Prior to the last national enduro in Turkey , Texas , I had the opportunity to accompany Factory FMF / KTM ’ s Ben Kelley and Josh Toth on a day of testing in Post , TX .
Ben and Josh were welcomed by the third place NE2 class finisher , Cole Kirkpatrick , to his family ’ s ranch in Post . Coming from the East coast both Ben and Josh ( Ben from Connecticut and Josh from North Carolina ) wanted to try a few different settings out .
The most notable of changes between the two was Ben ’ s switch from the KTM 350 XC-F to the 450 XC-F . He noted the change was due to the more open terrain in TX compared to normal NEPGs as well as him being more acquainted to the 450 coming from GNCCs . “ Less acclimation time needed ,” said Kelley .
Another piece of equipment that was being tested was tires . Ben tested the Dunlop MX53 while at the ranch but opted to go with his usual set of the MX 33 in the front and the AT 81 in the rear which he also runs at most GNCCs and NEPGs .
Josh Toth , on the other hand , opted to change nothing on his bike . Coming off a hand injury / surgery sustained at the Missouri NEPG , Josh wanted to keep things as close to normal as possible for him . No swapping of suspension , no remounting wheels with different tires . Josh ended up running his usual KTM 350XC-F with the same tire setup as Ben .
Talking with the guys prior to and after the race the thing they changed the most was not on their bikes , but their riding style and awareness . Back on the East Coast the guys both know how the dirt will react ( heavy on the throttle , little worry about breaking traction ). In Texas the guys were more steady on the throttle and more conscious about breaking traction .
Ben Kelley had this to say about the difference between soils and riding technique - “ Back east i ’ m not worried about the dirt breaking loose , so i ’ m heavier on the throttle . Here in TX I had to be more aware of my throttle and clutch control so I wouldn ’ t spin .” n