Project 525EXC Dualsport

[ElChupacabra]

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OK, so a lot has happened with the bike since the throttle cam was installed. I RODE IT for instance. And have done some other mods :tup:. I haven't resized the pics yet, but here's some from this past weekend.

The oil coolers came in and were installed, then we went for a ride.

That's my brother and my pal on their 450 and 400EXC respectively. Note the new oil cooler on the 450.

We have a real problem with biker gangs here in the 'burbs. My wife called us the "Creamsicle Gang" LOL (L to R : Mike, Steve, Gordon, Me)

OK, enough posing, let's get out and ride! This is the "spot the mods" photo. I will be supplementing this thread with info on some of the mods on my bike in the photo above.

We ended up winding our way out to Chilliwack and riding near the Chwk River around Cattermole. It was mostly a road ride, but it was a beautiful day to be out on the bikes with friends.

Man does my bike suck the gas though!:mad3: You can practically see the fuel level dropping as you ride! Hehe, I'll have to work on that a bit...

More to come...

 

[joker650]

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Paul is that the extra cooler on the crank case left side?

If it is it looks kinda...........voulnerable.

 

[brad 350]

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what kind of saddle bags are those?

 

[ElChupacabra]

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joker650 wrote:

Paul is that the extra cooler on the crank case left side?

If it is it looks kinda...........voulnerable.

Yes that is the cooler, and I thought the same thing as you when I saw it in pictures. But when you see it in person, it is the hardest, toughest piece of armour on the bike. Machined from a solid billet, it is TOUGH! If anything, it will save the side of the engine case from a hit.

The cooler actually doesn't stick out any further than the stock ignition cover, in fact it replaces the stock ignition cover. So it is less likely that in a laydown that your shift lever will bust through the side of the ignition cover.

:tup:

 

[ElChupacabra]

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brad 350 wrote:

what kind of saddle bags are those?

Those are some Oxford sport bike panniers that I bought at Chilliwack honda a couple years ago.

They have some 3 thick velcro straps that attach them to each other and can be thrown across your seat. Or for a slicker install you remove your seat, throw the bags over your subframe, then bolt your seat back on. This keeps the straps from interfering with your backside when you are moving around on your seat.

http://www.oxprod.com look for their "First Time" line and click on panniers. I seem to recall they were about $90 for the set. They come with storm covers to keep the rain off, that really work. I have a few pics of them on my last bike with the covers on. I rode through a storm that touched down two tornadoesclose to mea few hours after these pics were taken.

Sorry for the large pic, but here's the bags mounted on my Adventure when both were new. This is somewhere near Drumheller,AB. And here's another one from the same trip.



Horsethief Canyon.

Thanks for tuning in.

 

[ktmkelowna]

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Wheelies on a suburban street, I for one am appalled!!!!!!!! I thought KTM riders were more mature, lol. If you were a real KTM rider it would be brakies, nosies or whatever they call those front wheel things!! All kidding aside,the oil cooler looks awesome, I can't wait for mine to arrive. Is that the clarke tank and if so does it fit with the stock seat? Tires, I also need to know about tires. The ones the dealer put on my bike, saying thatI needed DOT tires,SUCK on anything but pavement or packed gravel.

Kim

 

[ElChupacabra]

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ktmkelowna wrote:

Wheelies on a suburban street, I for one am appalled!!!!!!!! I thought KTM riders were more mature, lol. If you were a real KTM rider it would be brakies, nosies or whatever they call those front wheel things!! All kidding aside,the oil cooler looks awesome, I can't wait for mine to arrive. Is that the clarke tank and if so does it fit with the stock seat? Tires, I also need to know about tires. The ones the dealer put on my bike, saying thatI needed DOT tires,SUCK on anything but pavement or packed gravel.

Kim

Professional rider on a closed course, do not attempt!:ted: The front wheel stunt is called a "stoppie".

The stock seat fits with the Clarke tank, I have the Enduro Engineering Tall/Soft seat which is way more comfortable. My brother's Corbin saddle fits nice with his Clarke tank as well. Uber-comfortable!

I had to "shim" the rear part of the tank up 1/8" with a piece of rubber to keep the kickstand from rubbing on the underside of the right lobe. They suggest that you can fit an '02 kickstart lever (shorter) to cure thisissue also.

You do need DOT tires, refer to the many "Tire" threads for input on Tires. I'm still working my way through every tire imagineable to evaluate for myself. Currently my bike has the Bridgestone MX Knobs that it came with on it.:spl: I have a set of Pirelli Scorpion Pros

waiting for their moment in the sun, and a set of the new Dunlop 908RR (Rally Raid)

ready to go for my 9 day offroad adventure this July.

 

[joker650]

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ready to go for my 9 day offroad adventure this July.






Where!?:hf:

When!?:hf:

 

[640in604]

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joker650 wrote:

ready to go for my 9 day offroad adventure this July.
Where!?:hf:

When!?:hf:

Well, it was going to be Colorado and Utah on the Trans American Trail. But I can get 4 more days riding in the same 9 day span if I ride in BC. Hence better ORR. Soo... I'm starting to get the route planned out. If I can't put a decent plan together for BC:shoot:, we will be driving to Colorado...:cf2:

July 1st - July 9th

 

[RocketMan]

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Hey chupa ive heard through the grape vine that 07 pumpkins are comin legal out of the box like this years huskys.How does that make you feel after all your hard work and dedication?.I sure wouldnt regret it, ive got that same machine not plated with a couple of grand tossed into it and that thing totally rips stock even before mods:clap:.Only thing i dont like is getting it upside down or going down vertical hills oil gets into the carb and turns it into a mosquito killer, otherwise its the best bike ive ever owned, i will be interested to see if gets as much life as my XR 650 has:hb:

 

[ElChupacabra]

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RocketMan wrote:

Hey chupa ive heard through the grape vine that 07 pumpkins are comin legal out of the box like this years huskys.How does that make you feel after all your hard work and dedication?.

That'd be cool! No regrets here, I love this bike! Besides when I buy my next one in a couple years, it'll be a faster conversion!

 

[soupbone138]

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Awesome bike. Makes me want to trade in the LC4 and make the "little Adventure" for myself..
Would the radiator guards fit my LC4 640 enduro ??
Good pictures.

Everybody better look the other way when the "Creamsicle gang" comes to town !!!

 

[ElChupacabra]

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soupbone138 wrote:

Would the radiator guards fit my LC4 640 enduro ??

Geez I don't know. I wouldn'tthink so, but I'd check on KTM Talk.

 

[ElChupacabra]

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The VW Jetta TDI Diesel has great fuel economy, the KTM 400EXC also has great fuel economy. The 525EXC however, not quite as good. The scrawny 7 or 8L tank that it comes equipped with is fine for a track or enduro loop, but for dualsport it falls short.



I had the big bad-ass 25L from Acerbis on order but died of boredom waiting for the SOB to come in 2006 compatible format. SO I cancelled that and ordered the Clarke 3.1Gal (which is also not recommended for the 2006 - more on this in a sec)



One bolt removes your seat, 3 more bolts and your tank is OFF!!



But you will need to unbolt those sexy rad scoops

Can you believe this stoopid weather? Cripes!!

Later that afternoon (I think, cause snow usually doesn't last long around here)

OK, not a bad fit. But as predicted and read about, the damned kickstart lever is touching the tank. I left it like that for one ride, and saw that it was indeed wearing away at the tank. So I put a 1/8" rubber spacer between the seat-end of the tank and the frame to prop it up a bit. This fixed the problem nicely.

It also helped get the choke lever up a little bit, as you can see in this pic above, it is a little low.

My wife says, "aww... you wrecked your bike with that UGLY white tank!! - Ewwww" Oh well, it's no fashion show and my bike is proof of that!



The new Clarke tank is no wider that the stock one however. See from this stand-over pic.

Continuara.....

 

[ElChupacabra]

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Allrighty, so the boys come over and watch the Daytona supercross on the Friday night and plans are made for Sunday to go for a ride out at Herrling Island.



I was feeling fit enough to ride, if I was to take it easy... Whatever! I rode like usual, and the torn muscles held up brilliantly!! I was feeling pretty good about the effort I had been putting into phys rehab.



Below is the result of a good day Pumkinficating Herrling Island. Gooey clay mud there as you can see.

Great fun, the bike performed awesome. All pretty much tight trails woods style riding. I rode with 3 other bikes: '04 CR250R, '04 CRF450R, '05 400EXC. I swapped bikes with each guy for comparison, and because both of the Honda riders were interested in joining the Creamsicle gang.



The CRF450R was easy to hop onto from the 525. The power wasn't quite as potent, but it seem to be all mid range and flattened out on top. But turned very nice and was a super easy bike to be fast on.



The CR250R reminded what a freak show 250 2 strokes power is. OMFG!! Besides me stalling it about 4 times trying to "lug" it at low RPMs - doh!! I will never describe the power of the 525 like being shot out of a cannon. This is reserved for this g'dammed CR250R. The power is mild at low RPMs then BANG!!!!!!!! The front end is up, and the bike shoots off like a scalded cat. Very difficult in tight trails and in slippery clay for me. The A+ rider that owns the bike has no problems on it, of course.



All of the guys riding the 525 described the bike as SMOOTH, easy to ride. Even in tight trails, and 2 of these guys are woods racers. I credit the G2 Throttle cam for these good reviews. Personally this bike just rocked the tight turns and was the most fun single track bike I had ever ridden.

Hehehe

More to come...

 

[ElChupacabra]

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There's a couple ways this can happen, cause I saw it on three bikes. My bike was the first one which I did on the Sat night before the boys came over to install theirs and then go for a ride.



I unbolted my ignition cover, which the HT-Racing cooler is a direct replacement for. When I pryed the cover off the stoopid gasket stuck to the case, and to add insult to injury...

Ripped!! In one place - Geebus!!

Oh well, that's why gasket sealer was invented. Unbolt the two stator bolts and the one screw that holds the wiring in place. Pull that stuff out of the ignition cover and place it directly into the new HT-Racing Oil Cooler. Don't forget to use your Brakleen and compressed air to get rid of the oil on the threads and use some new loctite.

I cleaned up the surfaces with solvent before I reinstalled the gasket with lots of gasket goo.

Don't foget that the gasket goo needs at least overnight to cure. This is a funny fact and I'll tell you how I remember this for sure. Mine didn't leak, cause I installed it on the Sat evening and rode it on the Sunday afternoon. The boys came by Sunday AM and installed theirs, then we rode off in the afternoon - and BOTH of theirs LEAKED!!

Ugh!

She is a sexy beast when installed though. And as indicated in my previous posts, this thing is a SOLID MOFO!! This will honestly be the last piece of your bike to fail in a horrific crash. It's BEEFY!



You don't need to to drain your oil or anything to install it, just lay your nike over (we used my spare tires as a pad) and do the surgery. After buttoning it up, add your extra oil and turn over the engine with the starter for 45 seconds with the kill switch on just to pump oil into the new reservoir. (These are all in the simple instructions that come with the kit.)

It's a 15 minute install at worst. Easy peasy. What I will clarify though, is the kit comes with a Banjo bolt that is a CHECK VALVE. This valves keeps the oil from the new reservoir from draining back into the crankcase and overfilling the crankcase. SO! Make sure you install this banjo bolt in place of the stocker on the right hand side of your bike. The one that came out of there, put into the oil cooler on the other end of the same line. That's the only "gotcha" on the install.



Then, go RIDE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT!!!!

Happy Easter!

 

[ktmkelowna]

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GeezPaul,

So now you tell me!!! Gotta change those banjos when I get home, those instructions leave a little bit to be desired IMHO. I thought I could do this up on my stand, stupid me. The first wet magneto I have ever seen and I have the oil stain in my garage to prove it, hahaha. Did you have any problems with the lower hose length, I had to heat mine with a heat gun to get it to reach, 1/32" too short to get the banjo to thread in properly but the heat gave me what I needed. Other than that an easy install like you say.

Kim

 

[ElChupacabra]

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Oh that damn oil line!!! Mine seemed about the same. I just pulled on it like a sumnabizich and on it went. Yeah, luckily we had a team here doing the installs, and actually it was blocker that solved the banjo bolt riddle. The instructions could use some revision (and maybe 1 frickin picture!!).

Oh and yes, the KTM like oily magnetos. I was a little surprised too the first time I cracked open the one on my 640. I have a matching oilspot in my garage. I guess I remember them being dry on my Honda 2 strokes, but maybe I am mistaken.:?

Hey, planning a Kamloops ride in 2 weeks, got any plans? Watch the "Rides this week Kamloops" section for a ride announcement soon from Joker.

Cheers!:hb:

 

[ktmkelowna]

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If it's off road only as I haven't plated my bike yet, but maybe it will be by then. Hopefully Saturday as I have a standing appointment with 18 holes and 3 friendson Sundays, though if I keep whupping their asses like last Sunday it may be 18 holes and 3 acquaintances, lol.:dr:I'll keep a lookout for times and date.

Kim

 

[ElChupacabra]

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Did a little road mileage test today, because watching my tank level drop like it did had me concerned. Also, spamandeggs asked me what the range was, and I had NO IDEA!! I knew that the top part of the Clarke Tank goes down verrrry quickly.

See the part of the tank that is above the shrouds, it is 2L (0.5 Gallon). So when you're on the freeway you can practically watch the level in the tank drop while you ride.

So this evening I did a little experiment. I filled up and did a little hooligan riding with my buddy who just finished putting a 453kit in his 400EXC. I tried it. I like it!! When I was riding about 45mph in 4th gear, SNAP the throttle and yes wheelie to 55-60mph!! Sahweet, can't ask for much more than that. Course my bike does that as well... :ted:

Anyhow, back to my mileage test.

I ran the tank down to where the round becomes square (at the shrouds) then stopped in at a gas station. I had 37.5km. I put 2.1L into the tank. That's 17.86 mpg. The tank is 3.2Gal (12.11 L), so that means I have a range of 134miles (216km). This is craptacular. The ride next week in Kamloops is 200kms approx, and there's not a convenient gas stop along the way really. It'll be a squeaker.

If I add the BajaDesign 1.1 Gallon sidepanel gastank, that will increase my range to 180miles (290kms). That's better, more like the range of a Vstrom1000.

It stands to reason that at these mileages, the Acerbis 25L tank would give me a range of 280miles (450kms) approx.

I have the JD Jetting installed and the Honda diaphragm accelerator pump as well. So I'm not sure what else I can do to try and increase fuel economy other that go easy on the throttle. HA!!