KTM freeride is going into production 2015

The ICE Freeride is not made as a racer. It is made as a user-friendly mixture between a trail bike and a trials bike - even down to tyre/ tire selection. So, to compare the Freeride E to mx bikes is missing the point.

I moved from a 450exc to a 350 Freeride, and was so much better on tight technical stuff.
read this article http://dirtaction.com.au/bike-test-2013-ktm-freeride
 
Honestly, I would rather have the small KTM freeride over a high HP and heavier bike.

The smaller bike probably handles better and still has enough power to get you up any hill plenty fast and you could also wheelie the bike.
 
speedmd said:
Agree, a lighter quite freeride would be killer. Potential to create a whole new consumer market, and cross over into racing gassers when the aftermarket mods/ technology is ready.
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Yup, I hate to say this but the problem is my fellow Americans who just look at horse power as everything. They want the big HP cars, motorcycles etc.

I personally find it a waste, mostly because high HP uses lots of gas. amongst other things.

The other thing is you can't ever really use all that HP anyway in most cases. I see all these people buying these super high HP cars but then they never even break the speed limit or accelerate fast. Just such a waste.

Granted, you may need a bigger bike if you want to compete in different classes.

This is just my opinion but I know my raptor bike is just amazing, handles amazing and I single track it all the time. The freeride I assume would also be an amazing bike as it's also a light bike and is mid-drive. My 130 lbs raptor is easy to handle, I assume the 200lbs freeride will also be easy to handle. If people tried this type of bike out they will be amazed at the fun they can have.
 
This bike is not made to compete with a mx bike, every 85cc 2 stroke will beat it. It does not have enough travel and the seat position is not made for it. On a motocross track you can't go fast with it, as it is to slow and you cannot do bigger tables. It is good on tracks made for it..
I drove it a year ago, as it was rated 30hp, it was really short geared, I think 70km/h max. That makes you feel the acceleration ok. But you cannot compare to a FX from the acceleration, the fx is a real monster compared.
But the Freeride is a real nice bike, very nice fabricated and I believe best application for woods and enduro riding. But the battery is very small, as I rode it, you could easily drain it in 20min..
 
I was thinking more about the range of this bike and somebody mentioning they can run through the battery in 20 minutes.

Here are my thoughts. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

The bike is rated for 16KW and has a 2.7KW hour battery pack. Technically you drive up a very steep hill at full throttle you can run through the pack in 10 minutes at 16KW.

However, I don't think you should look at it this way.

On my Torque Raptor, setup with a fat 17" motorcycle low PSI knobby tire, which weighs 130lbs and happens to have the same exact battery size at 2.7KW. I can push this bike for over 25 hard miles, with a lot of hard off-road, single track, and acceleration. After I use my full battery (about 2 hour drive), from 4.1 volts to 3.75 volts, I am exhausted.

I'm only pushing 4.3KW on my raptor, so technically I could use this whole battery pack in 37 minutes.


What is my point?

My point is that the KTM freeride weighs around 200lbs and my raptor 130lbs. I am going to think that the KTM freeride being a mid-drive motor and probably much more efficient at climbing and low speed riding than my hub motor, should get close in range as my torque raptor when limiting the KW on the KTM.

Yes the KTM freeride weighs 70lbs more, but I don't think that matters all that much for range as I weigh 130lbs and many people here weigh 200lbs+ and the range is not much different.

I am going to think that if you limit the freeride power max 6KW, you should still get plenty of torque and hill climbing and still get a lot of range. Me pushing only 4.3KW on my raptor has plenty of power. You don't need to use a fast battery draining 16KW all the time!

My raptor range at 4300Watts max lasts me around 25-30 miles or two hours of driving. That is enough to drive the bike to the woods, drive around the woods until I am tired, than come back home. Exactly how I often ride my raptor. I also never pedal my torque raptor, so pedaling is not a question at all.

Of course you still have the 16KW potential when you need it. You also have the option to easily swap batteries on the KTM freeride, so if you have two or more batteries you can get all the enjoyment you want.

The other crazy thing is a mid drive motor that is liquid cooled! WOW no more worry about overheating that hubmotor.

To sum my point up, if you limit the KTM freeride to about 5 or 6KW, you can get a lot of enjoyment, power, and range with the bike. Enough to last you easily a couple hour ride time and at least 25 miles range. I found this is the ideal range and ride time you want as you will be exhausted.

I also found 2.7KW to be the ideal battery size, I find it interesting that KTM went with the same pack size also.

This assumes that the KTM freeride isn't a lot less efficient than my 130lbs torque raptor, this is the big question.
 
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