9 hours ago, robd0gg said:

please enlighten this newb

Besides the suspension the CDI, Stator and crankshaft assembly is different. Feels awesome in the parking lot. The bike is just too much for 95% of the riders. In a real trials is where you get in trouble. Just out playing it`s a blast. 

11 hours ago, lineaway said:

Besides the suspension the CDI, Stator and crankshaft assembly is different. Feels awesome in the parking lot. The bike is just too much for 95% of the riders. In a real trials is where you get in trouble. Just out playing it`s a blast. 

so by your calculations, that's only like 40 people in the world that can tame this bike? because they only made 800..   back in 1972, my uncle bought a MX bike called the Suzuki TM400 Cyclone..  much of the press said it was practically unridable or at very least, had some unsafe characteristics.  On his first race at Ascot Park in Gardena he whisky throttled off the big TT jump (big for the day) and came down hard, smacked his chin on the crossbar, busted some teeth, cut a big gash in his lip, but he got up and kicked it over, and finished the race..   point being, my uncle, who went on to ride pro for a couple of years, at the time was a fairly average rider, but he learned to control that beast..  

rip uncle steve

Edited May 10, 20179 yr by robd0gg

I tried the same things, flywheel weight long pipe etc, but ended up with a 250 which as Shirty ably demonstrated in scotland is plenty enough for anyone.

I never advise a slow throttle as it means a big twist to get full revs and doesnt help with throttle control.

Yes a 10 front sprocket should be fine, i think a 9 is a bit too small. If its on its way and youre already thinking of softening the power that should tell you something.

 

16 hours ago, nigel dabster said:

I tried the same things, flywheel weight long pipe etc, but ended up with a 250 which as Shirty ably demonstrated in scotland is plenty enough for anyone.

I never advise a slow throttle as it means a big twist to get full revs and doesnt help with throttle control.

Yes a 10 front sprocket should be fine, i think a 9 is a bit too small. If its on its way and youre already thinking of softening the power that should tell you something.

 

the only thing it tells me is there is no agreement on this topic..   but that's ok, it's why I asked the questions to begin with, to get an overall impression, particularly from anyone that is similar to my size (big), skillz (little) and with those two bikes specifically.   as my story illustrated above, people have said the same thing about a 100 different machines over the decades..  I've owned about a dozen different KTM bikes, several of them were 2st, and there is endless debate about this exact same topic, when discussing differences between the various models/displacements. My KTM 300, which weighs about 220, and puts out about 50hp,  was definitely something to be respected, but I was much more fond of it and the power band then the KTM 250. 

anyway, thank for the perspectives

 When the TM400 was new, I used to spend my days riding quite a bit. Say over 40 hours a week. I normally practiced solo. To entertain myself we had several very hard hill climbs close by. Nothing better than to wheelie all the way to the tops of these hills on my slow 250. Then I would sit and watch the guys on the overpowered wonders crash all over the hillsides. After they had worn themselves out I would ride up to the top not on any trail and they would usually just shake there heads and go home.   

On 10/05/2017 at 10:52 PM, robd0gg said:

the only thing it tells me is there is no agreement on this topic..   but that's ok, it's why I asked the questions to begin with, to get an overall impression, particularly from anyone that is similar to my size (big), skillz (little) and with those two bikes specifically.   as my story illustrated above, people have said the same thing about a 100 different machines over the decades..  I've owned about a dozen different KTM bikes, several of them were 2st, and there is endless debate about this exact same topic, when discussing differences between the various models/displacements. My KTM 300, which weighs about 220, and puts out about 50hp,  was definitely something to be respected, but I was much more fond of it and the power band then the KTM 250. 

anyway, thank for the perspectives

be nice to hear how youre getting on and what you decided.....

well, did my first event last weekend, at Goldendale Washington, site of the 2001 Worlds..  I rode the bike as is, no changes..   now granted, I did the novice track, but still, the sections had lots of rocks, tight turns and elevation.. many of the sections were on steep side slope, dry, loose dirt and soil etc..   but bottom line, the bike was awesome.. after the first loop, we were getting along just fine.. never dropped it or looped, never even stalled, a sweet machine in other words..  based on reports here, I was expecting it to jump out of my hands and lurch wildly out of control any second, or worse, launch me off a rock ledge and skip on uncontrollably with the throttle pinned WFO bucking off in to the distance like an untamed wild stallion, never to be seen again..  

nah, never happened  

Edited May 25, 20179 yr by robd0gg

11 hours ago, robd0gg said:

well, did my first event last weekend, at Goldendale Washington, site of the 2001 Worlds..  I rode the bike as is, no changes..   now granted, I did the novice track, but still, the sections had lots of rocks, tight turns and elevation.. many of the sections were on steep side slope, dry, loose dirt and soil etc..   but bottom line, the bike was awesome.. after the first loop, we were getting along just fine.. never dropped it or looped, never even stalled, a sweet machine in other words..  based on reports here, I was expecting it to jump out of my hands and lurch wildly out of control any second, or worse, launch me off a rock ledge and skip on uncontrollably with the throttle pinned WFO bucking off in to the distance like an untamed wild stallion, never to be seen again..  

nah, never happened  

I don't find my 300 pro intimidating at all as a first trials bike.  It seems fine but I have read enough from experienced riders to suspect I may actually do a bit better in sections on a smaller bike.  Anyway I guess if we're happy with our bikes it doesn't get a lot better than that...