The Dirt Biker Chronicles

One of my favorite riding pals is a loyal Yamaha owner who loves to talk smack about other bikes. He particularly loves to slander KTM because I ride one, and our friendly rivalry doesn’t allow praising the other guy’s brand.

Of course I feel obligated to defend the honor of my KTM, and I retaliate in kind. I point out all the great KTM off-road racers like David Knight, Juha Salminen, and Idaho’s own David Kamo. I loaned him my Enduro at Erzberg DVD and told him it is a testament to KTM’s quality and toughness. I gladly reminded him of how Chad Reed’s Yamaha seized on the last lap of the Daytona Supercross.

And so it goes, round and round, the war of smack talk that knows no end.

I recently bought my second KTM, a new 2008 XCW. Three of our other riding friends also bought new KTM XCWs this year. KTM is the only major manufacturer making a two-stroke designed for trail riding, and the XCW models are wildly popular among trail riders. All of this has only fueled the smack talk from Dave. No way he will admit the superiority of KTM’s off-road bikes.

Recently there was another amusing development in our ongoing smack-down. Dave’s wife Tamera found a good buy on a KTM SX250. It was just what she wanted for racing. So she sold her Yamaha and bought the KTM. That really opened the door for giving Dave a bad time. Someone in his own household had switched sides. I loved it!

Unfortunately, there had to be a downside. It was quickly discovered that Tamera’s SX250 was very hard to start. The carburetor was thoroughly checked by the dealer and another mechanic. It was re-jetted, and the valves were checked. Still it was a tough bike to start, very finicky. Dave said he found out online that the SX250 is known for being hard starting. He’s called it a KTM P.O.S. (Piece Of Shit) over and over.

They debated selling the bike, but Dave’s figured out the ritual to get it started. Something to do with turning on the gas, giving it a couple of kicks, then turning off the gas and it will fire up. Weird.

Difficult starting aside, though, the bike is everything Tamera wanted. It’s light, it handles well, and now it’s got a Rekluse clutch too.

The real vindication came in Tamera’s first race on the KTM. After all the complaining by Dave, she went out and won herself a third place trophy. Her first ever racing trophy in her first race on the KTM. Dave has yet to win a trophy on his Yamaha. Welcome to the KTM family Tamera! Eat your heart out Dave.

Filed under: The Dirt Biker Chronicles on March 22nd, 2008