Old School Hare Scramble? | 2023 KTM 350 XC-F | Rd7 VCHSS 2023

Lovely little scramble action we had in Windsor, VA with VCHSS. This was a good course. Proper tight and technical in spots, but also had some fast and flowy sections. This 2023 KTM 350 XC-F handled it pretty well and I had a great race overall. I keep getting better in the tight stuff b/c of tracks like this. Was a great day of dirt bike riding. Cheers

[@sweetschoolbus]

Glad you liked the dirt too. Absolutely live for that "loam" when riding mountain bikes!

[@TheWhiteOakHomestead]

Such a great track and solid battle between us. I was so excited for this start because I didn’t have to deal with the typical FX starting issues but forgot to put it in gear. Flag dropped, popped the clutch, and nothing there. Oh well, probably for the better. I do so much better when I let the race come to me. Solid race dude!

[@TheWhiteOakHomestead]

Also, I think we got 6th and 7th in the class so not bad for the last two off the line!

[@GNR325]

How would you guys compare the YZ250FX and the KTM 350XCF? Considering both. Thanks.@@TheWhiteOakHomestead

[@TheWhiteOakHomestead]

@@GNR325 I love the FX power delivery and how planted it feels when flowing through the woods. The only big problem with my FX is difficulty starting. At the start of the race I am usually the last one off the line because the bike has a hard time starting when warmed up. If I could do it all over again, I would get the 250XCF because of the starting issues with the FX. Just my opinion.

[@GNR325]

Thanks for the reply. Do you guys find the suspension on the 350 too stiff? I've heard a few complaints about that although some suggest the suspension and frame take a while to break in. (Actually I've heard guys complain about the YZ250FX being too stiff as well.) @@TheWhiteOakHomestead

[@TheWhiteOakHomestead]

@@GNR325 I can’t speak for the 350 but the 250FX feels a little on the soft side for me. I’m 6’2” and roughly 230lbs with gear. I have played with the compression and rebound and have it pretty good with the stock set up.

[@SkinnySkinch]

Good ride Cody! Glad you enjoyed it. I walked the first 4.5 miles of the trail on saturday before anyone rode it and man was it as smooth as a freshly paved highway. I was out taking pics of the morning race and I noticed how much it changed by the 2nd and 3rd laps. That soft dirt was so nice until it wasn't... lol. It got really choppy and rough as the day went on. I agree with you about the beauty of the VA hare scramble trails. I live in NC but purpose choose to run the VA series. The terrain is just so much better.

[@ThomperBeThompin]

Thanks Scott! I bet that trail is pretty rough and burnt in after the main.

[@SkinnySkinch]

@@ThomperBeThompin it definitely wasn’t a freshly paved highway anymore I can say that much 😂

[@chongorlz9716]

Cool video man! Beautiful state for sure. C class is full of sandbaggers where I’m from. Some these guys are within a couple seconds of the A class dudes 🤣

[@ThomperBeThompin]

Haha, there might be a handful of them in every C class

[@burkholder_yzracing]

Looks like you did great on that 350! I was super bummed to miss the race due to a back injury. My son raced the minis and said it was awesome and fun. Glad you got the arm pump figured out, especially since that was a really tight track. Hope you and the newborn are doing well.

[@ThomperBeThompin]

Thanks Brian! I hope you heal up quick and strong so you can get back out there and show your boy how it's done! JK, he's racing really well and could probably leave me in the dust lol

[@burkholder_yzracing]

@@ThomperBeThompin thanks man, yeah usually my weekly practice is trying to keep up with him. Lol.

[@johnbailey445]

Always a good time racing with the series - saw you/your brother a couple of times on this one. Thinking about moving from my 250rx to a KTM. My wife made the switch and loved it this race. Seems like everyone love the 350 4t and 300 2t. How’s your 350 compare to your brothers bike in the slow and tight stuff?

[@ThomperBeThompin]

They are honestly almost identical. Lots of torque at those low rpms, got to clutch through a decent amount of it. The 2024s dropped the air spring for a real spring. Wish I had that!

[@jerrybritt8702]

Stand up

[@booger65man]

Cool video have you had the bike in tighter stuff and does it want to overheat?

[@ThomperBeThompin]

I honestly don't know because I put a tusk fan kit on the bike straight away. My fan does come on quite a bit on the titer tracks in the summertime, but I'm also riding the clutch a lot. I have the fan set to come on at 190

[@TBean144]

How much clutch work are you having to do with the 350 in that tight stuff? I did my first Hare Scramble here in Iowa on my 500exc, not geared for tight stuff, and I was miserable by the end lol. Has me wanting to switch to the 350

[@ThomperBeThompin]

It is still quite a bit. Any modern four stroke race bike will require a decent amount of clutching. That said, I made it 1hr and 48 min on this course, so it is very doable. The better solution is a 300 two stroke, and/or a rekluse clutch. I have a couple friends who run them and swear by them. Then I have some who prefer the standard clutch. I prefer standard.

[@TBean144]

@@ThomperBeThompin I've had a few recommendations for the Rekluse as well, not sure I want to make the jump though. Just gonna have to do deal with the arm pump for now lol

[@ThomperBeThompin]

@@TBean144 Yeah I don't see ever going to a rekluse. I'm not knocking those who prefer to use them, I just like the traditional setup of a standard clutch. Arm pump sure is tough to ward off, especially on a track like this. I find that focusing on breathing, loose hands (when safe to do so), and simply backing off the "effort" 10% always works. Haven't had bad arm pump for several races by employing these methods - most importantly the "backing off 10%". Good luck with it, arm pump sucks.

[@fattie2550]

Are you missing the 2 stroke yet?

[@ThomperBeThompin]

Sometimes, for sure. I'm still a believer that it would be nice to have both bikes. Some tracks the four-stroke shines, and some the 2-stroke is definitely better. Maybe one day I'll dual-wield a 2&4-stroke setup.

[@DarkTideOffroad]

Too tight. Stock bars should fit through everything imo.