It’s no secret that the 350cc market is a popular one for KTM, as the Austrian brand offered four different models of the midsize four-stroke for 2020. Of the quartet, one of them dons a license plate—the 350 EXC-F. As the smaller-displacement model of KTM’s two street-legal dirt bikes, the 350 EXC-F is designed for the dual sport rider who wants a bike that offers the lightweight handling of a 250 four-stroke but has a power output closer to a 450cc dirt bike, or in the dual sport model’s case, the 500 EXC-F.
Some competitors for the 2020 KTM 350 EXC-F would include the Husqvarna FE 350s, Beta 350 RR-S, Honda CRF450L, and KTM 500 EXC-F. At $10,999, the 350 EXC-F is $100 less than the FE 350s, $400 more than the 350 RR-S, $600 more than the CRF450L, and $400 less than the 500 EXC-F.
We conducted a comparison review of the 2019 model 350 EXC-F and its larger 500 EXC-F sibling in Moab, Utah, to see how the two orange Austrian dual sports performed when pitted against each other. One of the most prominent aspects we noticed was that with its 3-pound lighter wet weight and smaller displacement, the 350 EXC-F felt just a bit lighter than the 500 EXC-F and was slightly easier to maneuver, especially in tighter, slower-going areas of the trail.
If you held out on buying a 2019 KTM 350 EXC-F in hopes the bike would be significantly updated for 2020, you’re in luck because KTM’s 350cc street-legal dirt bike received a host of changes for the new decade. The most notable revisions include lighter engine cases, a reworked crankshaft, a new CP piston, a shorter cylinder that produce an increased compression ratio (from 12.3:1 to 13.5:1), a lighter cylinder head, a new six-speed transmission made by Pankl, updated WP Xplor suspension components, a stiffer frame, 40mm longer subframe, different aluminum head stays, and new bodywork.
