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KTM Aphex / Tribute ::: anyone ridden one?

DH Diva

DH Diva

Wonderwoman
Jun 12, 2002
1,808
1
And it's only offered in large and extra large. I hate it when people don't offer a full size range.

And if it's anything like their dirt bikes it will cost twice as much and still need a grand in upgrades to function properly.

KTM lovers don't hate me. I own a KTM, I'm just being honest.
 
Joey

Joey

Monkey
Feb 8, 2002
150
0
West Tennessee
"Numerous victories in tests . . ."

and here I thought I was the only one who had numerous victories when I test something :think:
 
seth505

seth505

Monkey
Jun 9, 2006
519
0
CA
DH Diva said:
And it's only offered in large and extra large. I hate it when people don't offer a full size range.

And if it's anything like their dirt bikes it will cost twice as much and still need a grand in upgrades to function properly.

KTM lovers don't hate me. I own a KTM, I'm just being honest.
Click to expand...
This is true for KTM half a decade ago...not currently.
 
ire

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
bizutch said:
Make this thread interesting and do a Taiwan search to find how many bike companies are selling this identical frame?

Azonic, KHS, Bombshell???
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LOL...thats true. I have seen that frame with more brand names...
 
DH Diva

DH Diva

Wonderwoman
Jun 12, 2002
1,808
1
seth505 said:
This is true for KTM half a decade ago...not currently.
Click to expand...
Your a tiny bit wrong on that one. We have an '06 KTM 525 EXC in our moto stable. The bike is great, but like a lot of KTM's, has some problems off the floor that need to be fixed before really riding the bike.

The bike runs hot for a couple reasons. The bike is jetted dangerously lean off the floor. Add on JD jetting kit ($75). It also doesn't have a coolant reservoir on the back side of the cooling system. So, any overheating and the bike looses fluid, not good 60 miles out. Add on aftermarket coolant overflow system($50). Even after rejetting and increasing the available coolant, the bike still runs warm so add one radiator cooling fan system ($100). Then there was that whole loose gas cap fiasco, that luckily our bike didn't have, but many others did. Nothing like laying the bike over and having the gas cap come off and covering you with gas. The frame/exhaust design also have a little problem. There is a spot on the side of the bike where the pipe can come in contact with your leg, while your in the seated position JRA. KTM sells an aftermarket shield for about $40 to fix the problem. And that is of course after we figured out the problem by burning through a $100 pair of Troy Lee pants.

Oh and then there is the KTM suspension design. They don't use a linkage so the suspension feels weird, even in the rider weight range the bike is set up for. Not as many suspension tuning companies work with KTM so the one's there are seem to cost significantly more than other brands. Add progressive springs and a revalve from Slavens Racing for another $900 and you have a bike that feels pretty darn good. For comparison, my our Honda 250x was re-valved, new springs, and lowered by Devol for $700 (costs less with additional services, and feels like just as good of a job).

So we spent approximately $1165 off the floor to make the bike work right. I can look past the jetting kit because for different altitudes the JD kit is necessary, but off the floor the bike is just way too lean. And thats on top of the around $8000 price tag. I kinda feel like a $8000 dirt bike should at least have a coolant overflow and heat shields on the sides.

The engine is solid. Makes great power. There are just some tiny issues that make the KTM a little bit of a love hate relationship. We still love the bike, it just needed some reworking.

Edit-The last annoying thing about KTM is their insistence upon using a one piece fender/side shrouds assembly for the back plastic. If you crack the fender you have to replace the side shrouds, and visa versa. Tiny complaint, but still a bit wastefull.
 
seth505

seth505

Monkey
Jun 9, 2006
519
0
CA
Ah I see, I have never looked into the exc bikes much. Ya I think that one piece rear fender/side panel is neat but definitely a love/hate thing. Pretty awesome and simple until you crack it and need a whole new one.
 
DH Diva

DH Diva

Wonderwoman
Jun 12, 2002
1,808
1
seth505 said:
Ah I see, I have never looked into the exc bikes much. Ya I think that one piece rear fender/side panel is neat but definitely a love/hate thing. Pretty awesome and simple until you crack it and need a whole new one.
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Yeah, I didn't even think about the rear fender thing until the hubby came home with the subframe cracked off and the rear fender shattered to bits. The shroud portion is fine but the whole thing needs to be replaced now.

The EXC bikes are incredible. They make stupid amounts of power, especially the 525. But with power comes heat and KTM didn't do enough to stock to keep them cool. It's still worth the hassle to get it tuned right because it is a really sweet bike.
 
C

ChrisKring

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2002
2,399
6
Grand Haven, MI
DH Diva

You got ripped off with all of those after market mods.

You can click the suspension in to work for 90% of all riders assuming that you have the correct rate spring I ran my suspension stock on my 250SXF for a year and a half before I had it done. The only reason I had Pro Action do the suspension was because it was in need of a rebuild, the price differential was small (verses just the rebuild) and I was laid up for 6 weeks with a broken leg (from the DH bike). Sure, the mid speed is better. But only a fraction. If I wasn't racing MX competitively, I wouldn't have even noticed.

Furthermore on the linkage issue, have you actually tested bikes set up for your weight back to back? 2 weeks ago I had the opprotunity to ride a 2008 KTM 450SXF, a 2008 YZ450F and a 2007 CRF450 (with mods) back to back against my 250SXF. You can't tell the rear suspension is much different if at all. The problem most people have when they get on a KTM is that the sag is not set correctly. Jap bikes run 95-100mm of sag. The new KTMs need about 105-110mm.

Cooling, If your riding the 525 on slow tight trails, it might need some additional cooling. It was meant to be a desert bike. I'm sure it cools better at 80mph. A 200SX might be a better choice for slow tight trails. It's ok to ride trail with a 525. However, your dealer should have told you about this. Most dealers don't give a crap. I am glad I have a good one.

Another plus for KTM is the part spec. Look at the bars. They are aftermarket from the factory. Or the adjustable triple clamp. Or the clutch.

The reason that the jetting is lean is to be CA Green Sticker. You don't need a JD kit. However, it is a nice kit and you are really buying his knowledge. I have it on both of my bikes. Good stuff. I am sure you could get close with enough screwing around.

Try riding a SXF based bike. They are a world different.
 
C

ChrisKring

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2002
2,399
6
Grand Haven, MI
oh yeah, the rear fender pisses me off too. Sucks that my $50 numbers go in the trash when some squid lands on your rear fender. (yes, I actually had a guy over jump a double before a corner and land on my rear fender at an AMA Arenacross last year).
 
DH Diva

DH Diva

Wonderwoman
Jun 12, 2002
1,808
1
ChrisKring said:
DH Diva

You got ripped off with all of those after market mods.

You can click the suspension in to work for 90% of all riders assuming that you have the correct rate spring I ran my suspension stock on my 250SXF for a year and a half before I had it done. The only reason I had Pro Action do the suspension was because it was in need of a rebuild, the price differential was small (verses just the rebuild) and I was laid up for 6 weeks with a broken leg (from the DH bike). Sure, the mid speed is better. But only a fraction. If I wasn't racing MX competitively, I wouldn't have even noticed.

Furthermore on the linkage issue, have you actually tested bikes set up for your weight back to back? 2 weeks ago I had the opprotunity to ride a 2008 KTM 450SXF, a 2008 YZ450F and a 2007 CRF450 (with mods) back to back against my 250SXF. You can't tell the rear suspension is much different if at all. The problem most people have when they get on a KTM is that the sag is not set correctly. Jap bikes run 95-100mm of sag. The new KTMs need about 105-110mm.

Cooling, If your riding the 525 on slow tight trails, it might need some additional cooling. It was meant to be a desert bike. I'm sure it cools better at 80mph. A 200SX might be a better choice for slow tight trails. It's ok to ride trail with a 525. However, your dealer should have told you about this. Most dealers don't give a crap. I am glad I have a good one.

Another plus for KTM is the part spec. Look at the bars. They are aftermarket from the factory. Or the adjustable triple clamp. Or the clutch.

The reason that the jetting is lean is to be CA Green Sticker. You don't need a JD kit. However, it is a nice kit and you are really buying his knowledge. I have it on both of my bikes. Good stuff. I am sure you could get close with enough screwing around.

Try riding a SXF based bike. They are a world different.
Click to expand...
Suspension: You can get it to work, but it still feels like a non-linkage bike. Progressive springs, which Slavens recommends, really help the problems inherent of a single pivot design. It makes a big difference with high speed riding.

Over Heating: The 525, off the floor will over heat, even in the desert. Tried adding the overflow, helped but still overheated, tried rejetting, again it helped but the bike still overheated, and for the win put the cooling fan kit on and the bike runs fine now. This is not an isolated problem. Lots of people with KTM 4 strokes have overheating issues. It's just one of those KTM qirks.

As for my dealer not selling me the right bike, you don't know jack. If you would have read this thread you would have picked up on the fact that the 525 is primarily my husbands bike. I'm guessing you missed that given you recommended a 200sx, I'm guessing because I'm a girl. First of all, I don't ride 2 strokes, neither does my husband. For 50-100 mile desert rides a 2 stroke just doesn't cut it. Gas becomes an issue as well as, in my opinion you get a smoother ride on a 4 stroke, more even power, and more low end torque (oh my god a girl knows what torque is!! Shocking). Given you also don't know the type of riding we do, you really can't recommend any bike and know what your talking about. We spend our time 50/50 woods and desert. When we ride in the woods, we don't putt around, we're moving. My husband is also 6'4" and 225 so the 525 is entirely managable for someone his size, even in tight conditions.

Parts spec: Big deal it comes with magura bars. My honda came with renthals? The ktms do come with a pretty nice parts spec, I never said they didn't. The main problems with the offroad line is weird little designs problems and cooling. The parts spec and drive train are solid.

Jetting: you don't jet a bike close enough. You jet a bike properly for the conditions in which you are riding. The jetting off the floor doesn't work well for much of anything.
 
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