On The Pegs February 2018 - Volume 3 - Issue 2 | Page 111

On The Pegs
Vol. 3 Issue 1 - January 2018
P 111
I’m expecting it to happen sooner
instead of when I’m not ready for it. So,
with that setting it worked great. I’m
actually really impressed with it. I think
the best thing for me was KTM went to
a new chassis with the Mikuni carb on
the old bike. It’s really finicky. It works
well, but you have to change your jets
and the carb settings way more fre-
quently. It was just really handy and
nice to just start the bike up, let it run
for five seconds, turn it off and turn it
on again. It helps it acclimate sooner.
So, I don’t have to mess with anything.
“There really wasn’t much adjust-
ing to it. I rode it Friday and I got a
“As far as comparing the bike to what good feel for it. Then Saturday I putted
around for a few minutes. I was like, this
I’ve been riding, the new fuel-injected
bike is a 250 so I can’t exactly compare just has less bottom end just because
of the fact it’s a 250. So I think for future
it to the 300 I was riding last year in
extreme events, but I rode a carbureted I might do one tooth on the rear to pull
a little better in second. I was really
250 back in December and the TPI is
really similar to that, except there’s just pleased with the performance of the
bike. I know for sure this is where it’s
not quite as much pull off the bot-
going to end up. One day it will prob-
tom as what I’m used to. But in the
ably be all-electric, but for now this is
standard form, it comes with a yellow
the next best thing.
power valve spring. It’s a little soft off
“The XC is a great bike, but for me the
the bottom, and then all of a sudden
250 is not the best option out there for
it’s like you’re holding on for dear life,
extreme races. That’s personally how I
going too fast. I wasn’t ready for that
feel for what my specialty is. So, since
power surge to kick in. We rode it the
day before the race and I ended up tell- I’m on that chassis, it’s really important
for KTM since that’s where they’re go-
ing my mechanic, “Hey, let’s just make
it pull a little more all the way through ing in Europe and that’s the only thing
available for the W’s. They wanted me
the motor instead of having that hard
hit.” So we put a red power valve spring to be on that bike and I’m open to ride
whatever’s out there. Now I’m pretty
in, which is the softest spring setting.
sure I’m the only guy on the team run-
Green is slow. Yellow is standard, and
ning the air fork and the TPI bikes. It’s
red is supposed to be fast. It just basi-
cool to be like testing and verifying that
cally opens the power valve easier, so
what they got is good.” n
the power valve opens quicker. I’m
ready for the motor to react because