KTM has unveiled the 350 SX-F dirt bike in India. The company took the wraps of this bike at the KTM Orange Day in Mumbai earlier today. There are no confirmations if the KTM 350 SX-F will be launched in India and this unveil could just be part of a brand building exercise prior to the launch of the 390 Duke. The 350 SX-F will be kept in a few KTM showrooms. The company will also bring the RC8 superbike to all its KTM dealerships, in order to showcase its potential to prospective customers.
The KTM 350 SX‑F has dominated many races. The Austrian bike manufacturer claims the 350 SX‑F has the performance of a 450cc bike, while offering dynamics of a 250cc machine. The KTM 350 SX‑F has been updated for 2013 and gets a revamped engine, new bodywork and an improved chassis, which is made of central tubular frame and chrome molybdenum steel tubes. A ground clearance of 376 mm ensures the worst of roads can be conquered with ease while the suspension travel is a massive 300 mm and 330 mm at the front and rear respectively.
Powering the KTM 350 SX-F is a 349.7cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, spark-ignition, 4-stroke engine, which produces 54 BHP of power and is mated to a 5-speed claw shift gearbox. Fuel injector comes from the RC8R superbike while redline comes in at an insane 13,400 RPM. Like all other KTM bikes, the 350 SX-F too gets upside down WP forks at the front and WP monoshock suspension at the rear. Disc brakes are present at the front and rear in 300 mm and 330 mm sizes respectively. A 7.5-litre fuel tank sips on 95 octance premium fuel while this motocross bike weighs just 104.8 kgs (without fuel).
Since KTM has not launched the 350 SX-F in India, the price is unknown. However it is sold for £6645 (Rs. 5.50 lakhs) in the UK. In India, there is little demand for dirt bikes and thus the launch of the KTM 350 SX-F makes little sense. The company could launch a lower capacity version of this bike to target the growing dirt bike segment, which is currently dominated by the Hero Impulse.