My KTM 950 Story....lots of pics!

. Life savers

Twins are pretty cool....i know...I am one new 700\750 double banger hopefully next year

Hi Pyn,

In this post you write that you can re-use the old housing and just renew the spring and the piston, because it's the quickest option. You're absolutely right, but now i'm tryin that, i see the problem is that the piston is to long, because it hits the engine-carter. So it can't come out with the pressurepump-housing in place. The only way the renew the piston is in my opinion to take the pressurepump-housing off, so you can renew the piston and spring. The only thing is..i saw you wrote it's pretty tricky. That said, isn't it so that there are actually two real options: option 1 (quick). only renew the spring and leave everything in place and 2 (slow).re-new everything, housing, piston and spring.

Just wondering what you're opinion is about this and what is the best option to go for. My 2004 950 adv. (13.000miles) also has a mean rattle and i'm leaving soon to Africa for three months, so the problem has to be solved by then.

Thanks. Wouter

Hi, you can unscrew the housing from the clutch cover side, remove it and replace piston and spring and then re-install the housing from the clutch cover side. Weird that you cannot get the piston out though. Hope this helps. The pump on the other side of the casing (inside the gearbox) will be unsupported when you remove the bolts but it does have some dowel pins holding it in position so it shouldn't go anywhere.

Hope this helps. It might also be worth replacing your cam chain tensioners also.

Pyn

Thanks for your quick reply.

If everything is ok, the cam chain tensioners are already replaced 1000miles ago (just like the waterpump), under garanty since i bought the KTM second hand at a KTM-dealer in the Netherlands. The garanty is now off and i'll have to be able to do those things in Africa myself, so i just began working on it. I've added al picture of the problem replacing the piston, and while surfing the web i saw that a few others had this problem also. So the only way is to remove the housing, and i think that i'll replace it also then to score a 100 points. Agree? Or really unneccesary?

The only thing that i'm still doubting about are the cam-chains itself, but in my opinion it's almost impossible that they wore out with this low milage.

Thanks. Wouter

You can replace the housing yes, better to do so in my opinion, new housing and new piston equals slick operation! No questions. Remember you are only fixing the pressure pump though, which is fine as this is the one that causes the issues!

You'll have to remove the clutch etc to get the housing off.

Big note! When you buy the housing, the piston and spring etc comes with it so don't buy both like I did and end us with spares! Parts manual does not show it coming as an assembly but it does.

Yo!

Thanks for the info. I've received all the parts today, so i'm going to install it this evening. Let's hope the housing doesn't fall into the gearbox;-)

Cheers! Wouter!

Pyndon,

Thanks, your remarks turned out to be very usefull! The new pressure-pump was a perfect fit. The circlip that holds the little gearwheel on the pressurepump died however, so i'll have to wait untill that part comes in. I only forget to check how smooth the gearwheel of the oilpump-housing was turning before the disassembly. I would describe the turning of the little gearwheel now as smooth, but with some pretty counterpressure. Would you say this is normal?

Best regards!

Mine was quite stiff when I installed the new housings, I think it is due to tolerances etc. I personally put some Graphogen (white metal bearing lube) on the shaft and bore of the housing to help lubricate it in the first instance, once the motor has been running it will settle in, as long as it's not too stiff of course. If you can turn it with just a small amount of 'friction' and there are no really tight spots then it'll be fine. If you don't have Graphogen, use a small amount of bearing grease to lube the shaft on the housing.

Hope this helps.

Pyn

Ok. Well...you can't turn the little sprocket with only one finger, but if you use two, you can turn it good and smooth. You even hear the "tsssss" sound of air compressing in the oilpump . Pretty stupid i didn't check that one in the beginning. I'll lube it and you hear from me. Ow...and if you would be travelling through The Netherlands, the beer will be cold

Thanks for reply on oil breather/balancer shaft seal.Seal did not look too bad [a la severino's] but it is a weird set up as shaft acts as the breather thru it's centre and with inertia it does seem that any oil getting up to airbox must come past that seal. Am I right?

Generally yes, unless you have bigger issues causing the engine to breath REALLY heavily, and then it blow it out anyway!

I put a one way valve in my breather pipe too, like the later 950's and 990's have. That and the seal did the trick!

Later models really dont have a one way valve. Just a aluminium block with a narrower channel in it. I think the one way valve was tried and gotten rid of really soon after that.
Do you have a picture of the valve you have installed?

No, it's the latest one though according to KTM.

Hi Lyndon,

Thanks for providing such a very detailed thread. It is huge to credit to you and a benefit to all others.

I am about to embark on preparation of 04 for a 2 year RTW trip. I was originally consisting replacing my old girl but like an old pair of jeans I know how she'll feel every time I go for a ride.

I plan strip the motor down for inspection as part of prep and replace bearings and like, she has a bit of a gearbox rumble in neutral with the clutch out plus the gear shift becomes very frim, loosens up and becomes firm after a big hit on my last trip so something may have come adrift somewhere in gear box.

Anyway to get to the point. From reading your post when you pulled your engine down much of wearable items were well within spec. Obviously to measure much of this requires some specialist equipment. Could you please provide a list of what special tools you think would be required? (dial indicators etc)

Also how well do you find that GPR exhaust holds to damage from rocks, logs etc up being swung down like that? I am thinking that is that way to go and adding rear tanks both sides.

Thanks heaps

Craig

Hi there, way to go......I would take my old girl around the world tomorrow, no worries! Well done having a go yourself. Be really meticulous though, you don't want to do a Steverino and have to do it four times before getting it right While your in there do everything that needs doing if you can afford it, it'll save you in the long run.

I can tell you straight away what the intermittent stiff gearshift is, it will be the small roller bushes on the shift fork that locates into the shift drum. One of these will be getting elongated, I've had to replace them before on other bikes that had the exact same symptoms. It'll only be one of them but get yourself three new ones regardless. While you are in there, replace the shift drum too, I've replaced a few broken ones from the earlier bikes, KTM replaced them with a stronger part, details are in here somewhere.

As for the tools, get yourself an engine repair manual, it tells you everything you need and you will need this to know all the specifications and wear limits etc. If you PM me your email address I will send you one, use the 990 engine repair manual as you will also them discover the other little bits and pieces that have changes over the years and you can decide if you want to upgrade those parts too. I'll send you both if you like.

You'll need KTM bearing presses to replace the white metal bearings (if you need to, although my guess is that they will be in spec). Also, if you have the older 04' engine and cases, you should check your base gasket surfaces for corrosion. Again, I have seen a few with this problem now. Again, details are in this thread. Get yourself a clutch holding tool too, it helps a lot.

Other than this you just need a good set of micrometers, dial bore gauges, feeler gauges (for ring gaps and valve clearances) and some plastigauge to check the rod bearing clearances.

It really does depend how many miles she's done how far you need to go into her. Dig out a list of all the tech service bulletins and double check that they are all done too, i.e. clutch bolts, boosters plate bolts, replacement of clutch push rod, flywheel bolts, flywheel lapping to crankshaft etc etc.

As for the GPR, I've had mine on for about 30,000 miles now and had no issues with rocks damaging it, or flattening it or anything. If you get it from www.adventure-spec.com they do a G-It bash plate to go with it (this is what I use) and it has an extra bit to protect the GPR. The silencer needed re-packing and re-riveting after 25K but I chose to replace it with an Akra and the collector pipe cracked so I had to get that welded. This is nothing worse than the standard system though, I had to get the rear header welded a couple of time on the standard system. I'm happy with it, it works and it looks good and best of all, it's gets all the heat away from under the seat!

Hope this helps, good luck with it and if your in the UK look me up!

Pyn

Your pics show that it not that much harder that my 450 motor - just more bits.

Yeah definitely going to do that. It will need need do 100,000km on our trip and I hope to keep the motor more or less in one piece over this time.

Yeah will be replacing the lot no point scrimping on such a small part. I saw the pics of the upgraded drum seems also see no point in scrimping on this - especially since I am serial gearbox abuser.

That would be beaut.

Yep I saw those. Cool didn't of the clutch holder (generally use a rattle gun :huh)

Probably a long way as per above I want to her to go a long way with out having to pull her to bits.

Will the Akra (or Wings) cans bolt straight up? That way I would only need the system and use one the wings pipes. I was looking at using the down swept as I want to have a fuel cell on each side. I have will have to see if Neduro will make me one for the RHS. I could put the Safari tanks on but I ride a KTM not a UTB.

It does heaps, and April next year I will be in the UK for the start of the trip.

No, you have to use a custom silencer as it used a 54mm slip-on, not a bolt on.

That's a standard size for many manufacturers, though, so I think you can find a replacement pipe if you need one.

Oh yeah, forgot about you guys. Most European manufacturers use 52mm and 60mm inlet size, manufacturers such as Akrapovic for example. Hence why you will not find an off the shelf Akrapovic to fit the GPR 54mm (or I could not anyway) hence a modification was required.

Only 54mm silencers I could find to slide straight on the GPR just did not cut the mustard in either the Pyndon aesthetics or durability departments "and for that reason.......I'm out" sprung to mind.

Ned you set the ball rolling with the injuries......did my Medial Collateral Ligament on my left knee on the CRF yesterday. Not good at all but at least I have some time of work to get some maintenance done of the bikes, having no knee does not stop the wrenches turning

Pyn