KTM 520 EXC 2002 anybody ride one ?

[TgaAdv]

Yeah its just getting one is the hard bit - not too many of those around ( GasGas) - do you know of any for sale ?

[CRM]

Yeah its just getting one is the hard bit - not too many of those around ( GasGas) - do you know of any for sale ?

There's one on trademe at the moment that looks good. They want $4500 which is reasonable - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo....htm?key=25170. There's another one in the South Island on Trademe for $3995 but it's not road registered. That one has been there for months - not sure what's wrong with it.

[TgaAdv]

just spotted a road legal 2001 XR400 at a dealer for 5995 - is that a good price - pretty low kms ? do these have the button ?

[clint640]

No button on the XR400 sorry. $6K seems a bit steep, you'd get a similar age good cond DR650 for that.

Cheers
Clint

[TgaAdv]

OK. are the KTM640s more off road capable then the DR650s ? which model 640 have you got - enduro ? is there an enduro and a supermoto ?

Thanks

[clint640]

The KTM 640 comes in 3 flavours: Supermoto, Adventure (windscreen & huge tank) & the Enduro that I have. There is also the similar but lighter & more dirt focussed 625SXC which has the same motor with a flatslide carb, & smaller tank & taller suspension.

The Enduro is a little lighter than a DR650 & has way better suspension which makes it heaps nicer off road. It also has more power but is otherwise built to do much the same stuff as a DR650.

It is still pretty heavy compared to the likes of a CRF450/520EXC, but the flipside of that is motor maintenance at 50000 km intervals instead of 50 hr intervals & the ability to go touring for 500km per day with all your camping gear on the back without suffering arse or subframe failure.

Cheers
Clint

[Crisis management]

Man, this thread is back at it's beginning now.....

As Clint said, the 640 is a far superior bike to the DR and given the choice I would replace my DR with a 640; more power, better handling and free vibrations, what more could you want?

[twotyred]

... and given the choice I would replace my DR with a 640; more power, better handling and free vibrations, what more could you want?

What?..you don't have to pay extra for the vibrations!?? nice!

[TgaAdv]

Just ordered some Kenda K760 trackmaster tyres for the XT400e so looking forward to seeing what theyre like ( do i need new tubes as well ? ) - pretty mean looking tread for a rd legal. So guess ill have to just take it easier on the seal and keep the speed down a bit - that will keep me happy while im trying to sort out which bike i want to get and how to pay for it .

In saying that though the Xt is really growing on me. Im starting to fang it quite a bit on gravel roads and getting the back out a bit which is really cool fun! ( finding myself having to regrip with throttle hand so i can open it up more ). Kinda have your heart in your mouth going around those tight corners waiting for a subaru to appear though - lol - guess it comes with the territory.
And i know its gonna start after ive stopped for a break. Reliability is a good thing.
But I still wince when i see a mud puddle up ahead and wonder if im gonna get through or if that top heaviness is gonna send me and the bike toppling over. I hope the extra front end traction with the K760s will help with that. Previously with the bridgestone trailwings it was like driving a supermarket trolley through the mud - the front would slide around and the back would just spin up bigtime. But maybe i just need more practice as only been douing this sort of riding about 3 months. (previous bike TDR250 way cool fun). Any tips on riding through boggy mud patches ?? 4wd tracks can be a b%*ch to ride through.

Still think about the KTM525 03 a lot !

Man the old friday night drunken rant never written so much - !! better go have another beer.

[NordieBoy]

JBut maybe i just need more practice as only been douing this sort of riding about 3 months. (previous bike TDR250 way cool fun).

Now that's an adventure bike

[Motu]

The K760's are a good tyre,definitely on the aggressive side street legal knobs.You can get some good lean angles with them,but need to be gentle,any brake or throttle action will get them loose.I find they tend to ''walk'' out when on those big lean angles,going from one knob to the next.

The XT400/600 is on the heavy side,and that's what's causing it to slither around in the mud,especially when you come into those mud puddles the 4x4's leave.The 400 has the disadvantage of not having enough power for weight transfer.But they are excellent in gravel,I rode my 400 faster and harder than I can the 600 - the lack of wheelspin means you can keep the power on longer and just keep the road speed up.Point to point I'd say the 400 was faster,and I rode harder and faster too.The 600 is all about controlling wheelspin and slowing down for corners.....remove that part and you can really start to move.I love underpowered bikes on gravel.

[marks]

I love underpowered bikes on gravel.

would you count the DT230 as underpowered? (BTW have you got yours back together yet?)

[Motu]

Oh yeah...well I like riding over powered bikes on gravel too!! Just bit by bit - today I fitted the piston,barrel and head....maybe I'll fit it into the frame next week or so.

The DT230 was skittery on seal with the K760's....I don't think it had enough weight to make them bite,it just felt greasy all the time,opposite to the XT600.I don't think they worked that well on gravel either....I've had more bite out of less aggressive tyres on the DT230.But of course they make up for it off road.

[TgaAdv]

yep TDR250 one of a kind - good for getting tickets on - who me ? - i think the japanese go off roading on them. Wouldnt mind getting one of those again one day before 2 strokes get outlawed.
I remember my first test ride on one from a bike shop - the guy said "have you ridden a two stroke before" and i said yep (but that one only had one piston - KDX 200) - i thought the thing was dying a slow death , just didnt have any power , farting and coughing along - so i found a straight bit of road and thought right somethings gotta give here so i wound the throttle and watched the tacho go past 6 grand and then my head just flipped back and the front wheel came off the ground - man i was so close to dropping it . The rush of power just made me smile from ear to ear and within 2 months i had one in my garage.

Anyway back to the topic at hand. Wanted to try out the K760s to open up my options a bit and there are a few trails ive spotted which are pretty much down to the clay and you wouldnt really want to go down them unless you had an agressive tyre on. Agree the 400cc seems to be the perfect size for fanging on gravel without too much effort.

Looking forward to getting out there and testing the K760s on the 4wd tracks and muddy single track on the 400. I think a lighter bike would be necessary for getting through those 4wd tracks though or trying to ride around them on the tiny walking tracks which would probably end in disaster anyway - might fit a winch (not!)

[TgaAdv]

anyone close to tauranga got a KTM640 theyd let me try out ??? or a DR650 dealers arent too keen because i havent got my full yet but will have in a months time.