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Single test: KTM Freeride 350

The KTM Freeride 350 in the test

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Free yourself from the shackles of society! The KTM Freeride 350 puts fleas in your ear like hardly any other motorcycle and accompanies you as you enjoy your new freedom.

Single test: KTM Freeride 350

D.the boss is annoying, the customer is annoying, the deadline pressure is annoying. No sooner have you escaped the hamster wheel of the job than you are stuck in a traffic jam with a full bladder and a thick neck. When you finally arrive home with glowing ears, your narrow-minded neighbor will be pissed off. Bitches about the unmowed lawn and the old cart in front of the front door.

In the US, three out of ten would pull out their Colts and maybe run amok somewhere. Tea common European, on the other hand, withdraws into his four walls, yells at his partner, gets drunk and dies of a heart attack at the age of 57 or torments himself to the bitter end with a stomach ulcer.

There is a healthier and more socially responsible way to leave everyday life behind, to exhaust yourself completely and to recharge your batteries. Out in the garage, up on the escape helper KTM Freeride 350 and just get the frustration out of your body and soul. The fun starts with getting dressed. Do not put on a leather suit and – hello people of reason – do not put on a safety vest. Nothing is with fully comprehensive insurance and a double bottom. Half shell on, gloves on, jeans and camisole – done! Just think about yourself, take responsibility for your own actions and OUT!!!

Freeride encourages courage and the will to do business wherever it can – that seems to have been inherent in the factory. It is also a courageous project for KTM. Even today, the Austrians don’t know exactly what freeride is supposed to be. It is not a pure trial motorcycle, not an enduro, it is neither ready to race nor race ready. And that is exactly the beauty of her. She is a nonconformist. A free spirit who crosses boundaries right now, when box thinking and intolerance are on the rise again.

The little single, derived from the EXC-F 350, starts a little unwillingly, but then chugs pleasantly quietly to itself. Disengage the clutch with minimal hand force, engage first gear and off to the rear wheel! Yes, before the front wheel has completed its first turn, it is off the ground and the fun begins. Once on the right, once on the left, ignoring the prohibition sign, it goes on the tarred farm road into the vineyards of Stuttgart. At low speeds, the sandstone walls reflect the exhaust noise of the freeride only minimally. The first walker is approaching. He friendly replies the smile and the loud "Grub Gott" from the open helmet. It can be that easy! At the end of the vineyards then take the narrow path back down into the valley basin. Hanging smoothly on the accelerator and with little play in the drive train, the KTM rolls towards the first, tricky passage. The boardwalk is hardly wider than the handlebar. On the left the stone wall, on the right the handrail it goes down with the clutch pulled and light pressure on the rear brake. Shortly after the narrow stairs there is a small bridge that goes off to the right at a 90-degree angle. Butt out, the Freeride pressed around the corner at the steering stop and on.

Jahn

On a climbing tour with the KTM Freeride.

No! It also has to go uphill! So turn around and back. On the bridge and around the corner to the left, towards the stairs. In second gear with a slight slip clutch up the first steps, then, as soon as the load has a little momentum, put your fingers off the clutch and continue uphill. Ouch! The small carelessness is punished immediately. The handlebars touch the wall, the load gets an impulse to the left, the handlebars get caught in the railing and the dynamics are gone. But now the engine is standing and the left knee is bleeding. After all, boss and deadline pressure are forgotten. Okay, let’s rearrange ourselves. It’s still tight, the cart is on the steep stairs. So shift into first gear, press the rear brake, disengage and organize the organ until the little one purrs again. Now a wheelie – plop, the engine stops again. Shit, right here the first gear is translated too short. So go through the procedure again, only this time in the second. Despite the smooth clutch, a lot of feeling in the left hand is required. The engine likes to pop, its flywheel mass is tight. Then it goes on, the rest of the passage is easily managed. And now? Because it was so beautiful, we turn around, roll down again and then continue towards the city center. Stop, this is where this downhill route ends. You have to be able to drive it uphill … thought, done, the winding path through dense undergrowth is steep uphill in third gear.

The first jumping hill comes into view. Unfortunately, we’re approaching from the wrong side. “Dare to go”, breathes the freeride. A quick burst of gas, the front lifts, the front wheel hits the edge of the ramp, then the second burst of gas – and over. A quick look back, the chest swells with pride. Man, that was easy! On the rest of the course we cross tree trunks, jump over ditches and can’t get that big grin off our face. The two women who approach me during a break in the middle of the forest also like the KTM. They want to know whether I was lost. We’ll be fooling around and they wish me a good trip. Time to refuel and return to the paved path. And with that the time of hardship begins. Because the seat is spartan, the directional stability from 80 km / h rather mediocre. But that doesn‘t matter at all, because the freerider won’t want to go faster than 75 km / h anyway – it’ll be too tweak in conscience.

happiness

The initial trial tires suffer a lot. 300 test kilometers ensure visible wear and tear.

Finally a red light again! That’s right, even red lights are a pleasure on the freeride. Braking in the stoppie, then sorting the gears while standing in order – without having put your feet on the ground – pulling away in a wheelie when green and shifting up to fourth. Pure play instinct, playful instinct, playful instinct, oh playful instinct! Meanwhile, not only boss and job, but also the neighbor and the bloody knee are forgotten. The ballast of everyday life has fallen away and you are ounce again in control of yourself.

The time has come to ask yourself what freeride actually is. No real trialer, no hard enduro and no hiking enduro. It is quite simply as unnecessary as alcohol. But similarly fun, entertaining and entertaining. Freeride makes you cocky, lets you forget everyday worries and is so wonderfully unconventional that you just have to like it. It is of little use and, apart from narrow cross-country sections, it can hardly do anything better than an old Suzuki DR 350. But it doesn’t have to be, because freeride has a completely different quality. She packs her driver where it is most fun. It inspires his playful instinct and thus makes him broaden his horizons. It has never been easier to develop your driving skills and technical skills in the field. With the 350 you dare to tackle obstacles that you would otherwise capitulate. She yells: Break your bonds – RIDE FREE!

PS judgment
Seen objectively, the KTM Freeride 350 is neither fish nor meat. And that’s the best thing about her. She just doesn’t care about categories, lines, or box thinking. It is what it is and lives its name: Freeride – ride free. “Do what you want,” she whispers permanently in your ear. However, KTM urgently needs to extend the warranty period and maintenance intervals.

PS data

Jahn

archive

Measured values ​​of the KTM Freeride 350.

drive
Single-cylinder four-stroke engine, four valves / cylinder, 17 kW (23 HP) at 7500 / min *, 22 Nm at 4000 / min *, 349 cm³, bore / stroke: 88.0 / 57.5 mm, compression ratio: 12.3: 1, ignition / injection system, 42 mm throttle valves, mechanically operated multi-plate oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, G-Kat, chain

landing gear
Composite frame made of tubular steel, aluminum and plastic, steering head angle: 67.0 degrees, caster: 100 mm, wheelbase: 1418 mm, upside-down fork, Ø fork inner tube: 43 mm, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression. Central spring strut without deflection, adjustable in spring base, rebound and compression level (high / low). Suspension travel front / rear: 260/250 mm

Wheels and brakes
Spoked wheels with aluminum rims, 1.60 x 21 / 2.15 x 18, front tires: 2.75-21, rear: 4.00-18, first tires: Dunlop D 803, 240 mm single disc brakes with four-piston fixed calipers at the front, 210 mm single disc with Two-piston fixed caliper at the rear

measurements and weight
Length / width / height: 2125/845/1215 mm *, seat / handlebar height: 900/1175 mm, handlebar width: 800 mm, 105 kg with a full tank,
v./h .: 47.4 / 52.6%

Rear wheel power in last gear
14 kW (19 PS) at 80 km / h

consumption
Fuel type: Super unleaded. Average test consumption: 4.9 liters / 100 km, tank capacity 5.5 liters, range: 112 km

Base price
6,995 euros (plus additional costs)

Conclusion

Strengthen:
Knows no obstacles, tempts to "play", drives very quietly and gently on the floor, super handy and narrow, maximum speed sufficient for inner-city and everyday use, well thought-out detailed solution on the air filter insert

Weaknesses:
The bench is more of a torture than a bench, the cooler is too small, the fan runs constantly and blows the knees, poor range, high-speed pressure level cannot be achieved, secondary gear ratio very short, water pump in danger of falling , maintenance intervals too short, only three months guarantee

* Manufacturer information

KTM Freeride 350 offers in Germany

1000PS marketplace app

Used KTM Freeride 350 in Germany.

With a real fun device like the KTM Freeride 350, you are all the more pleased if the used price is not set too high. This is exactly the case with the KTM, even if the availability is not the best. Here you can see whether a KTM Freeride 350 is up for sale near you: used KTM Freeride 350 in Germany.

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