ASK THE MXPERTS: MY 2016 KTM 350SXF WON’T RUN?

What are these, you ask? They are KTM capacitors. You want the big one on the left, not the stock 2016 one on the right.

Dear MXA,
My 2016 KTM 350SXF quit running while I was at the track. I tried to change the fuse with the spare one that is in the main relay box, but it blew also. It turns out that my capacitor went out. I don’t know what a capacitor is or how to fix it. Help.

For some reason for the 2016 model, KTM changed from its old capacitor to a smaller one. The new capacitor had the bad habit of failing. This should be a no-sweat deal. It is easy to upgrade to the large condenser that comes on the 2017–’18 models (or even the previous 2015 one). The KTM part number is 777-110-3500. You should be able to sweet talk your local KTM dealer into getting this part for you under warranty. It is a known problem. Capacitors (also known as condensers) work like a tiny rechargeable battery with low capacity. A capacitor discharges its electricity in a split second and recharges just as quickly. The most common use for a capacitor on a fuel-injected motocross bike is to give a jolt of power to start the engine. When a rider strokes the kickstarter on an EFI bike, he is essentially building the electrical charge in the capacitor. When not being used to provide a jolt of electricity, the capacitor absorbs electrical spikes to keep the voltage at a constant level.