Sprocket The Pocket Rocket
In your May '06 article on the KTM 250 SX-F, you mentioned moving its power around, as the KTM has a ton of top-end power. Have you come up with a combination that I can try on my bike? -Rob Woodard, Carlsbad, CA
I think everyone with a 2006 KTM 250 SX-F is looking for a combination that will expand the awesome mid-to-top pull of the Austrian motor. My favorite mod for doing this has been to install a one-tooth-larger (49) rear sprocket. It's a quick and cheap fix, and on tighter, slower tracks (such as REM races at Glen Helen), it works great, as the bike really pulls out of the corners. Exhaust systems seem to have little effect, though the Akrapovic system I've been running has given it a little more bottom-and a sweet, quiet sound! The only problem with the 49 on the rear is that the bike's versatility takes a hit. No longer will it crank past the Japanese bikes up long start straights or around faster, wide-open tracks (such as the National track at Glen Helen). On the right track, a larger rear sprocket is money and makes the bike sweet. But it doesn't fix it all around. That's a cure I haven't found yet. Until I do, I'll keep swapping sprockets. -Jesse Ziegler
Mental Overeating
"The moto action has been nothing short of insane, with Travis Pastrana, Nate Adams and reigning Dew champ Kenny Bartram all dicing for the lead...." (Tear Offs, Nov. '06)? Hmm, Bartram's been out of action since the X Games, when he came up short on a 115-foot dirt-to-dirt double and busted some bones in a gnarly endo splat. I saw him in person watching the Portland leg of the Dew Tour, cast and all. Also, Pastrana mysteriously pulled a no-show during the Denver stop, strange considering he had just locked in the lead. Just wanted to point out the little misprint. -Cameron Livermore
Thanks for keeping us on our toes, Cameron. One thing you should know about magazines is that they can have incredibly long lead times for each issue. Cowboy Kenny may have been hurt when you wrote your letter, but when the November issue went to press he had just finished third at the Denver round of the Dew Tour, right behind Nate Adams and Travis Pastrana. When Kenny did crash over the 115-foot dirt double in early August, the "little misprint" was busy being printed. Also, you may want to brush up on your homework: Pastrana was a no-show in San Jose, not Denver. -Chris Denison