Can-Am and KTM riders please look here

[250r rider 88]

i just want the opinions of owners of both the DS-450 and the KTM 450/525 XC

pros and cons of both

ive sat on both and i felt alot more comfortable on the Can-Am, I'm a bigger guy, 6'3" and my knees were no where near the front fenders, they were a little closer on the KTM

im looking at buying the XC version of each and then having extra wheels and tires to race MX when i want to my question is which one out of the 2 for me?

and please only owners or previous owners, everyone has an opinion, i want answers from experiance

thanks guys

[XCRacer236]

look at the GNCC finishes of the can-am guys. a lot of people think thats no big deal, but in my opinion, thats the first thing i look at.

[CannondaleRider]

Originally posted by CaseDawg350
look at the GNCC finishes of the can-am guys. a lot of people think thats no big deal, but in my opinion, thats the first thing i look at.

Look at the WORCS finishes of the Can-Am guys....

Not saying i'm convinced yet, but the WORCS National Champ is a Can-Am rider...the 4th Place Pro guy is a Can-Am rider....the 2nd Place Pro-Am guy is a Can-Am rider....

[250r rider 88]

i just dont like the fact the Can-Am's have Major clutch issues and I would pretty much have to drop an extra grand for an entire aftermarket clutch to fix it

and this new trade tax they want to impose on Euro motorcycles and ATVs has me worried about parts availability for the KTM

[JRP]

I rode the canam, its nice, sits high, feels a little awkward but corners like a beast(stock width)! One of my bestfriends cole rides em, hes gone through a few motors but he rides em like hell. Hes got 4 now, jsut got the new 09 mx version. He loves em. He went froma blaster to one, and u have to feather the clutch alot on the can-am so that fits right into the 2stroke of the blaster

[ProspectorJim]

Has the clutch issue been found in the 09 ds's as well? The motoworks clutch assembly is 600 I believe.

the handling on the ds is amazing even on the stock quads. There is a lack of bottom end power on the ds, but a pipe and filter really wakes it up.

I guess a con to the ds is that alot of people aren't into the look, I love it though.

I don't think you can go wrong with either.

[patrickj75]

as a KTM owner, I've had no problems at all. I was able to change the little things to make it more comfortable. power is great. lots of great little details you don't notice until you own one and work on it.

[XCRacer236]

Originally posted by CannondaleRider
Look at the WORCS finishes of the Can-Am guys....

Not saying i'm convinced yet, but the WORCS National Champ is a Can-Am rider...the 4th Place Pro guy is a Can-Am rider....the 2nd Place Pro-Am guy is a Can-Am rider....

true, but WORCS is basically all wide open, so it gets plenty of air and the can-am revs like 2 stroke.

[XCRacer236]

Originally posted by CannondaleRider
Look at the WORCS finishes of the Can-Am guys....

Not saying i'm convinced yet, but the WORCS National Champ is a Can-Am rider...the 4th Place Pro guy is a Can-Am rider....the 2nd Place Pro-Am guy is a Can-Am rider....

true, but WORCS is basically all wide open, so it gets plenty of air and the can-am revs like 2 stroke.

[XtremeSkier]

you'll like the KTM..it's a great machine..6'3 is pretty tall, i'm only 5'10 but i would imagine you'd have no problem on there

pulls 5th gear wheelies like no body's business!

[250r rider 88]

being tall isnt a big deal: i can ride anything if the machine is set up for me, i know on either machine i would need a plus 1 stem and a cr high bend style bar no matter what

my only thing is:

Can-am: need an exhaust, EFI controller, high flow filter to get bottom end power out of it, easily available,

KTM: Needs nerfs and better skids to be on par with what comes with the Ds450 XC, and a higher flowing filter, and a rejet, other than that nothing

im basically waiting to see if the tax goes through on European motorcylces, cause if it does im not paying 18 grand for a KTM

[ProspectorJim]

wouldn't the tax effect only motorcycles bought after the tax was voted it?

[250r rider 88]

its not stated very well in the articles ive read but I would assume that Atvs would be included too

its only on motorcycles up to 500 cc so the 525 would still be the same price, but you would have to get the 450 jug to race in a 450 class but if parts double too it will just be way too much hassle to deal with all that

For some reason I rather ride a Can-am. KTM are really nice but I just cant see paying that much and idk if I really like the looks. It just seems odd to have something race ready having no customization to do and use your own parts. Like it would be more fun to build a fast car than it is to buy a fast car just seeing your work come together and usuing the parts you want. I missed Can-am test rides at my local riding spot wish I could have given them all a try and make a decision but sitting on them and playing with the controls they are nice lol.

[RideRed84]

I just bought a DS and love it. I can't wait to get through the break in and really let it rip. For the money I would say the Can-Am is the better bike.

[xsr_racing28c]

08 XC to MX conversion:
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w176/FourWerx/qotm-1.jpg

Need I say more?? ............:D

Originally posted by xsr_racing28c
08 XC to MX conversion:

Need I say more?? ............:D

I saw a picture of your quad before and wondered why they didnt make the quad in white because it looks so good.

[250r rider 88]

Originally posted by FoxHondaRider
I saw a picture of your quad before and wondered why they didnt make the quad in white because it looks so good.

they offer a plastic/graphics kit in both black, and white, both look awesome but nothing like that KTM orange, i can wait to see people start doing them in blue, yellow, green, red, etc. etc. to see what they look like

[ProspectorJim]

I want someone to make plastic for the can am. I really want to have my bike in white... without the red.

[250r rider 88]

im shocked that not one of the big 3 plastic companies are making anything for it

[ProspectorJim]

there probably wasn't a big enough market for it until a month or two ago. Hopefully they make some soon.