I am about a day or two away from buying either the XC or XC-W. I was at the dealer today and the sales guy was pretty knowlegable of all the bikes. They have both models on the floor..

He was not sure however of the differences between the two except for the wide ratio designation.

I am told that a xc is a sx except first gear which is lower as far as the gearbox goes. The unkown is what is a w?

The w model has the enduro trip meter and has a more plush suspension setting. It also has a lower first gear that is very noticible over the XC. The XC is a little easier to keep in the sweet spot of the powwer band due to the closer gear spacing but the W is more forgiving if you use too much throttle....hope this helps.

rjeffery1 said:

ceegar said:

Let my clear the water a little bit.  First off, what are you going to be using the bike for?  Do you have a need or like the idea of the odo?  If you are going to be tracking it, then look to the XC; woods or fast open terrain, the W.  I will tell ya why:

Both have 6 spd trannies.  The W has almost identical 2nd - 4th gearing as the XC with a granny bail out gear and overdrive 6th.  You also get softer valving for the woods.  The forks are open chamber on the W and very simple to work on.  The latest OC forks work great off the shelf.  The XC has the new twin chamber forks and are valved stiffer from the factory.  They are harder to replace springs in and service.  The W actually has stiffer fork springs in it than the XC.  Both have machined triple clamps now.

I find the W gives me the best of both worlds, close ratio gearing where I need it most, odo, light coil, and great forks for the woods.

Don't let the tranny differences sway ya since they are very close to one another where most of us spend most of the time.

rjeffery1 said:

Sounds to me like the sales guy was *not* very knowledgeable.

Anyway, what gmoss said agrees entirely with my understanding. I bought the xc-w for the following reasons:

a) at the time (august) I was more comfortable with the OC forks. I know how to work on them, and I softened the valving very slightly on mine.

I wanted the lower low gear and taller 6th. While the bike won't pull the gap between 5th and 6th in deep sand, i find I don't really want to go faster than pinned in 5th in the sand anyway. 6th is perfect for loafing along on transfer sections between gnarly trails.

c) I like the odometer. I got a headlight and taillight for mine (they plug right in to the existing wiring on the xc-w, not sure about the xc) and a license plate for it.

Note that as gmoss mentions, for most woods riding situations the most commonly used gears will be the same

llamaface said:

I wish KTM would gear the 250 and 300 this way, with a 6 spd...

Just finished the break-in and my first race on the XC-W(e).
The E-button may not matter to most but for racing I love it.  I don't use it for play rides or cold starts but I used and loved it in the race.  Here was just one example; long snowy/icy downhill, I stalled it(YEAH I KNOW), tried to bump start and could not due to sliding on the ice.  One touch of the button and I was underway with no time lost. .
First gear was very usable for me in the super tight sections of the course.
I like the high top speed but the trade off is losing the power band on that last up-shift in the long sand washes.  It will keep pulling the taller gear just without the punch.
Starter cover traps tons of crap:thumbsdn: have to remove skid plate and cover to clean.
My stiffer respring did not show before the race and the bike worked really well for not have the best sag settings.  I have paid for a lot of suspension work over the years and this bike works pretty darn good out of the box.

I have had both, I like the XC better. The tranny has no gaps in it. Seems like you are never in a bad gear. The only thing you really give up is if you are out in the open alot, like desert and stuff, the XC will top out pretty quick, but in the woods, the XC is awesome. I do not think the suspension is too stiff on the XC, whereas on the EXC, I think the stock suspension is too mushy for a faster pace.

I like the XC very much, first bike I have ever bought that the stock gearing of 14-48 was perfect and I did not need to change it. On my EXC, I had to change the gearing as it was way to tall.

If you are gonna use this bike for woods and track,  I like the XC better. But if you ride out in the open stuff, the taller 6th gear is on the W nice. XC has a lighting coil so you can get a light kit if you are gonna race it in enduro's. Odo can be bought for 79 bucks from tail tech. Bottom line, if you are a woods guy, you'll like the XC better overall. The tranny combined with the 200's powerband is magic in the woods for enduro's and hare scrambles.

firebolter said:

the W is geared 14/48 also, no?  I find the gearing on my 05 perfect (14/48).  As I said, both are almost identical in the middle gears, where it counts.  There's not much that seperates these 2 bikes.  

Both do very well in the woods.  The XC probably does appeal to the faster guys that race HS's and the such, with it's stiffer valving and TC forks.  They are hitting stuff much harder.

llama, wasn't it you that stated the W had stiffer springs vs the XC?  Front or rear or both I can't remember?

Thanks guy's!!!  

Great info. Now I am even more unsure....I ride in a little of everything mentioned. I am a 45yr veteren rider who has had everything from 2 stroke motos in the eighties, and ninties to a 00 DRZ400 kickstart to most recently a 06 Husky TC250..I still have a DRZ400 dualsport as well...

I miss having a 2 stroke so here I am looking at the KTM"s...Everything mentioned above is a great help and I even looked at the actual gear ratio's between the two and I think I am leaning towards the W model. I just want a play bike now at my age and doubt I will be riding the track seriously like in the past. I am however concerned just a little about the hill climbing around the trees, and rocks at a slow pace with the W but then again I like to head out to the open desert a couple times a year as well...

The XC is definitely stiffer than the W and that's why I like it better. Yes at a brisk pace I find my XC holds a line really well over roots and rocks/ruts. Hardly any deflection. I was quite surprised to find that with some clicking, I had a stock suspension that really worked! 2 of my EXC buddies rode my bike last weekend and both though my bike was really plush and wanted to know who did my suspension, I said KTM did, it's stock (although it has fresh fluid 5W).

I just love the way it pulls the gears through the woods. I can run most stuff in 3/4th where as on my EXC I have to use 2/3rd for the same trails. I also dropped my CS sprocket to a 13 on my EXC.

Anyway, suspension aside, the W really has the top speed advantage and that is about it, okay and lights/odo

rjeffery1 said:

Honestly, the W is probably more suited to you. I bought my XC specifically for woods riding in the ECEA enduro's and Hare Scrambles, so it is perfect for that. If I am going to be out in the open stuff, I use my 525 EXC. It's also my Dual Sport.

One of my riding buddies just went from a 200XC to a 07 250 W and all he said was he needed to go up about 2 teeth in the back for the slower trail work and he felt that would be perfect, so for all around riding, the W would probably be perfect for you. Most guys never use 1st on the W's once they get the gearing set up unless they are trials riding in rock gardens are extremely slow sections like 28 inch tree gaps! Then you're screwed no matter what bike you're on!

firebolter said:

What made them ride that differently, 3rd and 4th gears are exactly the same, I don't understand?   Were both the same year models?

Quote

hahaha, they are very similar.   I could be happy on either, I just like the odo, lower 1st and higher 6th.

Different years, and different gearing (sprockets). Like I said the 07 XC is the first bike I've never had to re-gear. I was shocked! It really pulls the 14-48 perfectly in all condition. Really pisses some of my 4T buddies off when they have to struggle on some hills, then I sit at the bottom of the same muddy hill, rev my bike, blast off in second and just rocket up and over without even trying.....I think the fact that it is a "little 200" vs. their big manly 450's is what really makes them pissed! Plus I like not being all wiped out at the end of the day and they are fragged.......

The perfect bike to me would be a 200XC with the 6th from a EXC. I know I could make it that way, but I don't want it that bad to have to split the cases. I never keep a bike I race more than 2 years anyway. I am waiting to see what Husky is gonna do in 09. Rumor has them releasing a 300! I am a Husky fan as much as KTM. The Euro bikes just rock.

firebolter said:

I'm a woods guy, and I like the xc-w better overall. Maybe it's more complicated than that.

gmoss said:

Yeah, what he said. I was worried about the wide ratio tranny on the xc-w (cuz i like my 250sx tranny better than my old 300exc), but then I discovered that the important gears for twisty trails are all the same.

firebolter said:

What year was your other 200, because my 05 is geared the same, internally and externally as the newer bikes?  It performs just as yours does.  You won't have to split the cases, just get a new W.  hehe

I know, you won't have the TC forks, and stiffer shock.

anyway, here's the difference in gearing for those that are interested:

both are geared 14:48

XCW_____ XC
2.53______2.46
2.06______ 2.00
1.65______1.65
1.36______1.36
1.12______1.19
.91_______1.05

Well, just like women, beauty is in the eye of the beholder! I ride my 07XC back to back with a 04EXC and I just really like mine better. 2nd to 3rd to 4th transitions are near seamless. Maybe it's just me, but I only miss the W when I am on a road section back to the truck and even that is rare. And I really like the suspension better, The firmer XC settings work well for me.

I get the same comments from the other guys I ride with, they like my tranny in the woods better but miss the wide 6th out in the open. Based on his description of all around riding, then I would agree the W is probably the best bet for him.

gmoss said:

I almost went with the W, but then I waited a month, they were gone and I got a new XC for 4800 OTD 2 hours from my house. I figured sure, at that price------So I bought a light kit and was off on my way. I fell in love with the XC and haven't looked back. I really like the 07 XC. It has been the "least work to make it work for me" bike I have had. And they say the 08 is even better, well crikies!  I don't know how much better it can be! I love my 07.

My next bike will be a 09 Husky 300 if the rumors are true! If Husky made a 200, I'd be all over that. As much as I love my KTM's, I really like the Huskies too.

firebolter said:

If I was racing and a fast guy, I would probably choose the XC too, just for the  stiffer susp.  Just don't throw a leg over an 08!  

I really liked my Husky TC too, but I want a 2 stroke this time around and KTM's seem to be the best...

At my age and riding style now I think the W is best suited for me. I hope to have it by this weekend...

Thanks