KTM 500 exc

Cultusking

Cultusking

New member
Ok so I sold my 09 Yamaha WR450 as it wasnt street legal and am looking at the options that are few and far between. I guess this has been asked a million times and we do know all bikes have problems (although as long as any WR doesnt get hot they last for a very long time) but I am left with not many choices.
DRZ400.......heavy and I would need to spend nearly $2k to get it just to have reasonable power........and then likely be un-reliable. WR250 street legal........no, not enough power been there dont that when I was just getting back into riding.
KTM 500 exc, lots of early problems however they amount to the lean condition and fuel blockages more than anything else. Premium everything else, loads of power and maybe just send off the throttle body for the richening mod? they also have a warranty for 6 months......5 months more than Yamaha..Hmm
I dont want to be an idiot about this but we have some decent rides planned where I need street legal and want something that has power/ low weight.
Am I just doomed if I buy the 500? being towed out of nowhere is shitty for everyone like towing my buddies CRF450 (street legal in Oz) so often we suggested he not even bring it. The early 450 exc always overheated on hot days and tight trails but the 500 is ready with cooling fan/fans...maybe install 2 more might help??
And sorry no offence to the KTM but I have had 3 Yamaha WR's and had 0 problems, each owned for 3 years and the 250 steel frame with massive hours and nothing but airfilter and oil changes, and the 450's same deal (but less hours)
Yamaha is rumoured to be releasing a street legal 450 to go against the KTM this summer...........but will they really? maybe they will install a steel tank on it!
Im ok with more maintenance on the KTM....so long as it doesnt let me down. Genuine input appreciated
 
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mike_123

Member
this thread should get some mixed views
after owning a ktm a yamaha and a drz ive made my own opinion as to what works best for me
admittedly its been a costly lesson but i do enjoy new toys every now and then
the drz is the one ive kept the longest and im still enjoying it
it is heavier in the trails but i dont seem to have any issues throwing it around
as for power i know guys on 250s that easily outride others on bigger bikes so the no power issue seem somewhat irrelivent to me
myself i find it more fun to try and overide an underpowered bike then it is to let and over powered bike outride me
reliability is also a factor,and the drz has all kinds of that
 
Farp

Farp

Active member
Have you considered a Beta 400? I have one and they are awesome bikes. I think they are even better than the KTMs in the tight gnarly stuff but KTM has the edge in the faster more open stuff. KTMs come from a motocross background whereas Betas come from a trials background. I'd recommend the 400 because you get significantly cheaper ins. under 400cc and the bike has all the power you'll ever need.

John
 
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offworlder

Moderator
Should be able to find a used Beta 400/450 for cheap, and the 2009 and earlier use the bulletproof KTM RFS engine, while offering better ergos (IMO).
Talk to Bill @ 5th Gear - he's our local Beta expert, and a DSBC sponsor.
 
Cultusking

Cultusking

New member
Well I bit the orange bullet, havent ridden it yet, waiting on chain/sprockets, JD Tuner and LED/tailight/plate holder thing as the factory blinkers would last about 1 hour on the trails and thats if they didnt melt from the exhaust. And the other stuff needed for obvious reasons.
Emission stuff fell off when I pushed it in the shed pretty easy. Just need the 2 block off bolts.
I hear the new KTM's have come a long way with reliability even in the last few years so lets see how it goes, came with 6 months warranty so hope its not needed
 
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snackdaddy

New member
Welcome to the reluctant KTM owners club. I picked mine up last week and am in theprocess of getting her ready to ride. Looking through the catalogs that the dealer gave me I realized that KTMshares a lot in common with Harley Davidson…..if a product exists that they canslap their logo on and make money…they will do it. Enjoy the new ride!
 
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offworlder

Moderator
Cultusking said:
Well I bit the orange bullet, havent ridden it yet, waiting on chain/sprockets, JD Tuner and LED/tailight/plate holder thing as the factory blinkers would last about 1 hour on the trails and thats if they didnt melt from the exhaust. And the other stuff needed for obvious reasons.
Emission stuff fell off when I pushed it in the shed pretty easy. Just need the 2 block off bolts.
I hear the new KTM's have come a long way with reliability even in the last few years so lets see how it goes, came with 6 months warranty so hope its not needed
Click to expand...

So whatcha get ?
 
Cultusking

Cultusking

New member
Ok so rode it yesterday, 14-50 gearing is still a little high for the tight stuff on the KTM 500exc and I dont have the JD Tuner on it yet so its still running a little on the lean side popping a little sometimes. But handles great and loads of power right through the rpm's. Starts beautifully and feels very light.
My buddy bought the DRZ 400 a few days ago and we did the airbox mod and richened the jetting mid range and top end (needle and main) and made quite a difference to his bike.......so its great to have the direct comparison of the two machines as the DRZ400 was my second choice
 
Cultusking

Cultusking

New member
My Buddy on his DRZ is 14-51 which he said felt pretty right but was starting to rev fairly high at 100kph but the DRZ is only 5 speed. We are putting some decent tires on the DRZ for him tonight as the stockers are pretty much useless.
Ill need a bit more trail time on the KTM to see if the 14-50 will work in it, seems a little high but as the engina loosened up it idles higher so if turned down it may be ok
 
North

North

Active member
I have a 530 exc and find the 14 50 works great. Having the JD kit in and having the Bike tuned right makes a big difference.
 
Cultusking

Cultusking

New member
With more trail time the gearing is not "optimum" on the 500 but is good enough for the single trails and is nice when I have run on the road. Just on the clutch more than I was on the WR450. Idle turned down now the engina has loosened up a bit. Starts and runs beautifully and have the JD plug in tuner on it now which solves the lean condition and is noticeably better with no popping. I did not even adjust it at all as it comes pre-set with a + 6% increase in fuel which seems a little rich mid range but isnt worth playing with. Nice run up to Chilliwack lake and back through Tamahai and single tracks on Tuesday and going for another ride this evening
 
Cultusking

Cultusking

New member
another little update to the 500 exc. Bike has loosened up nice now and ready for oil/filter change and more thrashage, JD Tuner still untouched at factory settings and chain ready to be tightened for the first time. Did a run up Columbia valley to the eastern access to Vedder Mtn and up and over to Yarrow and back to Cultus last night, I need to lower the back about 25mm to be comfortable as im just not quite tall enough for it. It also looks like it would get "about" 200km to a tank of fuel which is nice. Fuel injection is also nice, starts instantly even when dropped....back to the little too short thing!
Sure is nice to just pull out onto the road and back up into the trails.
My buddy who is a bit heavier than me and bought the DRZ 400 needs to stiffen up the springs as he's bottoming it out a little too often, he is also changing the back tail light to a combination LED arrangement before the OEM one gets ripped off by the back tire or a tree. He's going to install a bigger tank as well but even after drilling out the main jet hes still getting great mileage
 
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