Factory Off-Road Racebikes—Ben Kelley’s 2022 KTM 350 XC-F

FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Ben Kelley has been on quite a roll since the start of the 2022 season, having won all six Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) rounds at the time of this writing, plus adding a victory at the Dragon’s Back National Enduro in Virginia.

Kelley rides the 350 XC-F at both the GNCC rounds and the tighter National Enduros because he wants to be familiar with one bike rather than jumping to a 450 XC-F for the GNCCs. At the Dragon’s Back race, Kelley’s mechanic Jose Cordova gave us a comprehensive look at his bike in National Enduro trim.

Before we dug into the aftermarket goodies and special parts that the entire FMF KTM Factory Racing off-road team runs, we asked Cordova to talk about the things he does to personalize the bike specifically for his rider. Starting at the top, the handlebar is a Renthal FatBar 821-bend.

“Ben used to run the [Twinwall] 999s, which are the same bend, but he wanted more flexibility and not so much of a hard hit on his hands,” Cordova explained. “The 821s have a little more give to them as opposed to a crossbar-type bar. We also went with a little bit softer elastomers for the Xtrig PHDS bar mounts. He used to run the standard ones, but now he runs the green ones.”

Related: 2022 KTM 350 XC-F Dyno Test

The triple clamps are KTM PowerParts items with the standard 22mm offset. As far as the front brake, Kelley wants a lot of stopping power but doesn’t like it to be too touchy. “He still likes that progressive feel,” Cordova said. “So we installed this front caliper that has bigger 28mm pistons, which is from one of our older models. It’s stronger, but he still gets that progressive feel. It’s something that anyone can buy.”

The rear brake master cylinder is windowless, just so a stray rock can’t break it. Also, Kelley likes the PowerParts rear caliper because he feels it offers better stopping power. “It’s made out of magnesium and it’s a stronger feel,” Cordova said. “It dissipates heat better too.”

The front and rear rotors are made by Moto-Master. “At the rear, we run a solid rotor pretty much everywhere,” Cordova said. “Normally, people run them just in muddy conditions, but we run it everywhere just to be consistent on feel.”

As far as suspension, the team runs WP Xact Pro (aka Cone Valve) forks that are standard 48mm diameter. WP technician Matt Fox services the suspension in-house. Cordova told us that Kelley likes a neutral feel for the fork but he actually likes a pretty dead feel when it comes to the WP Xact Pro shock.

“It’s kind of weird,” Cordova began. “We went testing and tried to give him something that moves a lot and kind of reacts, and he doesn’t like that. He doesn’t want it to kick or move around.”

Related: 2022 KTM 350 XC-F Factory Edition First Ride Review

Frame guards are installed for protection. Cordova explained that some riders like them and others don’t, and that Kelley runs them all the time whether practicing or racing. As far as items the entire FMF KTM Factory Racing team runs, Cordova started at the front. “We run stock hubs laced to Excel A60 wheels with stock spokes.”

The sprockets are Renthal and gearing is stock. There is a PowerParts fan behind the radiator to keep the bike cool, and both radiators are 25mm larger than standard. “It just helps with cooling,” Cordova said. “It’s also a PowerParts item, so anyone can get it.”

He continued, “Ben likes the soft Renthal grips and we run a Nihilo [Concepts] throttle housing, which is made out of billet, so it’s just a little stronger. All this with standard cables.”

Of course, the team is sponsored by FMF Racing, so they do a lot of testing with the SoCal exhaust manufacturer. Everyone on the team runs the Factory 4.1 RCT muffler. For tires, the team runs Dunlop, and according to Cordova, his rider likes to stick with a Geomax AT81 everywhere, except in sand.

“For Florida, we do the [Geomax] MX12 and some rounds we do the [Geomax] MX33 rear. But for the most part, this is his setup everywhere—the MX33 front with an AT81 rear.”

Other items include a complete Hinson Racing clutch and standard-length aluminum ARC levers. When asked what Kelley is the most particular about, Cordova said, “He’s really not picky about anything. The only thing obviously is levers, which any rider would be. Basically, other than levers, he’ll ride whatever.”