KTM 50SX and 65SX Get Air Forks for 2017

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

Newly-crowned AMA Supercross Champion Ryan Dungey helped KTM reveal its 2017 two-stroke youth motocross bikes at the season finale in Las Vegas. The big update is a new air fork suspension for the 50SX and 65SX, while the 85SX returns with traditional spring forks.

Air fork technology is becoming more widespread on motocrossers, and it makes sense in particular for bikes like the 50SX and 65SX which are designed for young riders. Kids in this target demographic can grow very quickly, and air forks can be easily adjusted accordingly using an air pump. For the 2017 50SX and 65SX, KTM used the AER 35 fork from WP Suspension, a 35mm version of the AER 48 used on KTM’s Factory edition 450SX-F and 250SX-F. The spring rate can easily be adjusted by adding or reducing air pressure in the left fork leg. Another benefit is the (claimed) 1.7 pound weight savings compared to the previous spring fork.

The 50SX and 65SX also receive fully-adjustable rear shocks, updated exhausts, an hour meter, and, naturally, updated graphics.

The 2017 85SX returns unchanged except for the new graphics. It will again be offered two wheel sizes, a 17-inch front/14-inch rear option or a a 19-inch front/16-inch rear for larger kids.

The 2017 KTM Sportminicycle range will arrive at dealerships at the beginning of June.

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.

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