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Help me decide!

  1. #26
    Lifer ZX-12R's Avatar
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    Re: Help me decide!

    Quote Originally Posted by nhbubba View Post
    I think I need to demo a 690 Enduro someday.
    You missed your chance a few weeks ago at Freedom Cycle. They had a KTM demo day that wasn't well advertised. The 690 Enduro was on the list.

    The new 500 engine has been in the field for a couple of years now and I still haven't seen any posts of catastrophic failures. Many guys are up over 200hrs of hard labor with barely a valve shim being necessary. I'm not overly concerned with the maintenance envelope KTM recommends. I am good about keeping the oil and air filter clean though. The only issue I had was the cooling fan thermo switch failed on my bike so instead of replacing it, I just hardwired the fan to always be on.

    The next time we cross paths, you are more than welcome to take my 500 for a spin. I have it set up for dirt so it isn't super road friendly from a comfort standpoint but it still handles it just fine. I even have it sprung for people of our stature.

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    "...i would seriously bite somebody right in the balls..." -bump909

  2. #27

    Re: Help me decide!

    Bubba you so uh crazy

    Get the 5...more street =can't you take the strom?

    Imho it's tough to get a do it all bike, separate the duties and keep em far apart into their respective realms

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    Last edited by breakdirt916; 07-21-14 at 10:20 PM.
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  3. #28
    Lifer
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    Re: Help me decide!

    Next bike will replace the 'strom. I'm looking for a lighter 650 'strom that was born with better bits.
    When I bumped this thread I did not realize how much of a hard-core dirt machine this 500 was. I really do not think it is the machine for me. Now I know.

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  4. #29
    Lifer ZX-12R's Avatar
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    Re: Help me decide!

    I'm not so sure the 690 is a true replacement for the 'strom. It's far more capable off-road but it's road manners won't be as good. Keep in mind that it's a thumper, has a 21" front wheel with a single disk, dirt bike like seat, zero wind protection, and I doubt the headlight is any better than the one on the 500 which is pretty much there just to make it street legal. Most of this can be addressed with aftermarket parts (especially the seat and headlight), but it's more money you have to throw at the problem.

    The 690 fits in-between the 500 and the 'strom.

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  5. #30
    Lifer
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    Re: Help me decide!

    Quote Originally Posted by ZX-12R View Post
    I'm not so sure the 690 is a true replacement for the 'strom.
    Nope, it's not. It is much more of a KLR/DR650 slayer. Although it is the closest thing I can find in the KTM lineup without going all mac-daddy, 150HP gorilla on the problem with the 1190 Adv.

    This is a decent stab at the problem though:
    http://canadamotoguide.com/2009/07/2...t-bike-part-1/


    That looks annoying to ride any serious distances. But fun for the first couple hundred miles.. as long as it isn't all slab.
    And his bottom line for that build is still way less than an outfitted 1190 Adv.

    Nobody makes what I really want. Fortunately for me, my 'strom ain't broke yet.

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  6. #31
    Lifer Chippertheripper's Avatar
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    Re: Help me decide!

    What you want is a 950/990. Not lighter at all, but better all the way around, and without the price tag of the 1190.
    Let's get together and go for a cruise.
    The 21" front should not be a deal breaker. It'll keep you a little more honest on the street, but once you shod the thing in some conti trail attacks or some equally smooth street biased tire, you'll be whooping it up in no te, and still won't be the slow guy on group rides.

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  7. #32
    Lifer ZX-12R's Avatar
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    Re: Help me decide!

    Quote Originally Posted by Chippertheripper View Post
    The 21" front should not be a deal breaker
    It was more the brakes on the 690 being a single mid-sized disk meant for the dirt. The Adventures have proper dual front disks.

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    "...i would seriously bite somebody right in the balls..." -bump909

  8. #33
    Lifer
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    Re: Help me decide!

    Quote Originally Posted by Chippertheripper View Post
    What you want is a 950/990. Not lighter at all, but better all the way around, and without the price tag of the 1190.
    Let's get together and go for a cruise.
    Yeah we should. Maybe the 990 is it. Maybe I need to give the Tiger 800 another chance. Maybe try a Tiger XC. Maybe give the BMW 800gs a try. Maybe maybe maybe.
    I am opening up to the 21" front. MarkBVT has me convinced I can probably find rubber to make me happy. And I am thinking of getting something more 80/20 or so these days anyway.

    Although I do need to gtfo of this thread. Bill's 500 is probably the shit.. but not the shit I'm after.

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  9. #34
    Lifer bbhzx10's Avatar
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    Re: Help me decide!

    Give me a shout sometime for a ride Bill, maybe Hopkington Everett?

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  10. #35
    Lifer ZX-12R's Avatar
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    Re: Help me decide!

    Quote Originally Posted by bbhzx10 View Post
    Give me a shout sometime for a ride Bill, maybe Hopkington Everett?
    I'll definitely let you know the next time I plan on heading out there.

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    "...i would seriously bite somebody right in the balls..." -bump909

  11. #36
    Lifer
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    Re: Help me decide!

    I hate you all. Just so you know.

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  12. #37
    Lifer
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    Re: Help me decide!

    Bill, how's the 500 treating you? High maint yet?

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  13. #38
    Lifer Chippertheripper's Avatar
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    Re: Help me decide!

    Hahahahahahahahahhahaa

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  14. #39
    Lifer ZX-12R's Avatar
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    Re: Help me decide!

    I didn't ride as much as I wanted to this year due to work and other commitments but I haven't had any problems with it. Valves are still within tolerance and the oil comes out relatively clean.

    You know you want one!

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    "...i would seriously bite somebody right in the balls..." -bump909

  15. #40
    Lifer
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    Re: Help me decide!

    Yes. I do. But then I go and do something silly like ride my 200 XCW around for a day.

    Have you run the sumo setup yet? How'd that work out? Easy to gear for the street? (This is a problem I have with the DRZ; geared okay for the woods, okay for the street, or horrible for both, you pick.)

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    Last edited by nhbubba; 11-30-15 at 08:29 AM.

  16. #41
    Lifer ZX-12R's Avatar
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    Re: Help me decide!

    I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't been out on the sumo setup yet.

    On the gearing front, the stock gearing on the 500 was too tall for the woods around here so I had to lower it with a smaller front and larger rear sprocket. It would idle at 6mph and top out around 105-110mph. With a knobby, I've been up to the mid 90mph range with the stock gearing. With the smaller diameter of the street tire reducing the gear ratio even farther, I will probably switch back to the stock front and rear sprockets to get the street manners back.

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  17. #42
    Lifer
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    Re: Help me decide!

    FWIW - My 2012 350 EXC-F has been totally reliable as well. I checked the valves once - waste of time, but it gave me peace of mind. My front brake went all spongy on me once, though. I bled it, and all was fine. I only have around 120 hours on it riding NETRA turkey runs.

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  18. #43
    Lifer
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    Re: Help me decide!

    How's the 350 for street duty?

    Virtually no weight difference (spec reads like 10 lbs). Why wouldn't you go big on this one? Wheelies are fun, right?
    (I kid. Pretty sure gregp has addressed this elsewhere. And that 350 works pretty darn well for him. I seen it.)

    I dream of trading my DRZ (resigned to street & public road duty these days) up for one of these 500 EXCs. I found a lightly used 500 on CL the other day for only about 5 times what I paid for the DRZ. Seems like almost too good a deal to pass up. Downright sensible financial decision.

    Discussion is (once again) moot though as I'm hot to upgrade the street bike again instead.

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  19. #44
    Lifer ZX-12R's Avatar
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    Re: Help me decide!

    Quote Originally Posted by nhbubba View Post
    How's the 350 for street duty?
    Virtually no weight difference (spec reads like 10 lbs). Why wouldn't you go big on this one? Wheelies are fun, right?
    While the weight difference is almost negligible, the bikes do carry it differently. On the trails, the 350 feels a little more nimble which if you're running enduros or scrambles could make a large difference in the long run. I don't have enough seat time on the 350 to comment about how it feels vs. the 500 from riding it all day. I have a feeling that due to my size it wouldn't matter too much which bike I was on.

    For woods riding, both engines are way more powerful than necessary. If all I was doing was trail riding, I would be happy on either bike. On the road though, the extra power and low end torque of the 500 makes a big difference. I'm pretty sure Greg has his 350 geared even lower than my 500 but when we traded bikes I found that his 6th gear was about the same as my 5th which would make it less comfortable for faster sections of the street.

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    "...i would seriously bite somebody right in the balls..." -bump909

  20. #45
    Lifer
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    Re: Help me decide!

    Bill is spot on. The 500 gear ratios and motor performance make it the much better choice if long stretches of pavement are in mind. I bought my 350 specifically for NETRA turkey run use. For that, it is just about perfect. I run 13/14:48 gearing, so a simple countershaft sprocket change gives me decent street gearing, while still maintaining a gear spread that works well enough off road. A 350 XC-F comes with 13:52 gearing, which is great for super aggressive dirt racing, but way too short for pavement use.

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