Hours: 11
Mods this month: Fuel pump replaced
under warranty
Mods next month: Lower gearing
I REALLY HIT the jackpot during my two-week trip home to Australia this summer and was lucky enough to get a loan of ADB’s long-term KTM 350EXC-F. Being that it was a quick trip, I was pretty keen to get out on my old trails and test tracks in the Hunter Valley.
My first ride was on flowing singletrack through the Watagan mountains. Conditions were ideal and it didn’t take long to notice that KTM has again stepped up its four-stroke range. I had already done some riding on the 2017 two-strokes and was very impressed but hadn’t ridden the four-strokes which seem to have received a little less media attention.
The main thing I liked on the 350 was the handling and adjustability of the Xplor48 fork. The Xplor eats up small, choppy bumps like they’re not there and although the overall feeling is still pretty soft, they also handle big hits well.
This WP fork has less flex and more predictability than the old single-cartridge and doesn’t have the mushy softness of the 4CS. After making adjustments while riding a whooped-out sand track I thought the clickers on top of the caps couldn’t make fine tuning any easier.
The adjustments themselves seem to be more effective than on older models. The bottom-end power on the 350 is impressive and allows you to trailride in high gears, preserve energy and do things easily.
I found the EFI’s throttle response off the bottom was so quick that I had to be cautious when doing wheelies or jumping logs and rocks. It didn’t take long to get used to how fast and accurate the throttle was at low revs and I was eventually relying on this light-switch response.
Otherwise, the 350 engine was relatively soft. I’d say the mid-range is pretty mellow with no real obvious hit. This might make hoping a big gap a little more challenging but the positive of this soft mid-range is that you can ride through corners really aggressively without too much risk of unpredictable wheelspin. The top-end then goes on to rev out well.
As always on the Katos, the clutch action is light and consistent and the brakes up front and rear are top of the line with great feel. The sharp claws of the new footpegs definitely help your boots stay put through water sections.
I think they will also cause much faster wear of your boot soles but that will be one of the prices to pay for increased performance.
During my second ride, I did unfortunately end up having a mechanical issue with the 350EXC-F that left me stranded way out in the bush (see sidebar).
After some bush mechanics, we concluded that the fuel pump had let go. The tools were packed away and the tow rope had to be rolled out.
The guys at Hunter Valley Motorsports were extremely helpful when our fuel pump failed. There was talk about some installation issues that could have caused a crack in the top of the pump housing.
After receiving the new one I was cautious fitting it. A quick search on YouTube proved the most common way that people were fitting the pumps was using a pry bar through the fuel filler opening. This looked sketchy and, given that I’d just had a failure that could’ve been for that very reason, I wanted to work out an alternative.
I ended up feeding two lengths of wire from the mounting holes, attaching them to the threads on the fuel filter and fuel line and then using the wires to guide everything down and into place without the need for any undue force.
Although the fuel pump failure was annoying, it was great to see how Hunter Valley Motorsports and KTM got things sorted out for me so I could get back riding. It was a prime example of good customer service. Not all manufacturers offer a warranty, but KTM do, so buyer beware if you’re looking to buy another colour.
I had another half a dozen rides and continued to have a ball on the 350 with no further issues. The 350 would benefit from a less-restrictive muffler and I would also consider lower gearing to get a bit more punch from the mid-range.
It’s hard to see how these bikes can be improved each year but, all-in-all, KTM has come up with the goods again and the 2017 KTM 350EXC-F is a cut above the previous models.
Thanks to Mitch for the bike and all my mates who took me out on some great rides.
Jake Stapleton
