KTM 525 EXC as an Adventure Bike

[crazybrit]

Originally Posted by Rabbot

Agreed, easy to maintain. As I've posted before. I go 20 hours before changing the oil and I do the filters then. I'd say thats about every 1000 miles

You average 50mph?

To be honest I'd never actually read the manual. I see it changed in 2007 from "every 15 hours or 100 liters fuel" to "every 20 hours, 140 liters fuel or 1 race".

So the 20 hours and 140 liters match up if you average 63mph (assuming 35mpg).

I still see lots of for sale ads saying "oil changed every 2 rides". I expect that's BS to make it sound like the bike was cleaned with a q-tip but it probably goes a long way to perpetuating the myth that the bike is a maintenance hog.

[blake716]

In the past, I never even kept track of oil changes. I just changed it if it seemed like I've "been riding a lot lately".

Never had a single problem. My oil always looked good when I drained it, except for this one time where I went almost a year without changing it. That was on an 01 520 SX . Other than that, I must have made oil changes frequently enough. I never changed it any more often than I did with any Jap bikes that I owned in the past.

I've never had to do a top end on any KTM (4 stroke) I've ever owned.

Of course, the 525 that I have now is the only dual sport bike I've ever owned, other that a few XR's I had when I was too young to have a drivers license.
At least, on this bike, I have an odometer and hour meter. I only changed the oil in my current bike once since I bought it earlier this year.

[chippertheripper]

Originally Posted by Foot dragger

I can send pics to your email,its about as small and light as can be made,almost looks like a trials bike piece. If you google it it should come up. I used big pop rivets and put an Acerbis under fender stiffener between airbox and license plate mount/taillight unit. I ended up pop riveting small pieces of plastic on to the X-LED license plate mount to put really small turn signals onto. I can send pics to show what I did..
The Led tailight on the X-LED matches the shape of the rear fender on the KTM like its a factory piece.

Me too, me too!
Chipmxatyahoodotcom

[blake716]

Originally Posted by Foot dragger

I can send pics to your email,its about as small and light as can be made,almost looks like a trials bike piece. If you google it it should come up. I used big pop rivets and put an Acerbis under fender stiffener between airbox and license plate mount/taillight unit. I ended up pop riveting small pieces of plastic on to the X-LED license plate mount to put really small turn signals onto. I can send pics to show what I did..
The Led tailight on the X-LED matches the shape of the rear fender on the KTM like its a factory piece.

Wow, I completely missed this post until chippertheripper quoted it.

Yes, please do.

I just put it in my cart on rockymountainmc. Still would like to see it though.


blake716atcoxdotnet

[The Bigfella]

Well this sure beat trying to load my Super Enduro onto the boat....



65kph down the Mekong...



Yeah... that's an AK47 pointed at my bike (and me)



But apparently I said the right things

[yondering]

Cool pics! That looks like quite an adventure.

Looks like that AK is the real rock n roll version too, not the wussified semi-auto stuff we get over here.

[Cruiser]

looks like that AK has been around quite some time!! a bit of age on the wood...

[Shaco]

Please delete this post.

[team ftb]

Originally Posted by The Bigfella

Well this sure beat trying to load my Super Enduro onto the boat....



65kph down the Mekong...



Yeah... that's an AK47 pointed at my bike (and me)



But apparently I said the right things

Wow!! Now that bike looks eerily familiar.

Whomever you acquired that awesome bit of kit from surely deserves a free pass to heaven, and a round of bar girls to keep him busy, haha.

Bigfella rolled into Chiang Mai on a KTM 950 SE on his trip from Australia, through South East Asia. Sadly during his first venture into Lao he realized the water buffalo 950 was not the ideal steed to have during monsoon season to explore about off road. He had his eye on exploring Lao and Cambodia over the next couple months off road but on
his first sojourn into Lao the 950 objected to the slick mud by throwing a tantrum and slipping and sliding about in the mud. Being 500 pounds it would be a taxing beast to labor about on and if he wants to enjoy offroading over here this time of year the 950 is not the ideal weapon. Bigfella returned to Chiang Mai and eyed my 525. I felt like the neighbor with the hot wife he was eyeing.

We struck a deal and he is now the new owner of my set-up 525 to go about exploring. Ian I reckon that bike has been down the tracks you'll be on often enough you could probably fall asleep in the seat and it'll still get ya wherever you're going. Safe travels and glad to see the 525's new owner continuing to add to the hours on the bike in the jungles of South East Asia.

[DRjoe]

So what are you replacing it with?

[The Bigfella]

Originally Posted by DRjoe

So what are you replacing it with?

He's going to buy the 525 back at double the price when he realises how good it really is.

Mate, the thing's like a tractor... it just doesn't give up on the hills.... then it wheelies away

[team ftb]

Originally Posted by The Bigfella

He's going to buy the 525 back at double the price when he realises how good it really is.

Mate, the thing's like a tractor... it just doesn't give up on the hills.... then it wheelies away

I think you'll find its the perfect beast for slogging through the muck. Even just a couple ticks above idle it'll just pull ya up the sloppy hills without uncontrollable wheelspin, a great combo and glad to see you enoying it.

Damn I miss my scoot already.

[team ftb]

Originally Posted by DRjoe

So what are you replacing it with?

I was actually going to ride it another season before selling it. I usually by used bikes due to the value and also a decent database of info out there on the bike. The obvious choice would be the new 500, but I would like to see some more time on them in the real world to get a clearer picture of whether I can trust the bike or not. Realistically my only concern is the FI and its reliability in the field. Right now there is heaps of pom pom waving by the owners of the 500 but ideally I would like to give it a year to let some time for any warts to show and be known.

Another option is a smaller bike. I really enjoy the light weight bikes and find them more enjoyable to ride. Just have to determine whether i can get one to do dedicated long range trips like I did on the 525. I did a few 3 day trips on my old YZF 250.



Put a bigger tank and 4th and 5th gear from a Yamaha WR and it was a wonderfully fun bike for 2-3 day rides. Only downside was even with the WR 4th and 5th gear you could not cruise on the tarmac comfortably.

I now have a 2011 KTM 250 XCF-W that I use as my day ride bike for technical riding. I will put some taller gearing and a bigger bore and see if I can get it to cruise close to 60 on the tarmac and still pull the gearing in the tight stuff. If the bike can accomplish those two goals then I'll look at using it for some extended rides and see how it fares. One downside is there are no external oil lines for me to tap into for plumbing an extra oil reservoir to increase the capacity some.

I just enjoy riding the lighter bikes more from a handling perspective just not sure I can make them into a viable multi week bike or not. If I can't then it'll be the 500 if it proves reliable.

[crazybrit]

Originally Posted by team ftb

I was actually going to ride it another season before selling it.

I thought for a sec that you'd traded your 525 for the SE. I was looking fwd to see the "custom lowering" take shape on the SE

[B-Rod]

Originally Posted by team ftb

I just enjoy riding the lighter bikes more from a handling perspective just not sure I can make them into a viable multi week bike or not. If I can't then it'll be the 500 if it proves reliable.

Don't rule out the 350 EXC either. I rode one the other day, and it was nice. Due to my lack of dirt bike back ground, I actually was a little afraid of it and it's somewhat two-stroke feel when the power comes in. I bought the guy's 530 (rode it for the first time yesterday!!), and I am much more comfortable riding that than the 350. There is no throttle spring feedback on the 350, and its looseness scared me more than anything. I can handle the power, but I never felt I had control of the throttle. Almost whiskied 'er a few times.