You scoot's looking Good! I'm on my 5th? KTM since '79, Great bikes. Keep an eye on those subframe bolts, little buggers like to work loose. If you have any play in your shock to swingarm, your heim joint is probibly shot. I've found they usually last about 2 years if the bike's ridden every weekend. The OEM joint's not too hard to replace, but this one's easier and comes with a zerk. Available here.. http://www.shop.synergyseals.com/product.sc?productId=36&categoryId=3 I'm 6'2", tried the Fastway footpegs in the lower position, had a hard time adjusting my brake lever to match- my SIDI boots might have had something to do with it. Went back to the stockers, all good again. If you'd like to try the Fastways, shoot me a pm- I'll drop'm in the big brown truck, N/C.. As far as bikes that sorely need a makeover..My KTM can barely stand being in the same garage..
That's a very kind offer on the Fastways - thanks! I had them on other bikes - nice platform. But, I'm not displeased with the stockers on the KTM. I know the Fastways would get me a little closer to the bars when standing, but I worry about the levers and especially clearance. Another rider and I noted that were our pegs any lower we would have been scraping rocks in some high and narrow sections on Porterfield Trail in Upper Michigan. As you know, being tall we learn to compensate. It may translate into what looks like poor technique, but bikes aren't designed for 6-2 and up guys. Anything we do to them is a band aide anyway. As we all know, some band-aides are better than others. I'm keeping an eye on the swingarm bushing. I inspected it and it looks good so far. This winter I'll end up doing a whole bunch of other stuff such as those zerked bushings. edit - that 'Berg looks like it has a lot of 07 exc parts on it! Did they wrap the exhaust left just to be different, or does it work better over there?
Everything's bassakwards on the Berg- chain, clutch, exhaust, kickstarter, etc. The Bergs share allot of the same parts with the KTMs- suspension, wheels, brakes, plastic bits and such. The thing it doesn't share is the weight. It's actually easier to work on than the RFS, more room to get your hamfisted mitts in. As far as bars go, The Orange 300 in my orig pic has Renthal "Carmichael High" bend, the white 355 has Trailtech "X" bars. I like them both about the same, nice & tall with minimal pullback.
Funny you should mention the Fastways...I was just singing their praises yesterday, that huge platform saved my ass on more than one occasion, and being 6'3" with a size 14 foot I love the extra room. Had to put a larger brake pedal on though. Love those white plastics....been thinking about changing for a while now.
There supposedly is Scotts "dirtbike" damper that will only damp on turn and not return. I'm puzzled with that feature. How can a mechanical/hydraulic device tell whether your left bar end is in "return" or your right bar end is in "turn"? I dunno... What I know? You can adjust a Scotts to the radius where the damper is active in the lock-to-lock bar turn. It can be a narrow radius, say 10 degrees right/left of center, all the way to damping in the full lock-to-lock range. See page 8 of this manual: http://www.scottsperformance.com/litrack/257.pdf One added benefit of the Scotts I really like is a high speed damping circuit. The high speed damping is still 100% active when you have the manual/low-speed damping adjustment set at full loose. (see pg 6 of the manual above.) In other words, if you're running the adjuster all the way loose and you whack that rock or root, the high speed damping will keep the bars from getting ripped out of your hands. Scotts FTW!
Lighter throttle spring for wimpy wrists I ditched the return cable already. Not good enough. I like a light throttle action. The Tokyo Mods spring (on right) helps a lot. A G2 cam throttle tube will probably help even more.
Very good info! I just bought a 2007 KTM 525 EXC with 1200 miles on it. Went riding and found out it's geared too low for my taste. I couldn't even go 70mph without the motor whining so I kept it at 55mph. Good for trails though. Going to gear it higher with a 14/48 or a 15/46. Any recommendation of what type of motor oil to use? I am new to owning a KTM. I've had Husqvarna and Honda in the past. Any advice sure would be helpful! Also looking for a good rear rack as well. I saw the one on this thread so I emailed them. I hope they reply. Colin
I prefer 14/48 for a good overall gearing ratio. 14/48 is actually the stock gearing for 520/525's prior to 2007. It cruises nicely at higher speeds however it is a little tall for the tightest single-track but the Revloc auto clutch easily compensates for that. The auto clutch actually makes 1st gear a very useable gear unlike the useless super low granny gear in the low geared bikes. I suspect that 15/46 would too high for most any kind of riding.