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I am the newest member to the forum, however I am not the youngest! At 54 years of age, I am rekindling my passion and desire to ride again. I started riding in the dirt on a Yamaha 100 twin cylinder streetbike that I purchased from my uncle. It wasn't long until I save enough money to buy my first dirt bike from a fairly new Penton importer in the US (Letko). My buddies were all buying the new Pentons and I was the strange one that bought the SACHS-DKW! I had many great memories of that bike and rode various other bikes of that era(Maico's,CZ,Elsinores,Cooper,etc).. Life got in the way of my riding for several years as I went to college, got married, had babies....blah..blah..blah..... In the mid 80's I started riding again as I purchase a KTM 300 Enduro. I was really exciting about getting back on a bike, and I was amazed at the time how plush the suspension was at the time and how much grunt those KTM 2 strokes had at the time. It was an amazing machine. However, my first ride with MR "L" of Letko was at place known as the chicken ranch. I was really digging my new bike and was making my way to the pits for my first "cool down" period. Unfortnately, on the way I had a mishap which fractured a T-5 vertebrae, cracked ribs, concussion and all of that stuff. I really wasn't travelling too fast at the time it was just sort of a freak accident! With a lot of badgering from my wife, I reluctantly sold the bike and have been on a hiatus every since!........The new era has begun....the kids are grown, a new wife....lol....Now its time to find a bike to get back into riding! I stopped by Letko and had a great conversation with Mr "L" . I am starting all over here and not knowing where to ride locally! I have the power of the internet that I find the public places, however it seems that most local places near KC area are private riding areas. Anyway, the conversation has re-focused my attention from dirt riding to dual-sport riding with emphasis on the off-road stuff!!! Well that is who I am! I haven't purchased the bike yet, I have found an older KTM 640 LC4 Enduro that I am looking at as well as an 05 Husky TE510 with very low mileage. I would be interested the opinion of this riding community any comments on these bikes! ~rick

Hi Rick. Congrats on the new Brazilian wife. How about a KTM 525 or 450?

Hello Savage; One of the first bikes I ran across while looking was a KTM 450 and KTM 530 EXC. I know they are excellent bikes, however the forums lead me to believe they they have a very short service interval. I would like to hear other's opinion on the 450/530 EXC's as they are fairly easy to get! I really like the 690 however they are very hard to find and lots of dollars for just getting back into the game! What is your take on the KTM 450/530 EXC's?

hey rick n mo, DUCK cuz here comes alot of flack......im recommending another two-stroke. Why youre asking? Theyre just better. Seriously. Ive ridden just about everything out there(and liked most of them) but when it comes down to getting off road you cant beat a big KTM two-stroke. It will feel lighter on the trails(less rotational mass feels lighter). A 300 xcw has MOOOORE than enough grunt-even way dooown low near stall- to ride any trail. You can still blast down the road and decent highway speeds(here is their only downside, you cant run with the 4-strokes at 100mph, but i can live with that. my 300 will do 85ish nicely) Heres another HUGE benefit-NO VALVES TO ADJUST, EVER!! Granted you will have to carry some pre-mix, but thats a small price to pay to NEVER have to adjust your valves, or change another oil filter!!

Heres the beauty of a 300 xc- although this bike has 450-500 fourstroke class power, it is supremely easier to ride. Youre almost never in the wrong gear, seriously they lug better than a Honda XR650L! (i know this as i logged 12K miles on an L and while i loved that ol girl, i'll never go back!) if youre plugging along and she sounds like she's gonna stall... click a gear lower and keep twisting that right hand. ive ridden most of the modern 4-stroke bikes and NONE of them have the throttle controlalibilty of a big ol luggin' 300! when you find yourself in trouble, throttle is the last thing you want to focus on. Just twist and aim! Try that on a modern thumper and you'll find yourself sitting on the ground!

Best part---buy a new one and you can tag for the street, easily.

oh ya- one more thing- when you do wear it out, price a top end(piston/rings/etc) versus a fourstrokes valves/head/piston/rings etc!!!

oh ya- modern suspension. its the best its ever been. ktm is at the top of the game there also. dont mess with an older bike then throw a grand at it with racetech. it'll be better than it was but why?! outta the box new ktms are right there.

my two cents... or was that about 23 cents worth!

Welcome to the board!

It will be difficult to find a bike that will be happy doing 100+ miles on the road and be great for the off road trails. There are bikes out there that will do both but one will be better for the dual sporting (gravel roads) and not so good off road. Then the other is better off road like XR-Nut's new ride and not do so well on the dual sport stuff.

So my advise is to buy two bikes one for off road and one for the dual sport scene!

Welcome.

I don't care what you get just get one and join us at the Flint Hills Stampede. http://www.backroadstouring.org/kansas/stamp_10.htm

Hey Rick, I purchased a 2003 450 exc about 6 months ago. Compared to my Honda CRF250, the KTM is great! I had checked into the larger 520 ktm and came to the conclusion that if you ride more on the dirt than roads the 450 is the way to go. Now, I do agree with the other post that the ktm 300xcw is the best bike for the trail riding....about 30 lbs lighter and probably more low end power. After talking to MR L out at Letco, my understanding was that they couldn't be street legal? (let me know how this can be done and I may consider getting a 300xc) The other problem for dual sport is the range and that you would have to carry oil to mix with the gas when you fill up. We ride in colorado every summer and ride far enough on most days that we have to plan the ride around gas availability....I guess you could carry oil.

Okay, maybe the best solution is one of each....I'll see if my wife agrees with this!!!

For trail riding IMHO the lighter the better. I would actually think about a 250 four stroke, maybe even the Husky TE310 if I had to do all over again. All of the Husqvarna line of 4 strokes are street legal as are the KTMs, I think....

Check this 2 stroke beauty!

http://www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com/_v ... pstry=198_

If I didn;t know better I'd think XR-Nut drank the orange Kool-aid. And a wise man he is choosing the three-hundy for off-road. But, the newbie needs a tag so that really speaks to the 4T's. The 450/525 KaTooM maintenance routines are not that bad. The valves don't move much if you don't rev the shit outta them all the time. Change the oil filers every 2nd change. Threaded valve adjusters are simple to adjust. I've had two 450's and they were bulletproof. I suspect the Husky's are similar. If you truly want something "wash and wear", buy a DRZ400S. The Z does a pretty good job as an all around street/gravel/two/single track bike and it doesn't ask for much in return. I rode a TE-610 last summer and really liked it as a DS but there is no dealer support around these parts, if that's important to you. The Lc4's are good as a DS as well. I've owned a bunch of them and still have one in the garage that found it's way home earlier this winter. Good luck in your search.

-Harvey
#1017
'89 FXRS-Sp
'06 300 XCW
'98 RXCe400
'02 DRZ400S

Hello and welcome to the fun! Well everyone says buy 2 but I think at least 5 is more realistic, hear me out cause wife quit listening bout 9 years ago. Here is my .03 cent piece (they are shaped like hexagons).

1. Strait up street bike. My ride of pure cop chased trouble is a 2007 Suzuki GSXR 1000.
(Hypothetically speaking, I would never condone such act.)

2. Pure dirt for motocross track. Im currently on a 05 YZ450F. Its to much for trails but when you dont want to short the 94' step-up triple its there to burn!

3. Pure trails. My favorite was an 2001 KTM 250 exc. It was the one that the gap from wrist to tire was invisible. Wish I still owned it for the "hero" fealing it gave me.

4. Dune/Hillclimbing. This is where a hopped up mx 2strokerr shines. Im riding an 2001 YZ 250 when tearing up the dunes.

5. Dualsport. Im lacking in this area at the moment. Sold my 1997 KTM 620 rxc right before economy took a dump and havent replaced. A bigger DS will take you further to the trail comfortably, but a smaller DS will take you deeper into the trails easier. I could easily get a 450ish size but I need a 950 KTM Super Enduro if anyone kows where theres one in my budget!

6.MadMax inspired creation. Im working on this classified project. I would tell about it but then would have to kill you all.


Knowing LETKO is great company and they would never stear ya wrong. I would advise riding orange 530 or 640 for dual sporting KC Metro area.

ok, three more things!

first off-Tf what do you reeeeally know about 450 reliabilty? you owned both of them for a combined 15 minutes!!! really did you ever even ride them??!!! come to think of it, i never even saw either of them......where you just dreaming or something!!!!!! (seriously tho, tf is correct. the ktm 4t's are bulletproof, i still dont like the 4t's) hey tf, i did drink the orange koolaid and its good!

second- range. i admit the 2t's are gonna have limited range. BUT with a larger tank you can stretch it out. the tank pic'd below allow for a 90 mile day and it feed TWO bikes that day. carry a small bottle of premix just in case, never needed it.

third- the whole tag issue, look just below the rear fender on the pic below. imagine the looks from all the db's in kc when you ride by ping ping pingn' !!!!!!

The '03 EXC I only put 4, maybe 500 miles on it max. The '04 I had, I put about 2300 miles on it. It had about 3300 miles on it when I sold it. I can e-mail you pics of both bikes if you don't believe I owned them. I owned the '04, (bought from Dan Mitchell) long enough to do three oil changes, two valve checks, change the gearing and re-jet the carb. About 2700+ miles between the two was enough time to form an opinion about the bikes and during that time, they were reliable and ran well.

You don't need to extole the virtues of the 2-stroke to me as I wouldn't ride anything but a 2T in the woods or off-road. But, if a potential buyer wants to do much gravel road or street work at all, (which I believe the OP wanted this capability) the new generation 2T race bikes are not real feasable for that. They're not like the old DT/TS Yamaha/Suzuki 2 strokes of the past.

If I had to drive from coast to coast tomorrow and could choose between a Cadillac and a Kia, I'd take the Caddy. Sure, the Kia will get you there, but it's not the best tool for the job.

Now, lets get this snow melted so we can go burn some dirt!

-Harvey
#1017

Remember early in my introductory conversation and I stated that I took a spill in the 80's. Well the truth of the matter is that it was on a brand spanking new KTM 300 Enduro machine. So I do have some background knowledge of the all mighty KTM 300. When I first decided to get back into riding I was searching Craigslist for a two stroke KTM 300. However, after having a conversation with Jim Letellier my enthusiam somewhat shifted to the dual sport as it would give me more riding opportunites at the moment. Once I get back into riding again, I am sure I will have that itch we all get for a dedicated dirt bike. Then the 300 KATOOM will be re-considered. By the way, thanks for all dialogue and conversation around this topic! For now my focus is just getting something exciting between my legs!

tf---- surely you know i was just kidding around with you? although i never did see either of the above mentioned rides, i did see all your posts all over the internet trying to get rid of them! and why would i doubt you anyhow!! im in total agreeance with you on both the OP not needing a 2t and the snow melting. while the current 300 is such a better behaving all around bike than the one he remembers from the early 80's its probably not gonna be the right ride for a newbie to dual sport. that being agreed upon, im gonna resort back to my ol fav---- the unbreakable, unstoppable, completely customizable: XR650L. hey OP, go get one, get it now! thats the caddy tf was mentioning above. just sayn'

hey tf-ark in mid feb ??????????

RicknMo,

You CAN plate an '09 KTM 300 XC-W in Kansas. I did it. I had to be very persistent but I got a plate. I also got a wiring harness, dirt worthy turn signals, an electric horn, etc. from Sicass Racing so when I ride past the police in Lawrence they just look and go on. However, having this bike and an '07 KTM 525 EXC I can assure you that the latter is the better "all-around, do-it-all" bike. Either the 450 or 525 will work (as will the enduro Husky equivalents). Most of the guys that race the 450/525 have either switched to 2Ts or are considering it. The lower weight and better center of gravity make them far better woods weapons for longer races.

The KTM 690 Enduro is another option and you can ride it in the woods but not at a competitive pace. Do remember that when you drop it with the gas tank on the down hill slope you will have to right it as the rest of us will be merely applauding your antics -- the only hand you are likely to get with this gang. If you want a bike you can ride a lot on street & back roads this would, to me, be the best choice. I saw one guy in Moab that rode his 690 from Minnesota, with his camping gear, and then rode the White Rim Trail with it.

Stu