KTM520 EXC

[BillWright]

Has anybody had experience of one of these monsters?
Just been offered a Guernsey plated 2001 bike. The owners description is "I brought it in Geunsey nearly to 2 years ago used it 6-7 times at the track (supermoto)

It's got KTM wavey discs - front & rear, braided brake lines, full Akrapovic titanium exhaust, carbon fibre frame protectors, new maxxis supermoto tyres (E marked road legal)
WP suspension, KTM supermoto wheels, polished swingarm, red bull graphics, Fat bars, Lights, horn, accerbis hand gaurds

I've got the standard exhaust, bodywork, wheels, 2 seats and a few spares.

The bike is very fast, a real monster, it's been very well looked after and is well sorted.

Only reason for selling the bike is due to other racing commitments"

It's too much for my v. limited off road skills, but may be suitable for a real man.

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

Guernsey plated ??? Won't there be some VAT to pay ???

I'm on my second 525 and love em

Tis a lazy old motor that can lug along all day in top gear but can then just as easy spit you off and fire you into the undergrowth if you catch a rut all wrong. The biggest downside to KTM ownership is the high maintenance but this is more than made up for when out on the lanes

 

[Flipfly]

Really expensive to repair but without doubt the best off roaders you can buy. If you are planning to thrash it around on the road I'd buy something else. They are not good at being held at big throttle openings for mile after mile. As an off road tool they are ace, as a supermoto for the track.....Ace, as a road thrashing tool......Poo.

Change the oil every 3-4 hours (filters every 8 hours) and all will be fine. Sounds expensive but they only take about 1.2ltrs if I remember correctly.

Hope this helps.

 

[Deleted account D]

520 mmmmmmmm nice

What can I say........... superb bike.

When I first got mine second hand I thought 'what the f*ck have i done' it scared the sh*t out of me.

I now think its a pussy cat compared to the 950 SE.


I service my 2001 model once a year, full oil change, clean screens, new filters (oil 2, air 1).

Also done wheel bearings, fork seals, sprocket (F&R) and chain.

All easy stuff if you can hold a spanner.

Eats rear tyres if you play with the power (and rude not to).

Suggest you go up a couple of teeth from standard on the rear. Makes a big difference.

Oh yeah on the road, more than 10 miles, pain pain shite etc. This is an offroad bike, no compromise.

 

[sycomoto]

Why have a 520 when you could have my 570.

chap, I have just the tool. Its an 02 520 with 14ks worth of trickness. uk reged and with 80bhp. all carbon bodywork, trick suspension, slipper clutch, wavey disks. very competative as a race bike. had it built over the winter of 04 raced it six times before having a near fatal roadbike crash on a zx12r. been looking for a new home for it. If you want to see photo's drop me a line on [email protected].

 

[BillWright]

Many thanks, if my balls aren't big enough for a 520 they definately aren't for your 570. Sounds excellent though.

 

[StevieD]

Bill, I currently have a KTM 525exc and its great - Can be as docile or as manic as you want it to be. The motor is quite happy to trundle around in 3rd gear all day or you can work the gearbox and really let rip.

Just one bit of advice - Get the gearing and the jetting sorted out and it's fine, but the stock jetting is rubbish - if you want proof just have a look at the ktmtalk website (www.ktmtalk.com). I'm using a 14/48 sprocket combination and a JD jetting kit with the Honda CRF450 accelerator pump modification which tends to cure the "bogging" you get when the throttle is cracked open quickly on these bikes. Oh yes, nearly forgot, like most KTM it's prone to steering head shake which can be a bit disconcerting sometimes (can be cured with aftermarket damper if necessary)

If you don't fancy the 520 you could also have a look at the 300exc 2T, which I had before the 525 and still regret selling - fantastic bullet-proof motor and fast as hell (when required) but still very rideable.