2012 te 449 compare to 09 ktm exc 450

[cammok5]

I was hoping some one here has ridden both the te 449 and the 450 exc. I had my 09 exc stolen last week. looking on craigslist I found a couple 08 ktm's and a 12 te 449. would the husky feel the same? do you think it would be an upgrade to the exc? btw I ride a lot of single track.
also the husky is kind of far away but a dealer close by has a 2013 te310. would they be the same bike as far as riding position? I could go there and get a feel for the husky. in pictures the husky just looks different to me.

thanks

 

[9880sts]

I was hoping some one here has ridden both the te 449 and the 450 exc. I had my 09 exc stolen last week. looking on craigslist I found a couple 08 ktm's and a 12 te 449. would the husky feel the same? do you think it would be an upgrade to the exc? btw I ride a lot of single track.
also the husky is kind of far away but a dealer close by has a 2013 te310. would they be the same bike as far as riding position? I could go there and get a feel for the husky. in pictures the husky just looks different to me.

thanks

HI Cammo
i bought a Te511 4 months ago. And so far i love it. I started riding on a TE410 which i must say more or likely hated. I bought a TE510 Model 2010. She was much better. Power almost without limits. Handling ... it felt Topheavy but i got used to it. Then i had a ride one day on a Ktm 530 2010 model. i was riding it for a whole day. I was impressed and loved it. The Handling , just the whole feel was great. It felt so good and i also felt more confident on it. Well the impression the KTM left was so big that i decided to sell the 510 and get one.......
I started looking for one , but didnt find what i was looking for here in OZ. i also started looking at the TE511 or TE449 model 11-13. Price was great. Reviews throughout the Internet and Owners i talked to was great. I googled Comparison TE511 vs Ktm530 and there was nothing negative coming up. I talked to my Husky Dealer and he gave me a Testride on a used TE449 with 6000km on the clock. The look of the 449 and 511 is A complete different to all other bikes. But as i went for the Ride very critical, i must say i felt very comfortable right away. Throttle Response through EFI was just spot on. but not to aggressive. This Bike was set up with the Akro Exhaust and Akro Map which is Standard here in OZ. In the US u have to get Zip Ty Racing or get a good Dealer to update your ECU. Nut not a great deal.takes 5 min.
I went with that 449 for about 3 hrs and liked it. It was geared from the previous Owner just right. Quick enough on the Dirtroads or firebreaks but also great in 1-3 in Single track and hills or Technical tracks....
I was quite Impressed with it. The rear Swingarm Set up is also great, which u find on the New TE310. i ride with a Guy who owned a Berg 490 and downgraded to a 310 about a year ago. He loves that bike. Enough Power and the Handling , he reckons even better in tide stuff.
As i said , i bought a TE 511 and love it . I went for a few rides to break it in. Then i took it to the Suspension Set up and made sure it is right for my Weight and hight.
But i had to go twice. The first place messed it up. It felt like crap in the Singles. Dived in to much in the front and was to hard on the small sharp bumps. I went for a second Suspension place (Chad's Offroad Seatup) here in Australia. Very well known through out the Country and does racing himself. He does it fro Jarvis and Gomez here in OZ and a few other well known Riders. And now its perfect. I love it and wouldnt wanna sell it or trade for any other bike at the Moment.
I went for a Ride in Tasmania ( Hard Enduro Training) with Jarvis and Gomez. 2 days 300km with all sort of Terrain. Just awesome. It was the Only Husky in the Group. 16 Riders... all katos yamas and Bergs. Dusty ride.... Airfilter Clean still after 160km the first ride... it went everywhere without problems. Hillclimbs are a easy thing on it. Thanks to the Unique design. By the End of the first day i had a stack and my knee felt Unstable and just not right. I decided not to ride anymore to avoid more damage to the Knee. At the same time one of my Mates BERG 570 broke down in the Bush (electric fault) he couldnt get it fixed. I offered him to ride the TE511 !!! i said no mate... Not a husky. But after hours fuc...g around on his berg, he took my offer for the next day to ride the TE511. Well he came back and was Quite impressed with the Handling and said that this bike is definitely a good Choice. Perhaps not as much Power as the 570, but close thanks to the Mapping. His statement was after that day, and everybody making jokes about him on the Husky that the 511 is a Equal Bike....with great Handling in all terrain and was not slower at all.
And he was one of the blokes who was able to keep up with Gomez in the Single Tracks.

Buy a 449 if u like the POwer... there is room for more Power through out Mapping.
Buy a 310 if u looking for a bit lighter bike, but dont expect to much weight savings.

Our Video with the Jarvis and Gomez ride is coming out soon. check for Roostinfilms on Youtube. there is allready one sneak peak out. Or Facebook Roostinfilm's and Roostinfilm's Crew. Or Tasmaniacs.com.au https://www.facebook.com/roostinfilms?fref=ts

 

[9880sts]

I was hoping some one here has ridden both the te 449 and the 450 exc. I had my 09 exc stolen last week. looking on craigslist I found a couple 08 ktm's and a 12 te 449. would the husky feel the same? do you think it would be an upgrade to the exc? btw I ride a lot of single track.
also the husky is kind of far away but a dealer close by has a 2013 te310. would they be the same bike as far as riding position? I could go there and get a feel for the husky. in pictures the husky just looks different to me.

thanks

HI Cammo
i bought a Te511 4 months ago. And so far i love it. I started riding on a TE410 which i must say more or likely hated. I bought a TE510 Model 2010. She was much better. Power almost without limits. Handling ... it felt Topheavy but i got used to it. Then i had a ride one day on a Ktm 530 2010 model. i was riding it for a whole day. I was impressed and loved it. The Handling , just the whole feel was great. It felt so good and i also felt more confident on it. Well the impression the KTM left was so big that i decided to sell the 510 and get one.......
I started looking for one , but didnt find what i was looking for here in OZ. i also started looking at the TE511 or TE449 model 11-13. Price was great. Reviews throughout the Internet and Owners i talked to was great. I googled Comparison TE511 vs Ktm530 and there was nothing negative coming up. I talked to my Husky Dealer and he gave me a Testride on a used TE449 with 6000km on the clock. The look of the 449 and 511 is A complete different to all other bikes. But as i went for the Ride very critical, i must say i felt very comfortable right away. Throttle Response through EFI was just spot on. but not to aggressive. This Bike was set up with the Akro Exhaust and Akro Map which is Standard here in OZ. In the US u have to get Zip Ty Racing or get a good Dealer to update your ECU. Nut not a great deal.takes 5 min.
I went with that 449 for about 3 hrs and liked it. It was geared from the previous Owner just right. Quick enough on the Dirtroads or firebreaks but also great in 1-3 in Single track and hills or Technical tracks....
I was quite Impressed with it. The rear Swingarm Set up is also great, which u find on the New TE310. i ride with a Guy who owned a Berg 490 and downgraded to a 310 about a year ago. He loves that bike. Enough Power and the Handling , he reckons even better in tide stuff.
As i said , i bought a TE 511 and love it . I went for a few rides to break it in. Then i took it to the Suspension Set up and made sure it is right for my Weight and hight.
But i had to go twice. The first place messed it up. It felt like crap in the Singles. Dived in to much in the front and was to hard on the small sharp bumps. I went for a second Suspension place (Chad's Offroad Seatup) here in Australia. Very well known through out the Country and does racing himself. He does it fro Jarvis and Gomez here in OZ and a few other well known Riders. And now its perfect. I love it and wouldnt wanna sell it or trade for any other bike at the Moment.
I went for a Ride in Tasmania ( Hard Enduro Training) with Jarvis and Gomez. 2 days 300km with all sort of Terrain. Just awesome. It was the Only Husky in the Group. 16 Riders... all katos yamas and Bergs. Dusty ride.... Airfilter Clean still after 160km the first ride... it went everywhere without problems. Hillclimbs are a easy thing on it. Thanks to the Unique design. By the End of the first day i had a stack and my knee felt Unstable and just not right. I decided not to ride anymore to avoid more damage to the Knee. At the same time one of my Mates BERG 570 broke down in the Bush (electric fault) he couldnt get it fixed. I offered him to ride the TE511 !!! i said no mate... Not a husky. But after hours fuc...g around on his berg, he took my offer for the next day to ride the TE511. Well he came back and was Quite impressed with the Handling and said that this bike is definitely a good Choice. Perhaps not as much Power as the 570, but close thanks to the Mapping. His statement was after that day, and everybody making jokes about him on the Husky that the 511 is a Equal Bike....with great Handling in all terrain and was not slower at all.
And he was one of the blokes who was able to keep up with Gomez in the Single Tracks.

Buy a 449 if u like the POwer... there is room for more Power through out Mapping.
Buy a 310 if u looking for a bit lighter bike, but dont expect to much weight savings.

Our Video with the Jarvis and Gomez ride is coming out soon. check for Roostinfilms on Youtube. there is allready one sneak peak out. Or Facebook Roostinfilm's and Roostinfilm's Crew. Or Tasmaniacs.com.au https://www.facebook.com/roostinfilms?fref=ts

 

[Motosportz]

I've ridden both (own a TE511) and find them very comparable. The motor is really nice, bike is very solid, it is cool and unique looking to me, nice suspension, EFI is EZ to make good etc. The KTM has a little more versatile transmission and is a good overall bike as well. I prefer the motor, suspension, euronomics and looks of the husky.

 

[LandofMotards]

The 449's are amazing but for tight single track a 13 TE310R would be hard to beat. It feels smaller and feels quite a bit lighter then the 449. The 449 still handles amazingly well though. Do you want a 450 that feels heavier but has a ton of torque or do you want a 250 weight on steroids? You really can't go wrong, good luck

 

[cammok5]

I defiantly don't want a 310. I just wanted to know if rider position would be the same as the 499. my only real choice is a 08 exc 450 or 12 te 499

 

[LandofMotards]

Don't really have the same feel at all. The 449 feels a little larger. The seat on the 449 really allows you to move around. I really can't explain the 449 but it feels perfect while riding it.

 

[JMK]

The 449/511s 'feel' heavy and cumbersome when you lug them off the stand, but the second you put them in gear that disappears... its kinda odd and if i had to hazard a guess I'd say its down to the CTS standing the bike up as you drive, but they're super well balanced bikes.

 

[bigmo]

I have had MANY KTMs over the years including several four strokes. I started ont hem back in the 99-00 era when they were still sort of "exotic". Now, look at any starting hare scramble lineup and seeing anything BUT orange is odd. How times have changed.

One of the coolest aspects of the 449/511 (other than being a superb bike) is that it draws attention at trail stops. We had a group ride a few weeks back and I had several ride requests...and everyone liked it. Two guys coming off KTM gfour strokes both commented on how light the front end felt as well as the whole bike.

I still like the orange bikes - their fit and finish is simply stunning. It was time for a new direction. I would ride ANY KTM bike EXCEPT the 2008-10ish four strokes. Every single one I have any close time with has been an absolute turd. Hard starting, horrible compression issues...literally buddy kicking until everyone is puking in their helmets. When I see someone roll one out of the truck, I cringe...

The new EFI orange bikes rock - and th RFS is legendary. If I were on a budget, a 2006-2007 RFS-based KTM is a hard bargain to beat. EASY to work on (ummm 30 min valve adjustments) and ROCKSTAR reliability. My last two RFSs are both still in my imemdiate riding circle. My 2002 prob has 30K miles by now - no issues. My 2006 has 5K+ - no issues.

Will my 449 hold up that long? Maybe. I do love the bike and it has quickly risen to my top-3 all time favorite bikes.

Bottom line, a 449/511 rocks...but is not for everyone.

If I were on a budget, I would find a clean RFS and ride happy.

 

[cammok5]

thanks for all the info. I think im going to get another ktm though. Its just to many things different and from what I could find the red head motor was only made a couple years. and know kusky is switching over to ktm platform. not to say anything is wrong with the 449.

bigmo. I have never herd of the problems you are talking about. mine has never had those and the other one I have ridden with has I think 17k on it

 

[9880sts]

Buy the 449... u will not Regret the buy !!! Why would u buy a much older bike...
in 2011 and 2012 the TE 449 finished as best in 4 Stroke Class !!! at the Erzberg. It s a great bike not much more to say. Before Heinz KINIGRADNER won the Dakar in the 90's , KTM was just about to close down... worth nothing. Still KTM is good but no Heritage and the Husky 449 and 511 will bag the 450 .
http://www.touratech-usa.com/Advent...g-Rodeo-Touratech-Racing-Ranks-in-the-Top-Ten

 

[cammok5]

to late I got the ktm yesterday. thanks for all the info though