Click pictures to supersize.

ALERT!!

From Motorcycle.com:

The KTM Freeride 350 has cleared emission certification testing in the U.S. including the state of California, getting approval from both the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board.
Motorcycle.com

I just checked the US EPA certification site March update and the Freeride 350 has been approved for off-road use.

I called my local dealer and he has not heard anything from corporate KTM yet.

There is hope once again.
More news when I hear it.

Alert, another FR350. Click to see the Vimeo


Thank you Knoxi (Tirol-Austria); very nice video.

That's not me, and I doubt I will ever do such a thing.

Without further ado, let's have a look at this baby. Comments are from: Freeride 350 - Highlights KTM  © 2011, KTM.

"The bodywork of the Freeride 350 has been designed completely from scratch. The result is practical ergonomics with unrestricted freedom of movement due to the extremely slim seat and spoiler lines, and bodywork with excellent contact points between rider and machine. Well protected from dirt, grip recesses integrated in the plastic subframe provide an effective hold should the rear wheel ever become stuck in the mud. Furthermore, the front fender and headlight mask are also new designs for the Freeride 350."


"The long, slender seat ensures unrestricted freedom of movement and a very good level of seating comfort for this operational use. It can be tipped up easily for filling the bike with fuel by means of an intelligent seat locking system. With a seat height of only 895 mm / 35.2", the Freeride 350 always provides the rider with good ground contact and therefore better riding safety, even in tough terrain."


"A completely new composite frame design made from high quality chrome-molybdenum steel, combined with forged aluminium elements, forms the backbone of the Freeride 350. The front steel frame profiles are combined with the multifunctional aluminium profiles by means of sturdy threaded joints. This revolutionary frame concept is responsible for high levels of tracking stability and safety, as well as minimum weight. A frame geometry selected for high agility with a relatively steep steering head angle and short wheelbase benefits the rider above all in tough terrain."


"When designing the exhaust system, engineers focussed their attention on low noise levels and emissions, as well as very rideable, high-torque engine characteristics. Exhaust gases are fed through a central header pipe underneath the engine, protected by the frame and a sturdy under-run plate, to the two aluminium silencers. Each of these is equipped with a catalytic converter, effectively reducing both emissions and riding noise to an environmentally friendly level."


"The suspension of the Freeride 350 has been specially designed for this vehicle and complies with the high KTM standard. Together with the high quality, CNC-machined triple clamps, a new 43 mm WP upside-down fork with 250 mm suspension travel provides for superb stability, excellent responsiveness and outstanding damping. At the rear, a newly developed PDS shock absorber with 260 mm, linked directly to the swingarm, guarantees maximum suspension comfort and sufficient safety, even on the most demanding terrain. Both rebound and compression stages can be set to suit the rider and the conditions on the suspension components, with high and low-speed compression damping also being adjustable on the shock absorber."

"Based on the successful power unit of the 350 EXC-F, the engine of the Freeride 350 has nevertheless been redesigned for the new vehicle concept. In so doing, the kickstarter has been dispensed with for the benefit of minimal weight and more compact dimensions and a new engine case has been developed in ultra-light, die-cast (instead of sand-cast) aluminium. By redimensioning the exhaust and airbox, the engineers consciously designed the engine for torque rather than race performance in order to retain as effective engine characteristics as possible (i.e. high-traction and power-saving), above all in tough terrain."              Count 'em!

No supersize available

DOHC CYLINDER HEAD  "Four steel valves control the charge exchange process, guaranteeing highest levels of durability. They are actuated by means of two overhead camshafts and DLC-coated cam followers. The top engine speed is 10,000 RPM. With a respectable maximum output of 23 hp, the engine produces more than enough power to climb the steepest of slopes with the greatest of ease."

ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS)  "The engine management system from Keihin with electronic fuel injection and 42 mm throttle body ensures spontaneous, powerful responsiveness and handling, as well as making a significant contribution to the low fuel consumption. Convenient temperature and altitude compensation, and the electronic cold-start enrichment are state of the art. Closed-loop lambda control is a prerequisite for the efficient reduction of exhaust emissions by the two catalytic converters. Additional engine characteristics can be activated with an optional map select switch."

CLUTCH  "A smoothly operated clutch with integrated hub damping and effective diaphragm spring makes it possible to keep the whole clutch package extremely compact and light. The clutch is equipped with a wear-free steel basket, 8 steel carrier lining discs and extremely heat-resistant friction linings. These are pre-tensioned by means of a diaphragm spring, substantially reducing the operating force required to pull the clutch. The hydraulic clutch actuation system from Formula was developed especially for the Freeride 350 and guarantees energy-saving and easily controllable modulation."

This lucky guy (ADVrider inmate ObiJohn) got to climb aboard a Freeride 350 at the Motorcycle Live NEC Birmingham (UK) show (November 19-27, 2011). He posted his comments on ADVrider here.      "about the size of a Honda CRF230L" - perfect! BTW, he looks a bit tall for the FR350; I'd be a better fit.  

Here is more FR350 eye candy from AntonJ of Sweden:
Freeride 350 at On Two Wheels 2012 event

Other sources of Freeride 350 info:

KTM's initial announcement of the Freeride 350
ADVrider "The Shortypants Thread" page 27
YouTube video "BRANDNEW KTM FREERIDE 350" 4:06
YouTube video on VIbikers.com web site 3:03

Here is a list of Freeride 350 threads on ADVrider.com:

2012 KTM 350 freeride (26 pages)
KTM freeride 350 (11 pages)
New KTm 350 Freeride revealed (8 pages)
KTM 350 Freeride
KTM freeride 350 or Scorpa T-ride or OSSA explorer

Here is a list of Freeride 350 threads on KTMtalk.com:

Freeride 350 1st ride impression (15 pages)
Freeride 350
KTM FreeRide
KTM Freeride 350
No Freeride 350 for 2013

I wanna ride with these guys, on this route, on my own FR350!

Here are some excerpted comments from the KTM Freeride 350 initial announcement  © 2011, KTM:

"This is a motorcycle that has all the same genes as every KTM competition Enduro bike but is still quite different. The aim was to create a bike on offroad wheels that could master the same challenges as a KTM EXC, but with significantly less effort and energy. So the Freeride 350 is a playful and feather light Enduro to really enjoy and no extreme competition machine."

"This 24 hp strong, 350 cc high single cylinder with fuel injection always delivers enough but never too much power."

"A new composite frame design has also been achieved to further enhance the advantages of the lightweight concept."

A bulletin from KTM clarifying the purpose and intended use of the FR350  © 2012, KTM:

I think KTM has someone like this in mind as the typical FR350 rider.

Specs from KTM Freeride 350 Owner's Manual and KTM's US Freeride 350 web site  © 2011, KTM.   I have added US inch values where appropriate.

Parts Differences

I looked through the Parts Catalogs for the FR350 and the US 350 XCF-W and made some tables showing differences between the two models.
Click here:  FR350 Parts Comparo

Gearing

Some observations about the transmission and overall gearing. My comments are based on the available information on hand at the time of writing plus some reasonable extrapolations. If any conflicting information becomes available, I'll re-evaluate my conclusions and change my comments accordingly. Basically, I'm just guessing here, but it's based on my experience and what I know.
Note: numbers are shown in tables with varying decimal places for ease in reading; all calculations are performed in Excel with full floating point precision.

I downloaded service manuals for all three 2012 350cc USA models and extracted transmission, primary, and final gearing ratios from them. There are 6 transmission ratios, a primary, and a final ratio for a total of 8 ratios per moto. Considering the XCF-W ratios as base, the XC-F differs in 3 out of 8 and the EXC-F differs in 1 out of 8. The transmission ratios of the XCF-W and EXC-F are identical. So I decided that the FR350 would very likely have these same ratios. KTM has already published preliminary primary and final FR350 ratios, so putting these together with the tranny ratios, I have a proposed set of 8 ratios for the FR350 and I used them to make the tables that follow.

Of interest - Several engine pictures above show what I think is the actual FR350 engine based on two facts - the front sprocket shown in the pictures is an 11T and that matches the size shown in KTM's announced specifications.

In this table, I show transmission ratios, primary gear ratios, and secondary (final) gear ratios for several motos so you can compare them and get a feel for how the FR350 will perform speed-wise compared to other motos. I have included information about motos which I have ridden or am familiar with. Sadly, no other KTM motos are included because I have avoided the orange motos pretty successfully so far.

For most riders, changing transmission ratios (tranny gears) and the primary ratio (crank main drive gear and clutch ring gear) are pretty much beyond our reach. We are left with changing the final gearing - front and rear sprockets. KTM has already put about the smallest front sprocket I've ever seen on the engine - 11T (see pictures above). Keep a few of these on the workbench cause you'll be replacing them relatively often. There's nothing to say that we can't put a larger front sprocket on, but that will lead to higher gearing, something that I will avoid. I want to ride the most difficult trails in the Rockies and my preference is lower gearing - pretty much what the FR350 will have stock. In the event that I want even lower gearing, I can switch to a larger-than-stock rear sprocket (48T stock).

Tranny spread is the ratio between top gear and low gear ratios. It is a measure of how 'wide' the gearbox is and indicates how successful you can be at gearing for both low and high speed at once. The target is low speed on the trail and higher speed on dirt and paved roads. Another factor in low/high gearing is highest engine RPM; an engine with a narrow tranny that revs out to 10,000 RPM can be geared low and still have acceptable top speed for roads.

Here's a table showing speed in gear for the FR350 (stock gearing) and my CRF230F (my gearing). 'Tranny' is the spread or ratio between 6th and 1st gears. The small font 'MPH/1K RPM' shows 6th gear speed for each 1,000 RPM.

Although the RPM shown in the table runs all the way up to 10,000 RPM, I suspect that I've never ridden my CRF230F at anything over 7,000 RPM which means I top out at 53.3 MPH. That's about right.

The FR350 engine is red-lined at 10,000 RPM, but I suspect I will not ride it much over 8,000 RPM and that gives 61.2 MPH - very acceptable.

Lightness of Being

I looked through all the text that KTM has released on the FR350 and extracted anything to do with weight or lack thereof; © 2011, KTM. I included a few comments of my own also.

Frame - A completely new composite frame design made from high quality chrome-molybdenum steel, combined with forged aluminium elements, forms the backbone of the Freeride 350. The front steel frame profiles are combined with the multifunctional aluminium profiles by means of sturdy threaded joints. This revolutionary frame concept is responsible for high levels of tracking stability and safety, as well as minimum weight.

Minimal bodywork, slender and thin seat, very small fuel tank, and small radiator shrouds contribute to weight loss.

Subframe - A subframe made from high-strength plastic is bolted to the main frame by means of a stable triangular connection and provides sufficient space for the electronic components of the engine management system. This solution makes a major contribution to the lightweight construction concept of the vehicle.

Suspension - The suspension of the Freeride 350 has been specially designed for this vehicle. Together with the high quality, CNC-machined triple clamps, a new 43 mm WP upside-down fork with 250 mm suspension travel provides for superb stability, excellent responsiveness and outstanding damping. The forks appear to be substantially lighter and more petite compared to KTM standard 48 mm forks.

At the rear, a newly developed PDS shock absorber with 260 mm, linked directly to the swingarm, guarantees maximum suspension comfort and sufficient safety, even on the most demanding terrain. The shock cannot be clearly seen, so no conclusions as to weight.

Wheels - The lightweight wheels, featuring CNC-machined hubs and high-end GIANT aluminium rims (18 and 21 inch) with extra-light, orange spoke nipples, are practically unbeatable in terms of weight, although they still guarantee highest levels of stability and safety.

Engine - Based on the successful power unit of the 350 EXC-F, the engine of the Freeride 350 has nevertheless been redesigned for the new vehicle concept. In so doing, the kickstarter has been dispensed with for the benefit of minimal weight and more compact dimensions and a new engine case has been developed in ultra-light, die-cast (instead of sand-cast) aluminium.

Clutch - A smoothly operated clutch with integrated hub damping and effective diaphragm spring makes it possible to keep the whole clutch package extremely compact and light.

Float like a butterfly ...
... you get the idea, doncha?

I have no affiliation with any of the above-mentioned businesses, nor do I derive any financial or other consideration from any of them. If you feel that I am representing any business unfairly, improperly, or incorrectly, please contact me via email; my eddress is on my home page.

Specifications subject to change without notice or regard to customers' expectations based
on previous model years' specifications or previous specifications for this model year.   

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