Picked up a new 2005 KTM 640 Adventure (cost AUD $14,200 on the road) on the 4th of March thanks to this forum which I have been following for some months now. The choices: I checked out the XR650's, DR650, F650 Paris Dakar, KLR 650 and the KTM 640 Enduro. Only managed to score a ride on the KLR, no one else had a demo, the first time I braked nothing happened so I really grabbed a handful and the forks dived so severely that I nearly went over the handlebars and thought these forks and brakes need some work (it was my first ride on this class of bike and I had just stepped off an ST1100) it was fairly smooth and quiet compared to the Adv. Like many have said the Adv is the only bike that comes with all the good stuff right out of the box, expensive but still good value. Running in: I have now ridden 1,300 Kms and completed the 1st service at the dealer which I had included as part of the deal, with me allowed to watch, again based on the advice of someone on this forum, more on this later. The first tankful returned 21.4 Km/litre, the second 22.6 Km/litre and the third 21.5 Km/litre, mainly riding around town and the local hills, no dirt and I was keeping the revs under 5,500 rpm with the occasional burst above that when changing up through the gears. Fuel used Caltex 95 octane. First Impressions: The vibration and general noise level have improved since new though the standard muffler sounds like a car muffler with a leak. The seat is not that bad if you sit towards the rear part where it is broader and my other bike is an ST1100. It needs a fairing, a 1000 km day would be hard with the wind noise and just hanging on to the bars. Seal Savers: I got the dealer to fit Seal savers (cost AUD$13.95) as part of the pre-delivery, you can see them in the mudflap pics. Topbox: The first thing I did was fit a topbox as I use my bike every day and need somewhere to put my helmet, gloves and cable lock plus carry other stuff when the need arises. I picked the GIVI E33 (cost AUD$162), it came with a mounting pad and all the hardware required to bolt straight on to the standard Adv rack. It took about half an hour to mount and I would recommend it to anyone. It has one key which both locks the lid and the box to the mounting pad. I velcroed two 5mm thick dense foam mouse mats to the bottom to absorb some of the vibes Mudflap: The next mod was a mud flap as I ride in all weather conditions and I would rather not turn up at work covered in crap picked up off the road plus the motor stays a little cleaner. I used a document folder from the local stationary shop (cost AUD$2.32) and some M4 bolts cut to the exact size so they would not foul the tyre with nyloc nuts. Staintune Muffler: The original muffler had to go, experience with Staintune on previous bikes was better sound, power/torque and reduced fuel consumption so I had this fitted at the first service (cost AUD$520). Both of the mounting holes in the muffler had to be elongated and it bolts to the frame at the rear mounting point. The middle bracket does not get used. The original muffler weighed around 6Kg and the Staintune is probably around 3kg. The idle is smoother, it sounds good, you can actually hear each engine pulse instead of a waffling noise and pulls better from low revs. THe muffler is made of stainless steel and comes with an insert, I tried it without the insert and it was too loud so the insert went back in. Fuel consumption check still to come. Clear Film: I bought 2 meters of thick clear film and so far have applied three layers to the headlights (about 1mm thick in total) and one layer to the upper part of the forks. I plan to cover the tank front and lower with 2 or three layers as well. Fork Stop bolts: After having the bike for 3 days and 500 kms I noticed one of the bolts that stops the fork from turning too far to the right was missing and the left one was loose so I replaced these with 40mm bolts and two nuts the originals were 25mm so far they have not budged. Foot Brake Cam Bolt: The foot brake has a cam to adjust the height, the bolt holding this on was torqued too tight and when loosening it I could feel the hex rounding off so I replaced it with a bolt with a bigger hex socket. You can see the hex socket on the brake pedal as well does not look too healthy and I have not touched it. The muffler bolts were not much better, KTM need to look at the quality of their fastners. Air Box Bolts The bottom air box bolt spun when I tried to undo it, the mechanic used a rattle gun at the first service to jerk it loose. The pic shows some green stuff on the nut which looks like someone at the factory tried to fix the problem unsuccessfully. Right now its just done up not tightened at all. Any ideas on how this can be fixed. Chain Adjusting Bolt Have a look at the left chain adjuster the bolt is bent, the nut is at an angle and wobbles when turned, how did this happen? I also bought some male electrical connectors to fit the one on the dash http://www.powerletproducts.com/products/plugs_sockets.php And have ordered a set of alu panniers and rack from Munn Racing, its cheaper by AUD$600 to air freight from Texas than to buy locally in Perth. http://216.165.194.66/munnracing/hardparts/hardparts.cfm The 1st Service: I organised this as part of the deal, normally I would have done it myself. The mechanic was well meaning and experienced but had never worked on an Adv, he did not know there was a second oil filter behind the brake lever and he did not know you had to bleed the system, I showed him the owners manual. He then overfilled the oil according to the oil window though I only paid for 1.9 litres. Is there a way to drain the excess oil without having to repeat the complete oil change procedure. The oil used was Mobil 4T 20w50 a mineral oil, the manual states 10w50 synthetic, apparently they use Mobil oil in all their bikes including R1's (its a Yamaha/KTM dealership) and have not had any problems. With the valve clearances he said KTM had advised them to loosen the locknut, screw the adjuster in until it lightly bottomed then back it off between an 1/8 to 1/4 turn. 1/4 turn equates to .006" or .015mm. He did not use a feeler guage at all to check. Has anyone else heard of this being done. I plan to pull the bike apart at the first opportunity do an oil change and check everything again. Overall a great bike and I am learning and having fun.
Only realised that after I submitted, I will have to work something out, is there some way to use attachments.
Nice bike!! recently acquired an '04 model... and just had first service done too! My bike had been a demo unit (approx 300kms by dealer staff and punters) the machine was delivered to me with the rev counter not working? Huh! take off top fairing and reconnect plug and socket floating around... Hmmm. Steering lock wouldn't engage... so I adjusted lock stop bolts to allow pawl to lock properly in housing on steering head... Noticed High beam light was set cockeyed?.. couldn't get to the adjuster screw.. so take off fairing, unbolt lamp housing from frame and reset into proper position. Dealer suggested this may be done at the factory for us who drive on LHS of road? maybe.. dunno! But the light was illuminating the ground 2 metres to the left of the front wheel.... Hmmm - seems pre-delivery ain't what it use to be... even though you're spending $14K+ (AUD:) Ace machines though, like ridin a giraffe (Oh! must do a muffler too, so it farts like a lion)
Gorgeous motorcycle, great pictures. Hope you enjoy her as much as I'm going to enjoy mine. Quick question regarding the Staintune: what jetting changes did you make and how does she run through the rev band?
I had the same problem with the steering lock Have not checked the headlight alignment as yet as I don't ride much at night though a road test I read had the same problem At first I was intimidated by the height so I dropped the triple clamps 10mm and reduced the rear preload to 2mm from the standard 27mm. Now I have got used to the height and the bike has lost some of its newness I have raised the triple clamps back to standard and when I have time will pull the shock and add preload as well. After the first service on the ride home I noticed the bike was vibrating more than usual. Then I remembered the mechanic saying he had tightened the chain so I checked and it was too tight so I adjusted it to spec took it for a ride and the vibration levels were back to normal. A word of caution with the screw that adjusts the front brake lever it is a free play adjuster. Not realising this I tightened it one click too many leaving no free play (standard 3mm) this caused the pads to lightly put pressure on the discs causing them to heat up so when I braked hard they groaned/squealed. Its back to standard now and the squealing has stopped. All the previous bikes I have had had adjusters that simply moved the brake lever a few mm either way to allow for different size hand spans.
So far no changes at all to the carby Since fitting the muffler I have noticed it idles smoothly at about 1600/1700 rpm with the original muffler at the same rpm it idled roughly. It also pulls better between 3000 and 4000 rpm and is just rideable between 2000 and 3000 rpm before it was impossible under 3000 rpm and struggled between 3000 and 3500 rpm. Can't comment on anything above 5000 rpm with the original muffler as the bike was still in running in mode. I have seen longer mixture adjusting screws for other bikes is there something similar available for the adv? This bike also has something called a Secondary Air System (SAS) which appears to use a pump powered by a vacuum feed to inject air into the exhaust manifold. I think this helps burn unburnt hydrocarbons but I also think it contributes to all the back firing though this is not as bad with the new muffler. This is the pump This shows the vacuum feed which is a branch from the fuel pump feed into the back of the pump This shows the other end of the tube from the front of the pump where it enters the steering head, its the fresh air inlet, there is a filter in there somewhere I hope This shows the outlet where the air gets pumped into the exhaust manifold between the exhaust pipes, its the silver metal tube, I can't see how it is fitted or if it could be unscrewed. Has anyone had experience removing all this crap and the effect it has on the bike. Also any suggestions on jetting changes carby mods for this model. I disconnected the vacuum hose to the pump and rode for a couple of days, did not notice any difference so reconnected
KTM Panniers Fitted the KTM 41 litre panniers, had to enlarge a couple of holes and do a bit of pushing and shoving to get the rack on. The panniers are huge and stick out a fair way. Handguards The handguards especially on the right fouled the brake master cylinder and could not be rotated enough to protect my hand so I wedged a block of wood between the handguard and the master cylinder and heated it with a hair dryer and bent it back as well. SW-MOTECH sidestand The sidestand finally arrived, it was on back order for about a month. Well made and it took about 10 minutes to fit, two bolts. I was worried that it might foul the panniers but it does not, a perfect fit. Note the bracket on the Staintune muffler which allows the original rubber stop to be fitted which prevents the side panels from melting on the muffler. The KTM Akrapovic does not have this bracket.
Hi Chris, I to have just purchased a 05 640 Adventure, Dalby Moto helped me out. I have had some workdone on the bike before collection, heavier fork springs, Dyno tuned and jetted, SX muffler, high front guard fitted and a KTM tank bag. $13600 on road. Dalby Moto are reknown for there KTM's and I hope it is more professionally pre delivered than yours was. I am interested in the Side stand, I have been looking for one and found one for US$140. I see yours was US$100. Could you please confirm for me if this is the unit you ordered. Side Stand. Also, I cannot find your Pannier system. Could you please provide me with the link to your mounting rack. I found the boxes US$319, but no luck with the rack. Regards, Michael
Sound like you got a good deal on the bike though everything is cheaper in Queensland. Yes that is the sidestand I ordered. The panniers and rack are from Munn Racing, total cost including postage was AUD$1380. Order them one at a time and you wont pay GST either because each order will be less than AUD $500. Do a search by part number. http://216.165.194.66/munnracing/catalog/catalog.cfm <TABLE class=MsoNormalTable style="BACKGROUND: #ffcc00; WIDTH: 480pt" cellPadding=0 width=640 bgColor=#ffcc00 border=1><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #660000; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#660000>Item #<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #660000; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#660000>Description<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #660000; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#660000>Unit Price<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #660000; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#660000>Quantity<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #660000; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#660000>Subtotal<o></o> </TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99>58412020000<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99>SUITCASE CARRIER SYSTEM LC4<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99>$290.00<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99>1<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99>$290.00 <o></o> </TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99 colSpan=4>Suggested Retail Total <o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99>$290.00 <o></o> </TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: orange; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=orange colSpan=4>Your Munn Racing Total (15% Discount) <o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: orange; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=orange>$246.50 <o></o> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <TABLE class=MsoNormalTable style="BACKGROUND: #ffcc00; WIDTH: 480pt" cellPadding=0 width=640 bgColor=#ffcc00 border=1><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #660000; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#660000>Item #<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #660000; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#660000>Description<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #660000; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#660000>Unit Price<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #660000; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#660000>Quantity<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #660000; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#660000>Subtotal<o></o> </TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99>60012024100<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99>ALUMINUM CASE 41 LITER<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99>$319.00 <o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99>1<o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99>$319.00 <o></o> </TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99 colSpan=4>Suggested Retail Total <o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: #ffff99; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=#ffff99>$319.00 <o></o> </TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: orange; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=orange colSpan=4>Your Munn Racing Total (15% Discount) <o></o> </TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; BACKGROUND: orange; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt" bgColor=orange>$271.15 <o></o> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Thanks Chris, I will see how I go, the side stand is a definate option. I may do with the Gearscak panniers as i run them on my BMW GS special. Michael
G'day All, What is it with OzAdventureRiders at the moment?! I've just bought one of these beasties, too. Got the second of only two '05s available in NZ as official imports. Most years they've only brought in one. Here is a nice arty pic, courtesy of Dave Cohen: I'm surprised at how manageable this bike is, given that it is so tall in the saddle. I stalled it attempting a full-lock u-turn from a standing start, and was able to hold it up no problems because it is so light. She was leaning over a fair way at the time, though! So far mods are limited to headlight protection film; scuff-proof for the forward-facing surfaces (NZ has sharp volcanic chip roads that really hack into paintwork), the tank sides and possibly the sidecovers; progrip gel handgrips; heated grip liners and a KTM tank bag. I'm planning to run soft luggage only. I tried various tail bags, but the rack is too narrow at the rear to hold them stable. KTM-Sommer have lots of goodies including a larger rear rack plate, which would be useful with or without a tail bag. But perhaps it would be better not to have anything up the back of the seat obstructing you while attempting to bail off the thing! I've investigated the lowering links to drop the rear by one or two inches, but so far it's OK. Riding in the rough might be a different matter. The low front guard could be a worry. I've had to rip the guard off my Dominator in the past because it was clogging up with clay; and it had no brake-line bridge. The KTM's arrangement would be a real problem. So it's highly likely I'll convert it to a high guard. Michael, do you know if Dalby Moto do the high front guard as a kit? The dealer offered the Akrapovic exhaust at "a good deal" but I shied away from it due to the excessive noise. I'd like to use this bike for poking around in remote areas where I could bump into conservation officers, farmers or even simply trampers, and would rather not have a very noisy exhaust which will get people off-side. However I like Staintune's products so that could be a good compromise. That's about it for now.
G'day Chris, Repco (and no doubt other car accessory shops) sell a much thicker type of protective film designed for headlights, looks about 2mm thick. Per square metre it's much more expensive, but it's probably the same volume of plastic! I'm told the normal stuff can't hack the heat generated by the lights and goes yellow over time. Have you had any success with it? Correct, it helps the bike meet the "Euro 2" emissions standard. The sales manager where I shopped has an earlier model 640 Adventure. He's left the pipe in place because it is difficult to remove but blanked it off and removed all the other paraphernalia. KTM-Sommer sell a blanking kit for next to nothing. I don't know if there is a performance effect, but some websites suggest blanking it off when fitting a performance exhaust. It could be that it makes it more difficult to get the jetting correct or something. My Honda Dominator had one of these things. Many people removed it and screwed a bolt into the head where the pipe attaches. From memory, TK did this to the SideTrack Domi. Hope this helps.
Desmonc, I have those "KTM" panniers (by Touratech) on my LC4e too. However, I put the 41 liter on the right and the 35 liter on the left so, with the muffler, they would both stick out the same distance. Your pic looks like the 41 is on the left. 'munkie