>2018 KTM 350 XCF Perf Mod Question

[NorCal Factory]

I have KTM 300 XCW and am thinking of getting a 350 or 500 XCF to have the license plate. I ride Stoney, HH and Georgetown and Truckee mostly.
There are many times I was grateful for the instant blip power to unweighted or lift the front wheel. It really is easier and safer to have that capability.

I rode a stock 2015 350 at HH and felt like I had to rev it too much to get that lift. In slower to medium speed sections I didn’t want more speed to get into the torque that would allow me to get that near instant need to lift the front wheel. Yes, I was keeping it a gear lower than the 300 to keep the RPMs up.

I have ridden the 500 and it has the torque of course, but with a heavier feel on the 1st-3rd gear tighter single tracks that we have in the area.

I read on ThumperTalk that for the 350 if you change the exhaust end cap, air box reed and either have a TPS modifier or reprogrammed ECU that it really adds to the low end and mid range.

I wonder if anyone has those mods and could comment on how much of a difference they make relative to the bikes mentioned above.

Thanks!

 

[OaklandF4i]

Pm thedub. Wiles went from a 300 to a 350, albeit a non plated one as his race bike. I've briefly ridden a plated 350 with the ecu done and didnt think it has the punch of the 300. But there are better folks than I to give you insight.

 

[1962siia]

I have KTM 300 XCW and am thinking of getting a 350 or 500 XCF to have the license plate.
Thanks!

I could be wrong but I think the xcf is not street legal. You’d need the exc version to be plated.

 

[bkblitzed]

I could be wrong but I think the xcf is not street legal. You’d need the exc version to be plated.

correct. Exc-f are the dual sports

 

[anytwowilldo]

I think you need two bikes. Keep your smoker and get a 4T for plated work. That is what most of us have done.

You know the equation: N+1 =the perfect number of motorcycles. N being the current number in the stable.

 

[banshee01]

I would imagine the 350 excf is pretty choked up to pass emissions for the plate. I am interested in the 350 husky also plated but never rode one. Keep us updated.

Also how much weight can you take off the 500 with a lightweight battery. Full exhaust (does it have a cat like the 701)? And smog stuff removed?

 

[bkblitzed]

I have a 18 350excf. Removed all emissions, removed exhaust end cap, removed the intake reed, added a jd tuner, and just recently added a 13t front sprocket. Really like the bike after adding the 13t front sprocket. Cant say for the other mods since i did that at the beginning, so I forgot how a stock bike feels.

 

[banshee01]

I have a 18 350excf. Removed all emissions, removed exhaust end cap, removed the intake reed, added a jd tuner, and just recently added a 13t front sprocket. Really like the bike after adding the 13t front sprocket. Cant say for the other mods since i did that at the beginning, so I forgot how a stock bike feels.

Did the stock exhaust have a cat in it? How much weight savings was there to aftermarket?

 

[bkblitzed]

Did the stock exhaust have a cat in it? How much weight savings was there to aftermarket?

no i dont think any of them have cats, and i still have the stock exhaust system. I like it quiet

 

[augustiron]

Was the 500 you rode regeared and unrestricted?

Any of the new plated 250/350/450/500 excf ktm/husq FE bikes need the tires, gearing, exhaust, intake and fueling adjusted from factory to get back where they should be for dirt riding.

Pull the intake reed, pull the exhaust screen, regear 14/52 or just put a 13 on with the stock rear, add real knobbies and a JD tuner (cheapest) or Vortex ecu. You can no longer have the excf ecu reflashed in the states.

You can find pre 2016 bikes that may have been reflashed to the better euro or xcw spec maps before the ban hammer came down.

Yes, the 350 needs to rev to make power, the 500 can be a handful in tight stuff. Why not split the difference and go 450excf or FE450? Plenty of power to loft the wheel in 3 gears, and less rotating mass on the shorter stroke crank than the 500.

 

[kxmike]

I have a 2018 350 xcf (not street legal) . I'm running a 13T countershaft sprocket and ECU flash from Blias Racing. Throttle response down low is MUCH improved and it pulls all the way through the powerband. The bike is fast but easy to ride:thumbup. Check out bliasracing.com ...they have lost of mods for the dualsport ktm's and husky's as well. Oh...and the ecu flash is only $100.:cool

 

[Butch]

Nice
https://blaisracingservices.com/

 

[augustiron]

Yes, off-road only ecus can be reflashed.
No one will flash the ecu for an excf or fe anymore.

Maybe there is another workaround, but i haven't seen it discussed.

 

[NorCal Factory]

Thanks for the comments- the idea to keep the 300 has been in the back of my mind. I really hate the thought of not having it. And I will check with Wiles too.

All the mods listed above are what am seeing on TT As well. Plus fender eliminator and rear blinkers, mirrors, seat, full line straighten mod, hand guards. Tire balance and tires. So add another $1,500 plus the exhaust end cap and

I think I need to ride a desmogged 350.

 

[bkblitzed]

Oh yea forgot about the rear fender. I took off all my blinkers and just run a tail light only, just to be somewhat street legal. I might head to hollister this weekend, if I'm not busy. You're free to ride if you'd like

 

[augustiron]

Careful basing an evaluation on a single bike/ride.
A "desmogged" bike that is geared poorly, bad suspension setup or not having the fueling adjusted, properly, will still suck. Same for a tired engine. There are 350s out there with hundreds of hours ready for a top end.

Hard to judge the full potential of a bike unless you find one that's at it's full potential. I have worked on so many other people's bikes that they have been riding for long time that are setup like shit and they had no idea.

Also, no exhaust endcap needed, just take out the screen, don't spend money you don't have to just to buy parts (cough ktmhusky.com)
Same with buying a rear fender, i just cut the bottom off mine and moved the plate up -2016

 

[NorCal Factory]

Good point AugustIron, thanks!

 

[NorCal Factory]

Thanks bkblitzed - I am planning to ride at Hollister Sun. If it’s possible to switch bikes for ten minutes, that will tell me what I need to know.

 

[thedub]

I have a 2018 350 xcf (not street legal) . I'm running a 13T countershaft sprocket and ECU flash from Blias Racing. Throttle response down low is MUCH improved and it pulls all the way through the powerband. The bike is fast but easy to ride:thumbup. Check out bliasracing.com ...they have lost of mods for the dualsport ktm's and husky's as well. Oh...and the ecu flash is only $100.:cool

Mine's a 2019, but otherwise same. Chris Blais' tune is worth more than $100. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

 

[kxmike]

Mine's a 2019, but otherwise same. Chris Blais' tune is worth more than $100. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

Agreed!.... Super fast turn around too:thumbup