525 EXC - Ultimate Dual-Sport?

[garry]

I've been daydreaming about possible stable migrations and the street-legal 525 EXC is on the radar screen. 250 pounds without gas! Good suspension. Big ass tank available (25L). Not a cheap date though ($8K+). Can anyone offer some insights into this model, or the nearly identical 450 for use as a dual-sport (50/50 road/dirt usage)? Does KTM offer 17" wheels to easily convert it to a toy for the track? That would rock. Primarily dual-sport, but with a  quick wheel swap be ripping it up in the really tight twisties or track days. I could consider trading the Ninja bike for something like that...

[Guy]

Garry, don't look now, but I think you are turning into a bike whore.  

[garry]

The days of sex, drugs and rock-n-roll are becoming a distant memory. Feeling a lot like that Bruce Springsteen song, "Glory Days". So I guess I have room on my "vices" list for being a bike whore   There's of room on the "vice" list. Beer Geek is getting lonely on the list all by itself  

A 525 EXC with an extra set of supermotard wheels and a Buell Ulysses (or a Multistrada) would be an awesome combo. That would cover everything except eating big miles on superslab which I hate with a passion.

[R.Markus]

Ultimate dual sport? Yes it is.

If I were to go out tomorrow and buy a motorcycle, that would be the one...even if it was going to be my only bike.

I know a guy that rides dual sport exclusively and I would consider him an expert rider. He owns a lot of big DS bikes and just bought the 525. He says it is terrifyingly fast...this coming from him is kind of scary.

KTM makes 17" wheels and any other part you would need for an SM conversion for the 525 and most other dirt bikes of theirs, including a cush hub...so that won't be a problem for you.

[kurtw]

Yeah, no more messing with dualsport kits and DMV required to have a real dirtbike road legal

A friend just got one of these and loves it. However, he found that the suspension, while still high quality, was set up as a compromise between street and dirt, which wasn't what he wanted. It took several rounds of experimentation to get it properly set up for the desert riding he uses it for.

[Red01]

One of my co-workers bought one - and the official KTM Supermoto kit for it. Had to wait a couple of weeks for all the SM parts to come in, but he LOVES it. It replaced a Yamaha WR426 he had that had a street kit on it, but the street legality of his 426 turned out to not be renewable last year, so this was a major factor in the KTM purchase. He says the KTM is a MUCH better bike in every way.

[PackMule]

Garry,

Just be aware that if you're coming from a purely street background (I don't know whether you are or not), you're going to find the maintainence intervals on a dirtbike (the RFK KTM motors included) shocking.  Remember, these bikes typically only hold on the order of 1.5 quarts of oil.  On ADVrider and KTMtalk, I've read people say that they can push out the oil change interval to 500 miles when mixing street with dirt!!    Just take that into account when you're considering how many miles you plan to put on the bike.

Basically, the street legal EXC's are just meant to connect trails.  

[XLR8]

Garry,

Just be aware that if you're coming from a purely street background (I don't know whether you are or not), you're going to find the maintainence intervals on a dirtbike (the RFK KTM motors included) shocking.  Remember, these bikes typically only hold on the order of 1.5 quarts of oil.  On ADVrider and KTMtalk, I've read people say that they can push out the oil change interval to 500 miles when mixing street with dirt!!    Just take that into account when you're considering how many miles you plan to put on the bike.

Basically, the street legal EXC's are just meant to connect trails.  

Everything I've read is that these bikes are not (in stock form) made for any type of long term pavement duty. There's an interesting thread over on Advrider about this same topic and most guys are trying to increase oil capacity.

I love that bike though.

[blakebird]

They're not made for it, but they will survive it nicely. I had a 520 MXC with a Trick dual sport kit, and it was ok on the street, but the close ratio MXC box wasn't ideal for many road miles. I kept it geared for woods riding and slickrock. Lack of a cush drive concerns some, doesn't phase others. I never gave it any thought at all, just kept the bike set up correctly.

A buddy and I just returned from 1100 miles in Mexico.

I rode my '96 XR400R and Shaun rode his new 525 EXC, dualsported with KTM parts (an 06, not a 50-state legal-from-factory 07)



We rode from El Paso thru Nuevo Casas Grande, San Buenaventura, Creel to Batopilas....and back from last Friday to Tuesday. Not a whimper from either bike. Keep the chain loose enough, etc...anyone with many years of dirtbiking that knows how to set up a bike properly will have no problem getting the drivetrain to last. The RFS motor holds 1.2 liters of oil, many add the HT cooler that doubles the capacity. Change it and the two filters, clean the screens....they last. My 520 was sold 2.5 yrs ago, and is still running strong. The guy that bought it is nowhere near the maintenace freak I am either.

There was an R1200GS and a 950 Adventure with us. They had the advantage on the road, but we had it bigtime in Batopilas Canyon

[XLR8]

Damn damn damn that road has me salivating. Or is it the pizza in the oven.  

[R.Markus]

Damn damn damn that road has me salivating. Or is it the pizza in the oven.  

It's the road.  

[dgunther]

I'd buy one in a heartbeat (almost traded my MZ for one), but I'd have to get it 85 miles up some high-speed 4 lane highways (75-80 mph) to get it anywhere worth riding.  

I didn't figure the tiny oil capacity, lack of cush drive, and low gearing would like that very much and I didn't like the idea of having to trailer it.

While not fun, I could probably stand that journey on an LC4E or a 640 Adventure (if I could find one!) and they would probably hold up a lot better to the highway miles, but they're big, heavy bikes compared to the 525.

[ridetherejk]

Please forgive me for my stupidity, but what is cush drive? Have never heard of it until now.

[kurtw]

Please forgive me for my stupidity, but what is cush drive? Have never heard of it until now.

Rubber torque dampers isolating the sprocket from the hub. Street bikes have them to protect the transmission. Dirt bikes dont generally need them since the traction isn't usually perfect and knobbies do some damping of the forces anyway when it is.

[ridetherejk]

Thanks kurtw, now I know EVERYTHING!