![/></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text"></p>
</div>
<p>KTM made its major, but no-so-secret, announcement at the EICMA show in Milan, Italy today that they have developed a 350cc four-stroke motocrosser and it will be released to the public in the summer of 2010. No longer a project bike, there exists a KTM 350SX-F.Several KTM champions were on hand to help with the bike’s first official public appearance, including ten time World Motocross champion Stefan Everts. Everts was not there just to offer star power, he has been the driving force behind the bike’s development since the idea first came.The biggest news with the 350 is obviously the displacement. KTM has always been willing to design a bike where they saw a need, and a mid-sized motocross four-stroke could possibly be that machine that manages to steal the best traits from a 450 and a 250F and wrap them into that mythical ‘perfect bike.’But the unique engine size is not the only fresh ground the bike breaks for KTM. The 350 SX-F sports fuel injection, a linkage rear suspension system (yes, a KTM with a link), and a new frame. And for those of you still needing more, the bike had the magic button – electric starting. The model on display did not have a kick starter on it, but the cases look ready to accept one.It’s been a long road developing the all-new bike, and Stefan Everts deserved a rest, but before we allowed that we grabbed a few minutes of his time to get him to tell us about developing and riding the 350SX-F.Pete Peterson: Where did you come up with the size of 350cc?Stefan Everts: Our thought was 250 is sometimes too weak and 450′s too powerful, so why not go in the middle, cut it in two – have the handling of the 250 and have this bit of extra performance that you miss in the 250, so that’s why.PP: Did you ever test other sizes, like a 300 or a 400?SE: No, we just went for the 350. When they started to make the drawings for the engine the main goal was to make a really small engine, as close to the 250 [as possible]. If you look at it, it’s just a bit bigger than a 250, so we already saved a lot of weight in that.PP: You kind of have to choose if you want a torquey motor or if you want a high revving motor. When you’re right in the middle there, which were you aiming for?SE: Actually, with a 450 you can more choose if you want torque or top. With a 350, you’re a bit limited with cc’s, [but] we’ve tried to look for all ranges. Good bottom power, which the fuel injection helps a lot with. The power is very direct, it’s very fast, and it’s always there, even after a jump where you go a bit [into the] low revs, it still attacks. It still pulls. This is something which impresses me a lot on this bike. I think in general the performance you can take out of the 350 is quite good. So the question you ask me about revs and torque and all this, we’ve tried to have a bit of everything in there, not just one thing. Because when I was helping develop it, I tried to look at everybody – to go and race it, but also that hobby rider can go and have a good time on it.PP: Can you tell me how many hours you’ve put on the bike?SE: I don’t know how much in hours, but I’ve been traveling around Europe a few times, up and down to Austria to the factory. I’ve been up to the designing office to look at the shape, a clay bike, the first drawings on paper. We went through many chassis. Engine-wise it was designed and we continued with the same design, and we got new parts, new parts, it got better, faster, better, faster.PP: Were you riding it at each stage?SE: I’ve been riding it step by step. When we went out testing, it didn’t mean we went out the next week testing. Sometimes it was a period of two, three, four weeks before I could go out again with the next step ready. Everything took a long time. We started off in 2007, we did a comparison test, and we tried to have a lot of information, and my main goal was to have a good handling bike. This is something really important, that you can really have fun with it. And I guarantee you if you can’t have fun with this bike, than you can’t have it with any other bike.<strong><em>Continue to page 2 and you will find Stefan Everts telling us about his new KTM 350 SX-F via video…</em></strong>
<div><a href=](/files/2009/11/27069220.jpg)
All New KTM 350 SX-F With Linkage Revealed – Dirt Rider Magazine
By: pete peterson
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Follow Us:
Subscribe
Fox Releases Youth Raptor Proframe
The new Fox Youth Raptor Proframe takes
Cobra Moto heads to Daytona for Ricky Carmichael’s Amateur Supercross
HILLSDALE, Mich., (Feb. 28, 2013) – Cobra
Cobra Moto heads to Daytona for Ricky Carmichael’s Amateur Supercross
HILLSDALE, Mich., (Feb. 28, 2013) – Cobra
Pro Taper Mini O’s Recap
A video recap of the Pro Taper
