KTM eats, sleeps and breathes racing. It’s even their payoff line, “Ready To Race”. Just have a gander at the KTM 2013 catalogue and the cover proudly states, “The race is on!” These bold words come from a company that owned the European motocross championships with Italian Antonio Caroli, Dutch rider Jeffery Herlings, and not to mention the AMA 450 championship with Ryan Dungey on board. Oh, and lest I forget, Taddy Blazusiak also won the 2012 AMA Endurocross championship. So we all know KTM can definitely build race bikes.
It was with this “red mist” racer mind-set that I eagerly loaded up the extremely lightweight (99.5kg) KTM Freeride into the back of the truck and set off to become a racing legend.
At first glance the bike certainly looks the part. Sharp angled plastics give the bike a futuristic look styling wise. Behind the upper frame spars is the 5.5lt transparent fuel tank, which helps to let you know how far you can still go. But the fuel cap itself is only exposed once you’ve pushed a button at the back of the bike and then lift the very long flat seat on its hinge towards the handlebars - no quick fuel stops here I’m afraid. The Freeride even has a plastic sub-frame, which you’ll notice once the seat is lifted.
This KTM is full of features that riders now demand, like electric start, check, hydraulic clutch, check, fuel injection, check, twin pipes out the back, check and check, trails tyres… um ok, check. That’s more checks than Zuma uses in 10 seconds, well nearly.
So all kitted up and heart pounding I swung my leg over, damn I know I’m large but this thing sits low. My trusty tape measure says 895mm to the top of the saddle, with me off the bike. But once on it seems to be much lower, perhaps cunningly disguised by its the super thin dimensions?
I jabbed at the small electric start button and immediately thought, shit this thing’s quiet. Twice pipes are clearly twice as ear friendly, it won’t annoy the neighbours though because the miserable gits won’t hear me coming or going. Grabbing a fist full of throttle I pulled off and headed down the dusty road. I stood up and immediately felt comfortable just standing on the pegs. So I shifted through the gears to see what this 350 was all about. Hum… What the hell? This isn’t a “RACE” bike. Back to the truck and time to reboot.
On the interweb: I Doodle “KTM Freeride”: Enduro riding has never been easier. The new KTM Freeride 350 unites extremely easy handling with a low seat height and outstanding ergonomics. Thanks to a minimal weight of only 99.5 kg, the rider is always completely in control, even on the toughest trails, whether it is rough terrain, narrow single tracks or wide gravel roads. The state-of-the-art 350 cm³ DOHC four-stroke engine, newly laid out especially for the Freeride 350 has proven to be the ideal drive unit for this vehicle concept and scores highly in every situation with controllable, torque-oriented performance characteristics. Blah, blah, blah, but I did see where KTM is coming from, sort of.
So time for a change of plan. Where are the rocky outcrops the most insane? Freeride loaded up again I went off in search of rocks, trees, streams, couples locked in sexual acts and other stuff to practice my party tricks on.
Ok, I’m kitted up again and sitting low. In my mind I’m now a stealth fun junky getting my kicks riding around the back of a development in Krugersdorp, acting like a mountain goat. Now we’re talking. Super smooth power, chugging grunt, soft yet controlled WP suspension, and lightweight, nice. This thing is brilliant. If you get into a sticky situation the low seat height makes sense as you walk yourself out of trouble. Stall on the wrong side of a large rock and the starter button is heaven sent. The clutch is super smooth and super light adding to the effortless experience.
Soon I was riding over, through and under things normally reserved for pedestrians. As much as this bike makes you feel like a hero it can’t save you from tipping over, slamming your face into objects or the occasional stall. You still need some form of skill to ride this bike, or lots. So after what seemed like minutes the sun went down, I needed to head home and I must admit over time I did come round to the 350 Freeride concept.
To conclude, if you ride motocross then just walk past the Freeride and get the SX. If you ride off-road and you’re looking for more versatility with race pedigree then get the EXC. But, if you love climbing rocks, bouncing the front wheel off trees while standing on the pegs, trying new tricky rock climbs and just having fun while you watch your ham-fisted friends bleed their way through tough sections, then this is your steed. I’ll be honest though it’s too focused for me and the riding I prefer to do. But for what it was designed to be, and do, it’s brilliant.
So KTM, bravo, you have another amazing bike in the Freeride 350.
