You picked a winner... Every once in awhile a manufacturer will hit upon just the right combination of EVERYTHING to make a truely outstanding bike. This is one of those bikes. Work throught minor issues (they all have em) but when you get them sorted out this bike is outstanding... We have a saying... friends to let friends ride the new 500hunny..... it will both kill your desire to get back on your old scoot and cost you a bundle of cash.....
Yep,my old scoot is up for sale,just a few rides on my 2011 530 and theres no way to go back to riding the old tank. Not cheap but well worth it.
My new 500 is pretty close to sorted out. Still a bit of a flame out on the bottom around 700 RPM or so. However, in tight woods, slamming rock ledges, out of ditches and around trees it handles very much like my '12 300, which is 30 lbs lighter. Unlike the 300 it is an acceleration beast. Crazy performance! Hard to get off of it. I purchased a cushioned rear hub from Woody's Wheel Works. It is a RAD billet hub so it it both lighter and stronger than the LC4 equivalent. I will use it for extended travel that has a mix of hard road surfaces and off road (southern Utah coming up). Initially I had a problem with the hub which Chris at WWW took care of immediately with just a phone call and exact dimensions describing the issue. A big 1+ to Woody's WW!! Stu
Cool,sounds as if you are very close to having exactly what you want.Take lots of pic's in Southern Utah and post them up please.
Yes. The 300, breathed on by me (SX head, VP race gas, lighter than stock, Rekluse EXP 2, etc.) is very fast but is absolutely no match for the 500 coming out of corners. The 500 hooks up and rockets forward with the abandon of a young stripper. I thought the 300 XC-W was the perfect bike. I now have serious doubts. This 500 can hold its own in the woods and is a far, far better bike for every other kind of riding (DS, etc.). KTM has a winner here. Stu
Interesting. I rode a 300XC-W and 500XC-W back to back at a KTM demo days event and I was surprised by how two very different bikes actually delivered similar performance, including dialing up torque wheelies at will. But yes, the grin on my face was a little bigger on the 500.
My 300 will readily wheelie through 5th gear quick enough to make my eyeballs pop out,then it pulls off the bottom like a smooth 4 stroke that doesnt ever stall. My 530 is faster speed wise for sure but the 300 is Very quick.
Jeezus, that sounds violent. Can see how that might be fun and all, but not what I'm looking for in a trailbike. Guess that's the nice thing about being able to tune these bikes to suit different riders.
Just ride it like a 2-stroke and use the clutch . My 500 isn't like that but it's stock except for the euro/xcw remap & desmog...I have no stumbles, flame outs etc and cost me $20 at the dealer. The bike runs richer/better across the range. If anyone is interested I know of a 2012 500 exc being sold. Close to stock w/ 25 hrs or so. It may be in the classifieds here but not sure. Owner busted his knee and wont be able to ride for a while.
Hey Stu, have you ridden with the cush hub yet? Notice any difference on/off road, vibs, traction? I built an LC4 cush wheel, but haven't mounted it yet. Hard to believe that the RAD hub would be lighter.
Please PM me info on that 500 for sale. Got a friend searching. He found a stock one in Fla he might be buying.
I don't think the RAD hub is lighter than stock, might even be a bit heavier. And while it is probably stronger I have never heard about a single OEM cush hub breaking. Plenty of non-cush ones, but never a cush. That being said, the billet hubs sure look good, and they don't cost much more than OEM. I personally prefer the Haan ones over the others as they are lighter with a lot more complex machining done while still being strong enough (plenty of Dakar rally guys run them). Haan Wheels 640 carrier on the left (622 grams) and RAD Mfg 950/990 carrier on the right (930 grams):
Lukas, Thanks for the info on the Haan hub. Did not know about it. I'm pretty happy with the RAD unit. I think it was built for bikes with a lot of power -- overbuilt if anything. I have not weighed the stock LC4 unit but it is very heavy and this unit does feel lighter. I have seen webs cracked on one LC4 hub. It may have just been a bad casting but seeing that was not encouraging so I went with the RAD. I have not noticed any difference on or off road with the cushioned hub. The 500 has so much power that it is seemingly indifferent to what is mounted. What is important is that it will help make the 500 a worry free long distance bike. I will not have to be concerned about transmission needle bearings or counter shaft splines. I would note that on the highway at 45~65 MPH the 500 with the cushioned hub feels smoother than my 950. That is with the Kenda stock tires. It is not any easier to find neutral when stopped though. The flame outs seem to be a rich condition. I am leaning out the "needle taper" jetting range (using carburetor terms) today to see if that will solve the problem. Cutting back on fuel in the "accelerator pump / leak jet" range helped. I had that set too high. Stu
You have good points above but serviously, Are we that concerned about 300 grams, hell I can skip a dontu and get that back. Dpont get me wrong I have nothing against Haan but come on all this over 4300 grams. I have been a woodys customer for years and have runt he RAD setup on my SE as well as my 500 XCW. I never really new what I missed until I didnt have one. I personally can tell a substancial difference between having a cush hub installed and not and prefer having one. In regards ot weight I too beleive it is over built but for a very minimal weight gain. I like over built
Cush hubs........ considering the bike has a cush hub built into the clutch hub that does the same thing as a cush hub on the wheel hub,the extra expense/weight is really worth it to add on to the bike? Do guys really use these things as street bikes? Surely dont need it for dirt riding as the dirt is all the slip a bike needs. I guess the fancy hubs look neat though.
Cush hubs are a streetbike thing,not a performance thing for off road in any way. Dirt lets the tire slip all it needs so the trans doesnt get hammered. They dont help shifting or make for less vibration. KTM went to great expense to put a cush hub in the clutch hub so a cush hub isnt needed out at the wheel. But then,what do I know.
I agree that the weight difference between either hub is not a big deal, I just said if I can choose I'll take the Haan, even if I like and own RAD products. Either way I do however consider the cush assembly - whether OEM, Haan, or RAD - a necessity for a dual sported bike that is seeing more than casual use. And the clutch damping mechanism is NOT sufficient. Posted by another member, 11k dual sport use (XC4 engine with the same clutch damper):
