Most people who are invested heavily in the status quo have a persistent fear of the unknown. The KTM 350SXF is thrown in the face of its critics with a cocky swagger by the Austrians. Thus, Antonio Cairoli doesn’t just win the World Championship, he does it on a smaller bike, stuck in one gear while eating gnocchi. To compensate for its smaller displacement, the 350SXF and its designers play off the obvious shortcomings with extra braggadocio. No matter how many ways you slice it, the KTM 350SXF is smaller than its 450cc competition. Andrew Short’s forks are the fabled 52mm all-aluminum works versions. Thus, a Honda CRF350 would be enthusiastically supported, but a KTM, Husqvarna or TM 350 would be subject to scorn. For certain subsets in our sport, if it isn’t made in Japan, it can’t be any good. KTMs are regarded as strange, foreign, different and something to be feared. KTM is considered an outside force in American motocross. There is a belief that Japanese motocross culture is inherently superior to any other. There are three reasons the KTM 350SXF is such a lightning rod for negative palaver: INCLUDED IN THIS LIST OF DIMINUTIVE RACE BIKES ARE THE 360CC AND 370CC MACHINES USED TO GREAT EFFECT BY ROGER DECOSTER DURING HIS HEYDAY MANY OF THE ICONIC OPEN-CLASS BIKES RACED OVER THE YEARS HAVE BEEN WAY BELOW THE MAXIMUM DISPLACEMENT. So, what’s the buzz about? THE MID-SIZED, OPEN-CLASS BIKE IS REALLY NOT A RARE BIRD IN LIGHT OF THE SPECTRUM OF MOTOCROSS HISTORY. Included in this list of diminutive race bikes are the 360cc and 370cc machines used to great effect by Roger DeCoster during his heyday-the 360 Huskys of the Swedish ironmen, the 340cc Rokon Cobra automatic of Don Kudalski and, as recently as 13 years ago, the Yamaha YZ400 of 1998 AMA National Champion Doug Henry. Many of the iconic Open-class bikes raced over the years have been way below the maximum displacement. The mid-sized, Open-class bike is really not a rare bird in light of the spectrum of motocross history. Perhaps no bike in recent history has engendered as much controversy, idle chatter and uninformed speculation as the KTM 350SXF. The stock 2011 KTM 350SXF weighs 237 pounds.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |