KaptinKaos' 2013 990 Baja Build-up

It's getting longer and longer... But, I'm glad I have this time to research all of these things. Stuff like:

- Chain Slider (Drill out and bolt through with nylocs)
- Removing pesky anti-theft screws in gas caps
- The gear switch mod for 2nd/3rd gear
- Cutting down the rear mud guard a 1/4" (was an issue on my Dakar till I ripped it off somehow... )
- Drilling tiny holes in the back bottom of the swingarm

Again, if there are any other critical things you can think of that an owner of a brand new 990 can take care before getting waaaaaay out on the trails where something can bite me in the arse, please feel free to add it to this thread! I will most probably be editing/adding to the first or second post with a list of what will be/has been done to this 990 for my reference and anyone else.

Looking at spring rates for the stock measly 210mm height of the base 990 (In Canada it was the only new 990 available to us so I'm forced to build it up to what I need it for), but I can't find a decent weight to spring rate chart. I will most likely be tinkering with it until I take out the forks and shock this fall and send them to SPS (the Canadian suspension place I listed before didn't even reply to my email so... SPS it is, ) for a complete over haul to "S" (265mm) specs. If .48's are in them now, I should be able to bump them up to .54's with no issues. Might save a bit later when SPS redoes everything, might not...

I keep looking at toys for it too... an 8" OnX LED bar would be frackin' sweet on the front end, but I don't do a heck of a lot of night riding, or at least I try not too. We'll see how well the stock HID's and headlamp work together and I'll go from there. *tapping my toe for another 33 days till I get home...*

Smile of the day:



The Dakar beside my '79 R65 (sold a few years ago) all in pieces after I fixed up a mates Dakar and sent him on his way to Central America. It was getting on to winter and I wouldn't be riding for a month or more so the only thing I could think of better than riding was helping someone else continue THEIR ride! Was a few throttle body pieces he needed and a vacuum sensor. Turns out 100kms down the road he needed a fuel filter/regulator too...

Cheers

I was battling with myself about buying a standard (or Baja) 990 when I was shopping for a new one - ended up getting lucky when the person who had a deposit on the very last brand new 990R in Canada so that's what I bought (didn't care about the ABS) but just prior to that, I was looking at the OEM KTM suspension kit which raises the standard bike by 55mm to height of the "R". The cost of the kit was going to be about $600 and I was planning to install it myself so for me, it was an efficient way to get the suspension travel and ground clearance. Keep in mind that if you go this route, KTM has a disclaimer that the kit is not intended for ABS-equipped bikes but my dealer and I could not find any technical limitation to the ABS-equipped bikes. The only other considerations when raising the bike are having to extend stands or replace them with longer ones but you would have to go down that path regardless of what you use for raising the height. As for lighting options, there is literally a sea of choices for lighting and I've explored a ton of them. I ended up ordering a Euro-spec headlight and Piaa 510 SMR lights but most people are combining the Euro headlight with smaller, more efficient LED based lights and/or LED based light bars under the headlight housing (like the Baja or Rigid 6" LED lights with combination light patterns).

Oh, and by the way, if you are looking at a Canadian suspension builder, have you spoken with Mission Cycle near Angus / Barrie, Ontario? I don't know where in Canada you are but I do know that they have a lot of experience with KTM suspension builds of all sorts based on OEM and other aftermarket components.

All the new 2013 Baja's are ABS free thank god, lol! I didn't get much grief from the system on the F650GSPD, but it was a PITA having to disarm it all the time and I didn't much feel like messing with the computers brain to get rid of it. Plus, I knew that when I sold it I could use it as fud fodder, :) I highly doubt this new 990 will ever see the inside of a dealer or shop other than my own... I jones hard to work on my bikes and I love to do so. For me it's comfort that I not only know things were done right, but also that if something breaks or goes wrong I should be able to identify, diagnose and fix it to get myself home. The LC8 is intimidating, but I'm sure I'll get along with it, lol!

The stands I can take care of. I'll lengthen the reach of both by the appropriate amount and rattle can it with gator guard when I'm done. I live in Calgary, AB and am gonna talk to my guys about getting me the parts to do it myself also. I love stuff like that, but on the other hand I'd love to have SPS set the fork valving for me as I never spent much time with it and have a limited knowledge base to work from. I'd love to learn, but would hate to waste that much riding time on learning if I suck at tuning the forks/shock in.

Thanks a TON for the tip on the Euro headlight conversion... That sounds like exactly where I should start! I hated the single bulb on the F650GSPD, but I lived with it. I put a set of PIAA 510's on and when I needed light there was a ton. The 2013 Baja's come with the KTM factory HID extra lights wired up, but the Baja Designs throw a ton more light... With the euro convert kit I might not want for much more unless I find myself riding more night time stuff... which I doubt I will. We have a LOT of animals on roads where I live at dusk and dawn so it's not great riding unless you like a moose or deer in your face, lol!

Cheers and thanks for your input!!!

I know everyone around here loves ktmtwins and others but I haven't found anyone who can sell the Euro headlight for as little as these guys:

http://www.partspitstop.com/pages/E...itstop.com/pages/oemparts#/s/KTM//60014001000

Once I have mine installed, I will figure out if I want to bother adding an HID kit to the low beam since in the Euro headlight, low and high beams are separate bulbs. The 990 isn't that intimidating, it's just got an extra cylinder and a few more wires, etc here and there :)

As for the suspension on my 2012 R, I love it so far, don't find the front end soft like the standard 990 and I'm 6'3" and 218 pounds - not as hard core off road as you yet but getting there little by little...

Got a part #? That page loads nothing for me other than just the store... I found the conversion kit here:

https://blackdogcw.com/black-dog-sh...ure/ktm-euro-headlight-conversion-detail.html

*Edit: I won't put HID's in the headlight myself. Not sure if I like the KTM ones either... the light is always too harsh for me. I prefer a warmer color for depth perception. I've found them extremely unreliable and prone to failure when faced with a lot of water, muck and rough terrain pounding on them. LED's on the other hand I've always had excellent luck with. Less fragile, more power friendly and generally a better build light all around.

If you are in Calgary call Ian at Riders Edge Suspension in Vernon BC and he'll do you up proper. They gave my 12R a good going over and also another buddies 990 and he also rides a 950.

This guy knows his shit!

I can send you some pics of his valving vs stock valving if you like.

That's who I emailed... No response. I would call, but I'm in Albania. It's not a cheap call, lol! Maybe I will wait till I get home and call him. If I could get a quick turn around on my next sched-out (maybe here, maybe Texas for a month) I would ship it out before the fall.

Sorry, go to www.partspitstop.com and type 60014001000 into their search engine - that is the KTM part number for the Euro light

Wow... The UPS shipping is reee-donkulous... LOL! I'll get it from BDCW and that way it gets shipped USPS. Me being away from home a lot I need to get things shipped snail mail so they are waiting for me when I get home (across the street where the cute girl works in the post office that knows I might take 2 months to pick up my stuff, ) Thanks though!

No, call them. They charged me $18 to ship it via USPS. Their we site didn't process shipping to Canada correctly.

Just to clarify too, the Euro light takes one H4 and one H7? Sounds perfect as I should have a couple of each in PIAA Ultra Brights kicking around the shop!

I believe it actually takes an H3 and an H7.

Oh right, derp. I meant H3. Thanks!

*Edit: One nice thing about the 2013's is they come with the Euro headlight switch. Oh, and the accessory lights KTM put on it are dimmable for traffic (not on the fly though)

I was hoping it wasn't the person you were waiting to hear back from , but that being said this is their super busy time of year and trust me when I say people from all over North America will be sending their stuff to him for revalving and suspension work.

If you were a little closer I'd offer up my 990R for a test drive just to see the quality of the end result.

Either way you are only 6 hours away and I'm sure our Adventures will cross paths sooner than later.

You can also call Geoff at GP Moto in Kamloops as they will instal all of Riders Edges stuff and he does all of my bikes in conjunction with Ian. Two suspension gurus for sure. But like I said the problem with being good is you are in high demand.

Seeing you are in Albania and I'm off for a week and know both of these people let me know if I can do anything middle man wise to help a brother out.

Thanks man! Short of having an 'S' or 'R' setup ie. 245-265mm travel forks and shock in stock and ready to ship, I don't think there's much to be done. I could always find a home for the stockers or even put them up on fleabay/flea market. I thought the 990's came with a bit beefier innards in the suspension, but I'm reading so much about how soft it is and that will just not do for 50% of the riding I intend to put it through. It will get airborn, it will see fast whoops and a fair amount of high speed loose stuff. I intend to stretch it's legs in Mojave, the Navajo Desert and also possibly Baja... I know a few really good spots down that way and man... I been watching the 2003 Dakar on YouTube too much and I get goose pimples thinking about 90-100mph on some flatter sections!

I don't have another bike in the garage at the moment so I'm pretty sure I won't be able to let go of the suspension unless I buy something (which is entirely possible... 500EXC dualsport comes to mind) or ride out to BC and have it done while I kick around town for a day or two (or pester the shop guys for knowledge) as my time home is just too damn short. I need more holidays dammit! I see it as banking time to take off in 2 years when the market tanks again though, LOL!!!

Dude... If I'm in Canada I am ALWAYS in for a ride. I have tire chains even. 6 hours is a nice morning ride, And yes, I hope I cross the paths of many OC'rs as this forum and the people in it are freaking fantastic... So much information!!! It might even be worth a trip out if I can get a hold of someone out there that would either book me in for a bit of an extra fee and possibly let me take part/watch the suspension build. It's one of those few things I never learned much about as I've always had older bikes with crummy right-side-up forks (except my sport bikes and the coppers always take those away from me, go figure!). Maybe I'll start making some calls and see what I can line up after June 1rst...

Seriously, thanks man! If there's anything I'll let you know!

Today's smile brought to you by a KLR and a man who refuses to act his age. This even made me laugh while I was taking it so I apologize for the blur... I was glad to see he didn't blow his fork seals out doing this though as we were still a long way from home... LMAO!

Ok... My Google skills are pretty epic, but I'm having a hard time locating switches for a top clamp, or at least having troubles finding exactly what I need... Looking to put an HDB top clamp on with some accessory switches (hand grip warmer toggle, on/off for a few things, etc).



I'm in Canada so Acklands or Gregg's "should" have these, but does anyone have an actual part number or a know a decent supplier in Canada/USA that I can order through? Sometimes looking through a book with the guy at the counter is painful and if I can source these now I'll be happy as they can be waiting for me to tear the whole front end of the bike off and wire everything in when I do so. :) I'm only looking for push-button type, 2-position, silicone or neoprene boot. I don't think I need a second 12V power outlet as I usually only use that to charge my phone or tablet when parked up. I'll probably be wiring in a second fusebox under the seat to take care of any electrical needs that arise. Easier to wire things down there than up front and easier to access too. Plus, if I end up putting a pre-filter on (not sure if I will, but maybe if I find myself traveling south often to find dusty deserts).

Cheers!

Wait a second, those are replacement top clamps that allow me to add switches and accessory ports? Wow, that is exactly what I want instead of cutting into my new bike's plastic bits. I went on the HDB website but I can't figure out which clamp I need if I plan to use the stock KTM handlebar and want to add switches. Can you help me figure that out?

Thanks - and by the way, I will research waterproof switches; two or three position, momentary, etc. once I know what size the hole bores are in this clamp but in the meantime, you may want to check with someone like gpscity.ca or similar if they carry marine application switches. There is a store called Radioworld in Toronto that caters to the marine and survival crowd so they may have switches like what you've described. Maybe even Bass Pro World, etc...

Stock ones are 90x38/40, but I won't have stocks. I think mine will be 109, just waiting an email back about the spacing. When I find out I'll post it up. GPSCentral.ca might have what I need so I might be able to get what I need there. Also, anything listed under adv or fat bars will work with the stock clamps. :) I'll poke around some and post when I get back to my laptop... I hate typing on my phone, hahaha!