TECH HOTLINE
Stop twisting and back away slowly if
you know what’s good for you.
KTM GAS CAP
Dear MXA,
I swear that someone is following
me around and tightening my KTM
350SXF gas cap when I’m not looking. It is so tight that I have actually
gone to the gas station to put gas in
Flex can be fickle, but we prefer to take the top subframe bolt out of our FC350.
ONE BOLT, MORE OR LESS
Dear MXA,
I read that the Husqvarna factory team only runs one bolt in the bottom of
its subframes instead of two. (1) Is this true? ( 2) Can I do it on my FC350? ( 3)
Or, is it something that the factory team does because they use carbon fiber
subframes instead of plastic? ( 4) Are there any benefits to doing this?
It is true that the Rockstar Husqvarna team removes the top bolt from the
bottom portion of its subframes. You can do it yourself. AMA rules require
that subframes be made out of steel, aluminum, titanium or the “same material as the OEM part.” Thus, carbon fiber is not an option. Jason Anderson
races with the stock plastic subframe, not carbon fiber. The MXA test crew
ran several back-to-back tests with and without the bolts in place on a very
rough track. Every test rider preferred the feel of the bike with the bolt out.
It was more resilient, offered more cushion on jump landings and improved
the overall comfort of the chassis.
my bike and had to drive away without any gas because I could not get
the cap off. Is it just me? Am I getting weak in my old age? I’m only 33.
Although we adore the new KTM
gas cap in comparison to the old
push-button model from before, it is
possible to have the gas cap stick.
When this happens to an MXA test
rider, he always blames the guy who
raced the bike before him, but, in
truth, it has more to do with tolerances and temperature changes than
muscle. As a rule of thumb, we don’t
tighten the KTM cap as tightly as
we do some Japanese brands, and
several KTM riders report installing
a rubber O-ring under the gas cap to
provide more room between the cap
and its final thread. We confess to
leaving gas stations without being
able to get the cap off also. Once at
the track, we enlist the help of
whatever body builder is standing
around flexing.
