KTM 525 EXC as an Adventure Bike

I think I might even change the oil on the red-headed stepchild bike, the 450EXC, and run it in Baja with dogwater 'til it blows up. If it doesn't blow up, I'll come home when the rear tire is worn out. Or a bone is sticking through the skin.

One thing I have noticed in having looked at quite a few of the (maybe old style ?? ) HT Racing coolers is the poorly machined gasket surface. The back plate on the reservoir is a poor match to the rest of the surface, and IMHO, that where the oil leak issues on those things come from, if you have a leak. I resurfaced that area on my HT cooler in the milling machine, and so far, no worries.

The shitty OE headlight and UFO led taillight will have to do the job, and hopefully I won't crash in the dark as is the usual course of events for me in Mexico

No cush hub. No fancy seat. No rack. No big stator. A rekluse auto clutch, 20mm offset clamps, steering damper, and an Acerbis godzilla fuel tank is all it has.

If whatever I'm going to bring won't fit in my Wolfy tank panniers (that I use as rear bags) or the Enduro tank bag, it's not coming with me.

Run her 'til she blows is what I say.

Your just hard core ain't cha...

YOLO ----

The HT cooler matter is ancient history, gasser.

Hey, you forgot to remount your trashed front fender. And why the godzilla tank? Don't you really like living on the edge as you imply? And what are you putting in those Wolfy bags? Your lattes, croissants, lace-edged red rags?

Stu

It sure isn't if you have one of them with the poorly machined surface. There's no gasket in the world that will seal it for long.

You can take the little tank, and when you have to push your bike 30 miles through some Baja singletrack, we'll see who's living on the edge then.

(BTW - I'm kidding)

Seriously, I've have come across a few of the older coolers on bikes that are running the long hard trips (multi-thousand mile offroad ones) and they all leaked. The new rubberized gasket will last for a while, but the issue is the machined surface, and it is not hard to rectify for a perfect seal with a good mill.

The other thing is, IMHO, the 3 gallonish tanks are a tad too small for the long rides through nowhere, and the 6.6 Acerbis is a bit bigger than I'd prefer, but it's alway best to have more than ya need then not enough, eh?

The ol' gaspipe clunker.....



Run her 'til she blows.

Gasser,

My HT cooler doesn't leak. It seeps a little at the surface that mates with the case half, but certainly nothing to worry about, unless you are an obsessive / compulsive German like I am and don't like ANY seeps and dust collection.

The HT racing vane with the stock lean jetting is giving me 50 MPG on the throttle or otherwise 60+ MPG. I am not certain I would need a larger tank if my Clarke 3.1 would do for the distance you suggest in Baja. I would need the larger Acerbis tank for the 250 mile distances going up to Prudhoe Bay. Want to go up there with me in June?

Stu

You got a good one. Most were/are, but there are plenty of weepy, drippy ones. Like I said, easy and cheap to fix.

I'm not trying to belittle anyone here at all, so please don't construe it as that.

It's not the about the distance I suggest - it's thinking you're AOK getting from one place to another that's 120 miles away, and then finding out 100 miles into it that it's impassible, and having to go back, and then realizing that because you've been fighting siltbeds for 60 miles, you've used half again as much fuel as you figured on. That's the outer edge of exploration/adventure on a bike, and that's where too much is usually just enough when the stuff goes bad. BTDT. Handling suffers a bit, but much less than your feet do on a long desert walk.

On the more beaten path, the level of redundancy isn't as critical, but it sure sucks to see something and not be able to go explore it because fuel is an issue. It happens.

I'll probably be on the other end of Canada this summer if plans go well.

I dribble, not my HT cooler....

Your point about exploring up sand washes is well taken. There are not a lot of those in Kansas or Colorado so gas mileage is better.

Eastern Canada?!? Are you just desperate to ride? I did read with considerable fascination the report of the guy riding from Goose Bay to the St. Lawrence river in January. -61 degrees. That got my attention. Survival, not adventure, riding.

Will you be on Troy & Sean's Arkansas run Ap. 4~7? I'll be there.

Stu

Wow! You two sure are having fun. I have a '04 525 with a HT cooler that I put on in '05. I have no leaks. Stu.

I'll be somewhere in Mexico around then.

Adios,

FYI When considering fuel tanks for an RFS there is a tank that falls between the 3-3.4 gal and the 6.6 gal. But it is expensive and hard to find in the us. Have a look:


http://www.justgastanks.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=484


MCNut

They have come down in price a little since last year when I was looking. Apparently the build quality is very high. They also have a 6.x gal version that's a lot nicer than the acebris / KTM one, but it's $$$.

Still has the "nut cracker" filler that IMS / Clarks has, one thing the KTM tanks don't have.
I run the 3.4 XC tank, great tank, but range is somewhat limited espically with crappy mexican gas. My bike is normally ~40 mpg jetted for sea level. Last time I was in Mexico ~32mpg, so the 3.4gal XC tank has a range of ~115 miles, the IMS and Clarks would be less.

I'm off to Baja in 1 week, going with people who all have 5 & 6 gal tanks, so I'm taking a syphon tube

I only have 2000 miles on my 525 motard, but I love it sooooo much I bought another for the dirt.

I put the 4 gal Safari Tank on my 450 exc and I give it 2 thumbs up . I also added some tank foam, a minor headache to install, but serves its purpose. I really enjoy the extra range without noticing much extra weight.

Coloradical

The tank looks like it would survive if the bike was dropped off a cliff. Where did you add the tank foam & why? Could you post a pix? What sort of range do you get with it now? Did it come with a petcock or did you add the KTM unit?

Thanks! Stu

This seat definitely adds to the long distance comfort factor. If you do not have one you might consider one. As you can see it is wider in the rear to support you while just droning along. It is narrow toward the front for moving around and getting your feet down. It works!

Stu

I mentioned earlier that this Motosportz damper was excellent and very easy to adjust on the fly. It fits snugly and with the simple damper keeps the big beast behaving at speed on the super slab and can be instantly dialed down for off road work. I just float over rocks that were troublesome now with this.

Stu

I'd be interested in knowing this too. Coloradical, you still alive?

I'd prefer 5 gallons, out in Eastern Oregon 200 miles of range is kinda nice, I'm guessing this (Aqualine 4g) would be good for 170 at sea level, probably more like 200+ at altitude in Colorado.

Still, major $$$$. Hard to justify.

102 hours 4250miles, probably 50% on road none of it slow, in florida sand and swamp with no problems. Just did 1032 miles in a weekend, 500 on road.

14/47 gearing, a little high but good for 70+ on road
JD jet kit just a little rich, keeps it cool
power now wings, almost unstallable
flexx bars and renthal kevlar soft grips, cuts almost all vibration
scotts damper, gotta have for high speed on road and sand. saved my ass way more times than the little skill I have.
leo vince, runs cooler with a little more on top than stock plus easily tunable.
carbon bash plate saved my cases last weekend up in the blue ridge mtns.
walmart atv seat pad with an extra layer of foam in it, 500miles no monkey butt
oil change every 6 to 8 hundred (just pull the main plug only, takes 10 mins) full oil change and filters every 3rd change
valves have been fine only 1 tight at 3hr check twice checked since, probably only check every 3 to 4000 miles now on.
the rest is just what you would do for any bike


This to me is a true dual sport, it can go anywhere off road and I can keep up with sport bikes if the road is tight enough. for just a little extra effort you get back a very rewarding ride.

andy<!-- / message -->

How did you relo your hi-beam and turn-signal indicators? Can't tell from the pic.

Hmmn, don't seem to be able to quote your pic (click the above link instead) ........ Have they changed to the Renazco logo on top. Your seat seems less domed than mine. I got it from someone (who I'd rather forget here on AdvRider, ugh) who got it I believe originally from Pyndon. It's not a great fit at the front with my IMS tank. Hard to get the rear bolt to line up.



Here are some pics of my new to me 450 (2005, 70 hours, 1100 miles).












So far:
- KTM Euro wiring harness, LED flashers, K&S controls, K&S Horn (behind mask)
- Cycra Pro Bends
- the above mentioned Renazco
- underbar Scotts damper
- replaced KTM rad guards with PMB ones
- HT racing oil cooler (not installed yet)
- PowerPegz
- 8.8/250 rear spring (to replace stock 8.0)
- 4.4N/mm front spring (to replace stock 4.2)
- eLine carbon header protector (had to freeze out dent the PO put into header)
- fan kit (need to use a PC fan due to the IMS tank)

Future upgrades:
- stator rewind
- Trailtech flywheel
- Ground float
- Some kind of HID

Most everything except for the eLine/fan was used to keep the $$$ down. I'm $6300 into the bike at this point.



Still not sure if it will replace this (which I know 'stu' used to also own). It would be nice if it could as the vibes are ASS but the SXC is a luggage mule compared to the 450. I have a cush hub for the SXC which would fit the RFS too. Just not sure about the luggage situation.





I just got the PMB rear rack for the SXC and it's gorgeous. Way better than the old KTM one. Also have a set of Dalby Moto pannier racks for the Ortlieb soft panniers (below, pic on Mike Crambs bike). I like them a lot as they keep the weight forward unlike the PMB optional side racks, though the SXC subframe is much stronger than the 450.



Something similar (to the Dalby racks) for the 450 would be very cool and would probably force the SXC into the flea-market.

Not sure anything exists however and I'm suspicious of the PMB racks for the RFS as it sits so far back.

Andy,

A nice setup! Is that an '07 450? 525? I run 15/50 on the road on my 525 (3.3333 ratio) to your 14/47 (3.35, so about identical). I slip on a 52 for more off road stuff and just flip the rear adjuster blocks.

You say with the JD jetting it runs cooler. My 525 in the woods on a hot day has the fan running constantly. This never was the case with the 450. What is your experience in tight woods?

Are the turn signal / high beam indicator lamps just taped in place or have you fabricated a mount?

I really like the ATV cover / foam idea. So far I have not needed it with my Renazco seat that I just got from Chris.

What are you running for oil?

Crazybrit:

It does look like the Renazco seats have changed design from yours to mine. It could also be that yours is a "high profile" seat. Mine is standard. Your 450 looks ready to rip. BTW, I had to force fit my seat on with my Clarke tank, just as I had to force fit the stock seat and the EE super soft seat. Now that I have ridden with it some it goes on and off more easily.

You are correct about the vibration on the 625 SXC. It is a great bike with an incredibly reliable motor that will haul more than the 525. I just go with less. I am happier with the 525 than I was with the 625. (I did finally put a 17T on the front on the 625 and at highway speeds that did help the vibes. The old 620 rubber footpeg inserts also helped a lot.)

So far the 530 with its smaller oil capacity in the engine (.7L to my nearly 1.8L with the HT Racing oil cooler) is reportedly burning some oil since what oil is there is really worked over. Bill Thomas at HT Racing is working on a cooler for this motor and reports that it has been difficult to design. Until a solution is found I am certainly staying with the RFS design for DS work.

Stu