Hitchcock Industries out of Englewood. He has done 4 or 5 of my bikes, makes a big difference. My 500 use to glance off rocks pretty bad, night and day difference after revalve.
So I just finished installing my tank from Clockwork KTM, which they installed the pump in. I rode the bike about 2 miles last night and everything seemed to be fine. Today I came home and it won't start, I changed the in line fuel filter thinking it might be clogged and it still won't start. Any other ideas?
I can hear the fuel pump running even while I'm cranking it. Lines aren't kinked, fuses good and can't see any fuel leaks in the tank either. Not sure what to try next.
I thought that sounded funny when you mentioned it in South Fork. Are you sure you had the loaner bike MPG correct?
Post on other thread regarding a miss-sized clamp within the tank on a clockwork unit that would not allow full pressure to build up. :huh
Hey Ned, I wondering if KTM has addressed some of the obvious deficiencies that plagued the RFS bikes. For example, unsealed Molex electrical connectors, butter soft wheel spacers, frequent water pump seal failures, hydraulic clutch slave cylinder leaking.....etc. I know they're completely different bikes but I'm hoping they had a shift in their design philosophy to include "Ready to Race" and "Ready for BFE." Please keep us posted on the non-consumables that wear out or fail, especially after you've battle tested it.
Seriously? I have owned an 07 KTM XCF-W 250, a 10 EXC 530, an 11 XC-W 300 and I now own a 13 XC-W 500 and I have never had any issues with those items.
I'm a fan if Neil's, but honestly, the stock suspension settings are so good, that I believe any revalve is a tradeoff that will make the bike worse in one direction or another. It might be worth it, depending on how you ride your bike (and where)... but the days of a mandatory revalve are gone, and every KTM I've revalved since 2009 was, on balance, a worse tradeoff after the revalve than it was stock (even though I got what I asked for). Better small bump sensitivity generally equals worse bottoming resistance, as an example of tradeoff- so it might be better in rocky/ rooty trails but no longer be as graceful over whoops. 100% sure. I put 1.4 gallons in after 80 miles in the 450. I called KTM of Aspen, my dealer, about this, and he was surprised as I am. We agreed to let the bike break in fully before worrying about it, if the bad mileage continues we'll look at what map is in it. I could get a 500 (450's were gone) was the big reason! I loved the 450, and I felt able to be really aggressive with it. The 500 is a little more intimidating, but it doesn't push on thru corners like big bores sometimes do, and it pulls so well I'm willing to bet I'll be just as fast with some time on it. My new joke is that "you have to be in the right gear on the 500, it's just that there are 3 right gears at any given speed".
I'm a little unclear on what you mean. RFS bikes were many generations of engine design ago. Most of the issues you mention were solved years ago, and there's certainly no relationship in engine architecture re: water pumps, etc. I will say, I think the new engines since RFS days are getting more and more durable. The RFS valves always moved for me, new bikes seem immune to that. I raced Dakar on a stock engine 450 XCW (carbed XC4, subsequent design to RFS) and it held up perfectly. I did have a leaky clutch master on Day 12, I find it hard to hold that shortcoming against the bike. In fact, I'm still riding that clutch master (with a new seal) and that engine in my trailbike.
They do alright, but they build heat faster due to weight. So, you need a very tight fitting mousse, very well lubed, to have much durability. The best mousse for the rear 908 on a 2.5 rim is a Michelin 140-80/90-18 DESERT mousse, which is different than the other 140s they have. It is the only mousse I've ever installed that I would describe as a true challenge without a mousse changer.
I really agree on the suspension and revalving,my stock 2011 works better suspension wise then any KTM Ive tried,ever. I weigh 185 so Im about the right weight for the stock springs ,I think. It just works smooth,singletrack or fast rough fireroad it tracks and makes bumps disappear. I think the suspension works so well it makes the bike feel lighter on gnarly trails,it isnt bobbing and weaving around,rarely bottoms,it just works. Then I go a little faster and it works better,I wouldnt mess with it.
They can last for awhile on a big dual purpose-ish bike like a 990? Speed and weight have always seemed like the enemy of the mousse inserts.
Thanks, with this being said would you recommend them for a big bike for daily use, no interstate, lots of gravel, lots of pavement?