that runs on a Pankl rod with a pressure-lubricated plain bearing on the big end (as opposed to a roller bearing). The valves, piston, rod and plain bearing are rated at a maximum of 13,400 rpm. The kick- starter bosses have been removed from the cases to save weight, and the complete water jacket has been improved. The cylinder head has been massively reworked, with all new intake and exhaust ports and stiffer valve springs, plus new retainers and seats. The fuel-injection throttle body has been upsized from 42mm to 44mm, with a new nozzle position in the bottom of the throttle body’s venturi. Additionally, KTM did due diligence on the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) by waterproofing it better, increasing the length of the lead-in wire and moving the idle adjuster to the back of the throttle body. Q: HOW DOES IT RUN ON THE DYNO? A: MXA’s 2011 KTM 350 made 46. 94 horsepower. The 2012 KTM 350SXF made 48 horsepower. The 2013 KTM 350SXF makes 54. 18 horsepower. You read that right. Q: HOW GOOD IS THE 2013 KTM 350SXF’S POWERBAND? A: First of all, 54 horsepower is almost too good to be true—but it is true. At 54. 18 horsepower, the 350SXF is only one horsepower shy of the 55. 18 of the KTM 450SXF-FE “Ryan Dungey Replica.” Believe it or not, KTM found a bundle of ponies in one model year, which only confirms how much they had been sandbagging over the last two years. It should be noted that they weren’t sandbagging to cheat, but to avoid mechanical failure. We forgive you if you think that those dyno numbers mean that the 350SXF is as powerful as the 450SXF, but flush that thought from your mind. The only place the KTM 350SXF makes more power than the 450 is after the 450 signs off. Here is a quick horsepower rundown of the two machines. (1) At 6000 rpm, the 450SXF makes seven horsepower more. ( 2) At 7000 rpm, the 450SXF makes eight horsepower more. ( 3) At 8000 rpm, the 450SXF makes eight horsepower more.
Spike: The 2013 KTM 350SXF makes seven horsepower more than it did when it was first introduced in 2011. The MXA test crew still wishes it ran more like a mid-sized 450 than an over-sized 250, but it is vastly improved.
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