Wild Pine

[merv]

There's method in the madness - the faster the gearbox spins internally, the less torque loading, so smaller, lighter parts. Maico used to do this years ago, even the 501 was based on the 125, with a correspondingly tiny gearbox. To compensate, the rear wheel sprocket was enormous.

Yep agreed, but problem for me though was the gearing still wouldn't be reasonable with a 52 on the rear and the KTM forums said don't go below a 13 or 14 on the front else you were going to carve through the chain slipper and start eating aluminium swingarm. At best I could have got it to about a 20:1 overall first gear without ridiculous sprockets (let alone the cost of them) and to me a trail bike aint decent if you can't get it close to 30:1. XR Hondas were closer to 35:1 and would climb mountains.

As I said though depends on what you are doing with it, streets of Wanganui would be fine or riding at the speed Stefan Merriman would through a forest compared to me.

[Wellyman]

I was there it was a hard ride for me!

I fell of 3 times!!!

But I had to go because I won the bike there last year

[Firefight]

I was there it was a hard ride for me!

I fell of 3 times!!!

But I had to go because I won the bike there last year

You trying for 2 in a row Dan ?

F/F

[Oscar]

KTM make nice looking road legal bikes and I was tempted but gave up when I found out they have ridiculously tall gear ratios. Probably suits fast enduros, MX, SX and Motarding but for a general trail joe like me no go. I looked hard at the KTM450EXCR but found on stock gearing its overall first gear ratio is 16:1 compared to the WR at around 30:1. No amount of sprockets could fix that for me and I'm not going to be riding at the pace of Stefan Merriman to mean the gearing would be OK. KTMs are running a 2.3:1 primary ratio in the motor compared to around 3 - 3.5:1 for a typical Jap dirt bike. The KTMs are geared more like my VFR750 and that is ridiculous for general trail riding though it might be OK for Stephen Briggs on the streets of Wanganui. The KTM250EXCR runs the same primary ratio as the 450 but then has a closer ratio gearbox which to me was even less suitable for trail riding because if you ever managed to gear it down enough in first (and I don't reckon you could) the other gears would be so close and cruising on the highaway would be restricted.

I hear ya, man - I had the same first impression with KTM's - particularly as the test ride was on the road.
I think the adjustment that old coozers like us have to make is that the new wave of four strokes are much more power and torque than the old XR's and you need to adjust your riding style accordingly. They will actually pull those high gears if you give 'em a chance.

[Motu]

That's what blew me away with your ''old'' DRZ400 - the fact that it could pull like a trials bike,an older XR would of stalled that slow in second gear,then the power came on without wheel spin or lofting the front.In trials you try and run as tall a gear as you can for the conditions,but trail riders tend to rev the shit out of their bikes - I would like to try a modern bike with tall gearing...but a tall bike?....ah,no.

[Oscar]

That's what blew me away with your ''old'' DRZ400 - the fact that it could pull like a trials bike,an older XR would of stalled that slow in second gear,then the power came on without wheel spin or lofting the front.In trials you try and run as tall a gear as you can for the conditions,but trail riders tend to rev the shit out of their bikes - I would like to try a modern bike with tall gearing...but a tall bike?....ah,no.

I understand that DZL has now shortened my old DRZ - shaved foam off the seat, changed a suspension link.


Mind you, I never thought it was that tall anyways...