrelevant.

[@DarthBrianSoo]

Can the Freeride 350 do touring and/ or Adventure riding??? Will the bike/ engine breakdown???

[@jasons44]

No it's not a adventure bike dude, I'm sure you're not up to understanding what KTM Freeride bike is are you

[@dougcoleburn1579]

J agree the Freeride is a billy goat that loves to go anywhere technical. Not touring.

[@mittyvidz8259]

are you guys SEQ based? I always figured you were in Vic or southern NSW. where's your favourite spots?

[@2coolguys11-7]

How much are these? I really want one. I hope it's not over 1k

[@Nerb1]

are they both road registerable in this rule laden country?

[@crosstrainingadventure]

which country? if you are in uzbekistan i can't be sure. but both are road registerable in the land down under.

[@Nerb1]

Im sure there are less rules in uzbekistan than Australia. I didnt know if the two smoker was road going. You had no plates in your vid. I hope it was private property of you could be looking at 36 years jail time

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Nerb1 36 years? i wouldn't mind 34 years in the slammer but 36 has me worried. all that riding was on private property with the owners permission.

[@Nerb1]

Yeah, im just jaded for being fined $433 for putting a log "more than 1m in length" on a campfire in one of our lovely national parks. I may have exaggerated with the jail sentence. They want our money, they dont want to spend it on us :(

[@nobody-qu9on]

Im 6 foot 3 and 90 kilograms roughly would the 250 still be eligible for me?

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Finley Swan you'd really need to try and see... i'm about the same weight and hieght and if i was younger i would have been tempted to buy one, but over 50 you just get sore in the back, neck and legs from the stance required on small bikes. you might find the beta xtrainer a better option, very similar purpose but closer to a full size dirt bike.

[@nobody-qu9on]

secretgardenproject What about the KTM enduro 250s? (250 xc-f, 250 xc-w, 250 xcf-w.)

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Finley Swan dunno, as per above comment you'd really need to try and see... any proper dirt bike like those should be fine for your weight and height once you set it up right i guess.

[@nobody-qu9on]

secretgardenproject Alright, thanks mate.

[@irishflyer6377]

A great review

[@AIRMANBEAR]

IS THIS IN NSW \ ED USA

[@scottydouglass1892]

Did I miss the ginsu knives?

[@oceanworks3257]

I live on the Sunshine Coast, our family is looking at purchasing a couple KTM Freerides. Are you aware of any up and coming KTM ride days? We are keen to try the 250 and 350 before making a purchase. Thanks for all the awesome videos you put up!!

[@crosstrainingadventure]

i think local KTM dealers would know if there's a ride day coming up

[@Robynentermann]

Thanks for your reply, I have already rung around. Hopefully I can pick one up second hand and get a good test ride. 350 or 250 is the dilemma???

[@algodong]

where is it? looks like the trails around here in Chiang Mai, Thailand but they'd get hot in all that gear

[@crosstrainingadventure]

private property in southeast queensland. awesome terrain and even in summer it's about 27 up there instead of the 30 degrees at sea level.

[@MrBlompod]

Awesome review this bike is perfect for a carny sized rider like me...

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Paul Thomas there's also the beta xtrainer now available, many who were disappointed that the the freeride was a bit too "soft" are opting for this beta instead.

[@MrBlompod]

secretgardenproject Oh man you've already made my budget go from 4 grand to 8500 for a freeride, now I have to check out this beta xtrainer........... just did they're not in the country yet, bummer, back to the freeride I guess. Being only 168cm tall I am so limited on bikes. WRs are way too tall, so are the KTMs, a CRF250X with lowing links and shaved seat may work. The Freeride seems perfect if the suspension sags enough with my 76kgs on it.

[@mtnseekerone]

If I want some under power bike I will go all the way with a real trials bike until then I'll just keep practicing on my big bore that does the same thing with a lot of effort. AND ten time more options.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

yeah, i went the dirt bike option too. very tempted by the 250 freeride but figured a 250exc just meant more effort in the snotty stuff but brilliant on the open trails. still a hard decision though, given most of our dirt riding is hard terrain now...

[@mortengammelgaard929]

I had the Freeride e ( Electric ) and loved it, but for the range. Perhaps I should go test one of thease 😊 Nice vid by the way...

[@crosstrainingadventure]

i would have been interested morten but there was all this media hype then they never really eventuated... at least here.

[@selophane43]

how far can you go on a tank of gas with the 250R freeride?

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Spokexx spokexx not sure, that's just a mate's bike and he's off overseas at the moment. but because they are detuned the economy is very good...

[@RosanneZerafa]

hi! Love your vids! Any update regarding reliability and long term review of the 250r ? and what do you mean by Rabs bending the freerides?! Thanks for the vids ur the best :)

[@crosstrainingadventure]

our rider with the 250R has found it very reliable, roseanne.... no issues to date. rabs is a guy who crashes a lot, so he 'bends' his bikes frequently!

[@Nostrildomus]

* * * * * COOL * * * * *

[@matthewwhite7834]

Im 6ft 3in and 90 i want a 150 ktm

[@alienchaser636]

Mate get a KX 500

[@binguskhan1]

I've got a 350 Freeride and they are fun to ride. Remember fun. Used to be the reason we rode until one of our mates got a better, newer, bigger bike. Then the pissing contest started.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Bing O what if you looked for the snottiest gnarliest terrain possible and forced him to ride that all day long? :-)

[@binguskhan1]

secretgardenproject Then he'd wish he had a Freeride :)

[@fitzanator436]

If u wanna get out and stay under the radar this will do it.

[@tonyanthony7426]

Why do the add then

[@crosstrainingadventure]

What ad?

[@ibernd]

I want the Steak knives shipped to Austria... Thx ;)

[@crosstrainingadventure]

Austria... that's next to Australia isn't it? 🤔

[@freeriderz3503]

Nicecomparison, we ride the freeride 350 and uploadet just our forst video, you could check it out if you want to :) Keep on making the interresting videos for us and keep on riding xD Best greetings from austria!

[@mtnseekerone]

BS I'll just keep my 500 xc-w I'm doing this and much more.

[@crosstrainingadventure]

that's seems pretty harsh... it might all be bullshit to you but from a cross training angle (e.g. trials applied to dirt bikes) they can be an option for some riders who aren't going to go hard core, something i think the vid pointed out very clearly. if you are a very good rider it would be unfair to expect less experienced riders to have to tackle gnarly terrain on a big bore.

[@lcole1985]

So monotone....

[@crosstrainingadventure]

go to another channel

[@lcole1985]

+ADVENTURE OZ, nah. Video was good, but it just sounded like someone made you do the video. Anywho, good video, nice bikes.