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Old 05-18-2016, 06:35 PM
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firffighter firffighter is offline
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Boring, OR
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KTM has a slight stranglehold on the market at this point. Now, they have done a great job of continuing to refine their bikes and aren't afraid to rest on their past success. But, my fear is that is they don't get some strong competition for other players, i.e. Yamaha, Beta and Gasgas, then eventually they'll begin to produce less quality, mass produced bikes.

In terms of their 2-strokes, I've owned the 200, 250, and 300 and they are good bikes, but are designed for a more broad range of riding styles. In other words, a Gasgas and Beta are specifically designed for what I would call woods or trail riding. They are comfortable in that element right out of the box and seem tailor made for that purpose. The KTM not so much. They're good in that element, but seem to be more ready made for the faster, 3rd gear on up Harescramble or GP type of riding.

My hope is that Gasgas and Beta will keep producing great woods bikes and keep KTM honest in the coming years.
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