Sunday 16/12: Watch the races for free!!

**Squiggles** · 16th December 2007, 20:46

Originally Posted by klyong82

Errkk..... so you wanna do my cam-chain and tensioner?

screw that, your fault for buying a honda

I want to see what ktm guts look like, got a manual isaac?

**motorbyclist** · 16th December 2007, 21:23

Originally Posted by Squiggles

screw that, your fault for buying a honda

I want to see what ktm guts look like, got a manual isaac?

ktm guts either look like money and incessant problems, or money and constant maintenance.... i think this one is the former - easy way to tell will be the amount and size of metal filings in the oil

i do hope it isn't serious though; quite an investment to have imploding on you

shoulda bought a honda/yamaha

**klyong82** · 16th December 2007, 22:18

Originally Posted by Squiggles

screw that, your fault for buying a honda

I want to see what ktm guts look like, got a manual isaac?

Well you'll be seeing more honda's I kid you not.....now screw that.

**Squiggles** · 16th December 2007, 22:25

Originally Posted by lemans

I had a 00 520EXC and it was a great bike.
We found that it was best to done regular oil changes. (5-10 hours)
And by that I don't mean changing the filters as well. (30hrs because you are changing the oil and it's cleaner)

Their are like all bikes a few thing to keep an eye on.

A big AL left handed threaded nut on the crank right side can come loose if it has not been loctited properly.
You will hear it rattle if it comes loose and if you stop riding little damage will be done, an oil change would be mandatory and re tighten the nut and loctite it properly.

And there is on the earlier 520 a nut and bolt that is used to activate the de-com for the electric start, that could come loose.
I up graded mine to 03 spec's.
It was later replaced with a moulded stump on the cam sprocket.

You can use these bike on the road if you look after the oil.
The big thing is that they do not have a cush drive in the rear hub, so this is hard on the gear box and chain when you ride them on the road a lot.

food for thought

**Pumba** · 17th December 2007, 07:19

Originally Posted by Macstar

Can't put name to face Pumba- but hope to see you next year again. Maybe I should race a bucket too (might be cheaper...?!).

Doesnt supprise me, I lurk in the shaddows and go about my own buisness. And I only guessed as to who not long before your bin, when you pulled a stoppie comming into the pits, thought process was sort of like hey isint there a guy on KB with a 520 KTM trying to pull stoppies at the moment, (I retain the most usless knowedge in my head).

If you were round on saturday at about 2pm you might remember a bike and rider doing a head first dive into the grass right in front of the pits, that was me.

**Macstar** · 17th December 2007, 12:07

Originally Posted by Squiggles

food for thought

Cheers. If I can get my bike to the mechanic today I'm going to pull it apart in his workshop and under his supervision (an awesome mentor). From my description he reckons could be gearbox too (please please please).

Originally Posted by Pumba

Doesnt supprise me, I lurk in the shaddows and go about my own buisness. And I only guessed as to who not long before your bin, when you pulled a stoppie comming into the pits, thought process was sort of like hey isint there a guy on KB with a 520 KTM trying to pull stoppies at the moment, (I retain the most usless knowedge in my head).

If you were round on saturday at about 2pm you might remember a bike and rider doing a head first dive into the grass right in front of the pits, that was me.

Ha, nah I had gone by then unfort so missed your bin. Whilst I also suck at stoppies that thread came from another mate of mine.

Anyway, I'll be back

(with decent rubber, frame sliders and repaired mechanics!).

**klyong82** · 17th December 2007, 12:23

Originally Posted by Macstar

Cheers. If I can get my bike to the mechanic today I'm going to pull it apart in his workshop and under his supervision (an awesome mentor). From my description he reckons could be gearbox too (please please please).

Ha, nah I had gone by then unfort so missed your bin. Whilst I also suck at stoppies that thread came from another mate of mine.

Anyway, I'll be back

(with decent rubber, frame sliders and repaired mechanics!).

Is this the mechanic in Ponsonby? I wanna get some engine work done on my Fireblade and was wondering would he be able to have time to do it over the holiday....if you could query for me that would be nice..

**Pumba** · 17th December 2007, 15:49

Originally Posted by Macstar

Ha, nah I had gone by then unfort so missed your bin. Whilst I also suck at stoppies that thread came from another mate of mine.

Please note I never said it was a good stoppie, but a stoppie non the less it was

**Macstar** · 17th December 2007, 20:15

Took the engine out today and opened her up. You'd never guess what caused the damage / breakdown...

The previous owner had the cam chain and bearings, piston etc done in 2004 at Tony Rees Motorcycles in Whakatane (I'll be putting a name and shame up in the mechanical area of KB later).

However, two ball bearings had dropped out of the cam chain bearing ring and fallen into the bottom of the motor below the fly wheel, trapped in a guard where they must have sat for three years undisturbed. The mechanic from Tony Rees did not obviously attempt to retreive these ball bearings however and must have left them there (quite knowingly I may add, as he removed and replaced the aforementioned bearing).

Anyway, after that bin of mine the ball bearings must have obviously shifted and then entered the gear box (ripping teeth from 6th gear) and the crank shaft balance and other cogs that I don't even know their names but totalling about $700 worth. So now that she's opened up I guess I might as well do the piston, rings and a few other bits and pieces.

My mechanic is hooking me up but I think I'm still looking at around $1600 in total...

On the plus side, this is basically going to end up being a full engine rebuild for damn near half the price an outfit like AMPs would charge - (trying to make myself feel better).

Anyway, just goes to show eh? All that mechanic from Tony Reeds needed to do was remove the clutch cover (5 mins) and the ball bearings would have probably been sitting right there in plain sight. But he didn't.......... Fancy bolting an engine back together knowing that somewhere inside it two ball bearings could be floating around?

**deanohit** · 17th December 2007, 20:25

Bugger mate, thats bloody slack of the guy to do a half arsed job like that.

So she'll be running sweet when you get around to giving me a ride of it next year aye?!

**Macstar** · 17th December 2007, 20:29

Originally Posted by deanohit

Bugger mate, thats bloody slack of the guy to do a half arsed job like that.

So she'll be running sweet when you get around to giving me a ride of it next year aye?!

Could be running by the end of the week! But yeah, next year

**klyong82** · 17th December 2007, 20:53

Hey Macstar that is one expensive bike to repair bro.....imagine if you saved all that money and bought a CBR 929 road bike. Double the speed, double the looks and double the pleasure.

**Squiggles** · 17th December 2007, 21:00

cheap good condition crank shaft balancers on ebay, plus other bits.

**Macstar** · 17th December 2007, 22:12

Originally Posted by klyong82

Hey Macstar that is one expensive bike to repair bro.....imagine if you saved all that money and bought a CBR 929 road bike. Double the speed, double the looks and double the pleasure.

I know your comment was a semi-joke, so don't worry, this reply is not written angrily:

My only regret is not that I didn't spend that money on a nice sports bike, but that I didn't buy a newer motard that was already decked out. Sports bikes are sadly quite boring at legal speeds (well, after riding a motard around anyway).

I have NEVER had so much fun on a bike than what the KTM has brought me over the last couple of months. My track day fee was $10, and I binned and did virtually no damage to me or the bike. Sports bike track day is $100, a bin $2000? (Also you're going to probably be going twice as fast so if you do bin... ouch!).

So yeah, bummer that this particular bike has cost me a few bob, but man it has been worth it!

Originally Posted by Squiggles

cheap good condition crank shaft balancers on ebay, plus other bits.

Thanks mate. I think I'll just get all the parts new and at once from KTM here in NZ. They should be ordered tomorrow and delivered by Wednesday!!

I was keen on a the larger bore and piston kit from KTM World that would have increased her from 520-576cc, but that was $1000...

Money better spent on a new bike mid through next year.