Is the KTM 450SXF a good bike to buy?
What follows is the good, the bad and the ugly of 13 years worth of KTM 450SXFs. “This is a great bike—a great bike that is hampered by two corporate decisions: (1) The suspension settings are off the mark. (2) The head pipe is so short that it kills the low-to-mid transition. Both are easily fixable with the judicious application of moolah.
Is the KTM 450SXF head pipe too big?
The stock head pipe is a massive unit. The diameter is too large, and the overall length is too short to encourage low-end thrust. The aftermarket pipe builders will have a field day building smaller-diameter and longer head pipes for the KTM 450SXF. “KTM is the Rodney Dangerfield of American motocross.
What should the ECU settings be on a KTM 450?
Engine/ECU Settings: KTM’s R&D department is well aware that they may have missed the mark on stock ECU settings on the 2019 KTM 450 SX-F, but that doesn’t mean you should just dismiss this engine. Some “other” media outlets are claiming that it’s too difficult to ride with the rich down low and lean up top feel of the standard ECU setting.
What kind of air filter does a KTM 450SX use?
Air Filter: Buy yourself a KTM 250SX two-stroke air filter cage because they come without a backfire screen and then go get a Twin Air filter. Just doing this little modification gave me some added RPM response which helps the KTM feel even lighter in tight sections of any given track.
What follows is the good, the bad and the ugly of 13 years worth of KTM 450SXFs. “This is a great bike—a great bike that is hampered by two corporate decisions: (1) The suspension settings are off the mark. (2) The head pipe is so short that it kills the low-to-mid transition. Both are easily fixable with the judicious application of moolah.
The stock head pipe is a massive unit. The diameter is too large, and the overall length is too short to encourage low-end thrust. The aftermarket pipe builders will have a field day building smaller-diameter and longer head pipes for the KTM 450SXF. “KTM is the Rodney Dangerfield of American motocross.
Air Filter: Buy yourself a KTM 250SX two-stroke air filter cage because they come without a backfire screen and then go get a Twin Air filter. Just doing this little modification gave me some added RPM response which helps the KTM feel even lighter in tight sections of any given track.
Engine/ECU Settings: KTM’s R&D department is well aware that they may have missed the mark on stock ECU settings on the 2019 KTM 450 SX-F, but that doesn’t mean you should just dismiss this engine. Some “other” media outlets are claiming that it’s too difficult to ride with the rich down low and lean up top feel of the standard ECU setting.