525 Accessory reviews

[LC12JT]

Now that I've had a chance to put some miles on the 525 DS project bike, I thought I'd post some quick reviews of a few accessories that have been thrown on.

Corbin seat Without a doubt, my favorite mod. This alone has transformed the bike into one that you can spend all day on, grinnin' the entire time. It's definitely heavier than the stocker, but the noticeable difference in buttockular discomfort is more than worth the added weight. Highly recommended.

Baja Designs DS kit This mod isn't entirely necesssary, especially if you live in more lax states like Arizona and Colorado (where a bicycle horn and an extended arm will do). But it sure is nice to have. There have been a couple of times when the horn came in handy for signalling another rider. And it's nice to be able to keep both hands on the bars when signalling in traffic.

(Not sure what that emoticon was about, but the mood struck me.)

Baja Designs auxiliary tank I'm not entirely convinced about this mod. The extra 1.1 gallons is great, and it's compact fitment is hardly noticeable. But three things are bugging me: 1) It leaks ever so slightly 2) The kickstand hits the tank (hard) in the up position 3) My chain has left some slight rub marks. Got to keep an eye on that one.

Clarke desert tank Another outstanding mod. I love being able to immediately see exactly how much gas you have left. And the extra capacity is definitely a good idea. All of this in a nice, compact package that doesn't really feel much bigger than the stocker. My only gripe is that the kickstarter doesn't retract all the way because it comes in contact with the tank. But so far, that hasn't been a problem.

Dirt-bike-gear ballistic bags These things are great. The rear fender bag holds quite a bit and has external compression straps, which allows you to stuff an air pump or a jacket liner on top of the bag. Nice. I also have the number plate bag and the front fender bag. I only use these on longer rides, but they've done their duty well. Especially the number plate bag. It holds a lot of stuff is stays put -- even under hard riding.

Oil cooler I just ordered the unit from HT-Racing. So I'll post a full review about installation/operation once complete.

All of this stuff (and more) has really turned the 525 into a fun, fun, fun dual sport machine. Will I ride it to Baja and back? Absolutely not. Will I take it on pavement for an hour or so to get to some kick ass trails? You bet.

And for those concerned about affecting the off-road abililties of the bike after making these mods -- don't worry. It can still do all those amazing things that keep you smiling for days after the ride is over. For example:





For more info on the project bike, see DSAdventures

[Arch]

[barko1]

Where did you get the oil cooler?

[LC12JT]

Originally Posted by barko1

Where did you get the oil cooler?

The unit I ordered is from www.ht-racing.com.

[legion]

I think you're riding what I've been wanting

[John E Davies]

The Corbin seat is $269. Did you consider the Enduro Engioneering seat for half that, and if so, why did you choose the Corbin over the EE?

http://www.enduroeng.com/item.asp?It...&Placeholder=0

I definitely want a cushier seat for my 05 525 EXC, but I don't know if the Corbin is THAT much better than the EE.

Comments?

John Davies

[Will LC8]

You are ridding the machine of my dreams. I have a dual sported 250EXC two stroke that the tag expired and am debating on the hassle of getting it through inspection or buying a new 4 stroke EXC and tagging it. A hint for you guys that got a tag for my 2 stroke is that KTM makes street legal versions of there EXC for foreign markets so the certifacite of origin doesn't say "for offroad use only" as the jap bikes do so the dealer can slip the paper work through the DMV and get a tag with out the inspection when it new. But if your state is lax in inspections that info doesn't matter.

[LC12JT]

Originally Posted by John E Davies

The Corbin seat is $269. Did you consider the Enduro Engioneering seat for half that, and if so, why did you choose the Corbin over the EE?

Hey John.

I've not sat on the EE seat for any length of time, but a buddy with a 525 put one on his bike and wasn't raving about it. He said it was softer than the stock seat, but it didn't take long before monkey butt set in. It's no wider than the stock seat, which in my experience makes a huge difference.

Devin -- you reading this?

[Arch]

Easy EXC seat solution..

[Walker Sky Ranch]

I too have the HT-Racing Cooler and it is the answer for doing any distance on this bike at high speeds. I am curious why you did the clarke tank, to just see where your gas level was? The 525 MXC comes with the 3.1 Gal tank, and is a little hard to see where the level is..
But I am coming up with an idea to see the level at a glance and show exactly what the level is, the Team Honda guys gave me.. I will post photos later.
Here is a photo of my ride.

[leesbian]

Originally Posted by LC12JT

Now that I've had a chance to put some miles on the 525 DS project bike, I thought I'd post some quick reviews of a few accessories that have been thrown on.

Corbin seat Without a doubt, my favorite mod. This alone has transformed the bike into one that you can spend all day on, grinnin' the entire time. It's definitely heavier than the stocker, but the noticeable difference in buttockular discomfort is more than worth the added weight. Highly recommended.

Baja Designs DS kit This mod isn't entirely necesssary, especially if you live in more lax states like Arizona and Colorado (where a bicycle horn and an extended arm will do). But it sure is nice to have. There have been a couple of times when the horn came in handy for signalling another rider. And it's nice to be able to keep both hands on the bars when signalling in traffic.

(Not sure what that emoticon was about, but the mood struck me.)

Baja Designs auxiliary tank I'm not entirely convinced about this mod. The extra 1.1 gallons is great, and it's compact fitment is hardly noticeable. But three things are bugging me: 1) It leaks ever so slightly 2) The kickstand hits the tank (hard) in the up position 3) My chain has left some slight rub marks. Got to keep an eye on that one.

Clarke desert tank Another outstanding mod. I love being able to immediately see exactly how much gas you have left. And the extra capacity is definitely a good idea. All of this in a nice, compact package that doesn't really feel much bigger than the stocker. My only gripe is that the kickstarter doesn't retract all the way because it comes in contact with the tank. But so far, that hasn't been a problem.

Dirt-bike-gear ballistic bags These things are great. The rear fender bag holds quite a bit and has external compression straps, which allows you to stuff an air pump or a jacket liner on top of the bag. Nice. I also have the number plate bag and the front fender bag. I only use these on longer rides, but they've done their duty well. Especially the number plate bag. It holds a lot of stuff is stays put -- even under hard riding.

Oil cooler I just ordered the unit from HT-Racing. So I'll post a full review about installation/operation once complete.

All of this stuff (and more) has really turned the 525 into a fun, fun, fun dual sport machine. Will I ride it to Baja and back? Absolutely not. Will I take it on pavement for an hour or so to get to some kick ass trails? You bet.

You didn't add a steering damper?

[John E Davies]

I can comment on the Baja Designs aux tank. I ran one for several thousand miles and finally took it off and threw it in the trash. I had way too many problems with back feeding (if I wasn't paying attemtion to petcock management), loose upper mount bolt, cocking and tire rub at the slightest lay down on the left, chain rub and general "fussiness" It's a mod that you always seem to be tinkering with, and I consider that to be a bad thing for a back country bike.

The extra weight puts a lot of stress on the rear subframe and I wasn't happy with that, plus my heavy BRR tool bag. If you run it dry right away that helps, but jumps really stress the back of the bike when it's full.

I lost the upper (bracket to subframe) bolt 70 miles into the 2006 Dirty Face DS Ride and spent 20 minutes getting it put back together before I could continue. Fortunately the tank was empty when the bolt came out or it might have departed the bike completely. It's hard to keep the upper bolt tight - access is a little tricky and it must be loctited to stay in reliably.

It seemed like every time I went down lightly on the left I would have to reef hard on the tank to pull it away from the tire. Otherwise the knobs would chew on the inside during shock compression, and the chain would eat at the lower clearance cutout. Afrer jerking on the tank to align it, I would constantly worry that the upper bolt was going to loosen and fall out again.

The very first long ride I made with the new tank, I forgot and turned on both petcocks. Ten minutes later I realized my mistake and shut off the front petcock, but not before nearly a gallon of gas had gone out the rear cap vent and all over my now squeeky clean, oil-less chain.

These are simply not conducive to happy riding.

[flux_capacitor]

Originally Posted by leesbian

You didn't add a steering damper?

You're really working hard on this, aren't you?

[leesbian]

Originally Posted by flux_capacitor

You're really working hard on this, aren't you?

Measure twice, cut once

[Loadedagain]

how did you find this thread? it's like two years old doode!