KTM 525 "Touring"

One of the things I was unhappy with was the exhaust, it was very rusty considering it was supposedly stainless. Taking it off to clean it up revealed fresh air under the rust, so I hunted around for a replacement. KTM have no new ones available, but on the advice of a mate I picked up a ProCircuit aftermarket pipe for a couple of hundred quid. Only problem is that it is a couple of mm bigger, and the ProCircuit exhaust stub (that fits in the barrel) is no longer listed anywhere. KTM's own is though, and stainless exhaust tubing is readily available, in a multitude of sizes. After getting the stub welded to fit the new pipe, I set about taking the old stub out. Only it had been there for a while, and didn't fancy moving. All three bolts snapped with the minimum of effort. At least the stub was out, but I couldn't get any extractors on the remains of the bolts because of the proximity of the frame rails.

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Ah well, I seem to be having plenty of practice at engine removal. Might stand a chance of getting good at it!

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With the lump out my extractors removed two of the offending bolts with ease, but the other just chewed up leaving little left to get a hold on.

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John, our plant fitter, has various extractors. None of which had any effect on this bolt. So we drilled it out and tapped a new thread instead.

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Then with the new stub bolted up I slipped the engine back in place.

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And put the headers on.

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Followed by the rest of the pipe.

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Five minute job. Took a week.
Mark
 
They're not bad to work on once you know your way around the bike.

I had to renew the front exhaust flange on mine as I snapped it taking exhaust off. bit of a silly idea really by Ktm as you cant get into the middle bolt without removing the headers,

your exhaust looks very pretty:D
 
Certainly looks prettier than the original! The attractive blue tinge came from it's first run. The sound isn't much different, maybe a little mellower if anything, but the bike does seem to run slightly better at low to mid range. Someone who knows something about gas transfer will hopefully explain. :D
Mark
 
A little more work on the bike, a couple of minute here and there in between other jobs. :D
Stock KTM seats are great for racing, less so for any extended period. Gaz at Adventure Bike Warehouse supplied a Seat Concepts version.

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Only done a couple of hours at a time on it up to press, but have noticed a marked difference!
The stock lights are uninspiring. Not that I intend to ride at night, but if I did have to, it would be nice to be able to see!
Trailtech X2 was my upgrade of choice, and whilst I was talking to them I also plumped for a stator upgrade to give me some extra electricery.
Out with the old.

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And in with the new.

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Trailtech stuff has the same plugs as KTM, so replacing it is a simple job. A Lithium battery has also been fitted, which weighs an awful lot less than standard!
The X2 light is quite deep compared to stock, so I made a bracket to push it further away from the headstck, rather than rearrange the standard wiring position.

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This also pushes the light slightly higher, which I didn't think was a bad thing.

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Mark
 
Some goodies from PMB (ProMotoBillet) in America had miraculously found their way into my possession. :D
The rear rack is a work of art, if a little fiddly to fit. Some trimming of plastics is required but once the mountings are in position it is as solid as a rock. The actual rack and sidearms can be removed if required, if you fancied riding without them.
A question about the ability of KTM's rear subframe to take any extra weight may need to be addressed in the future, mine already shows cracks at the bolt holes.

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They (PMB) also make a replacement sidestand, which is seriously strong.

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Eagle eyed readers will also have noticed the addition of Pivot Pegz, of which I am a huge fan for any extended periods of standing.
With an Acerbis front fender bag, the extra height for the X2 makes sense, yes?

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The next stages are fairly boring, but necessary. Suspension and setup testing. I need to go and get it dirty and bounce around a lot.
Mark
 
Looks good Mark, I can tell you that the seat concepts seat is very worth every penny as I did a lot of miles on mine this year and the lighting coil I another very worth upgrade, I have also replaced the battery with two antigravity lithium batteries and I can also say that this is another very worth while upgrade,

Give me a shout if you want to exchange ideas or anything.

Mark
 

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Hi Mark 71, cheers for that. It is coming along. Need to get out on it more before I do anything else! :D
Mark
 
Yes its an oil cooler and it does an amazing job of keeping the oil cool, I have a temp gauge on the oil and the coolant and the oil currently runs at about 30 degrees and lasts a lot longer due to the additional volume as well, not cheap but worth it if your doing a lot of miles.
 
I have a 500 that I am also looking to get more mileage on.

Originally I was lucky enough to get a couple of trips abroad every year taking it on the dirt tracks in the Pyrenees, but unfortunately finances dictate that I can't do that for the foreseeable future.

I have a larger tank and uprated springs (I'm not a racing snake!).

The seat is a concern as very uncomfortable for any distance sat down, so will look at the Seat Concepts option.

My main worry is with the rear hub. It is currently the original non-cushdrive. How much of an issue is this, using a non-cush hub for the majority of time on tarmac?

I have looked at either replacing the wheel or getting the original rear wheel rebuilt onto a new cush drive hub ie https://www.smprowheels.co.uk/super...s-125cc-530cc-rear-orange-cush-drive-hub.html

If I were to get the rear wheel rebuilt how much of an issue is it to have the cush hub used off road should I get the option to get abroad again?

Many thanks in anticipation

Regards

Dazlove
 
If you have a few hours to spare, look on Advrider at the "KTM 525 as an adventure bike" thread. Its about 500 pages long, but for every one on there that says a cush drive is necessary, there's another saying its not. :confused:
Mark
 
for every one on there that says a cush drive is necessary, there's another saying its not.

It's true to say that one is not "necessary" in the sense that a wheel or spark plug is necessary, but when you look at what a cush drive does...the question becomes is it beneficial? The question that follows that is how do you intend to ride the bike and how kind to it do you want to be in terms of mechanical sympathy.

Without it, the chain has to be the "kinetic energy buffer" and it will tend to 'whip' on sudden throttle openings putting extra stress on itself and the sprockets, a cush drive shares the load a bit which you can weigh drive train deterioration against the cost of the cush drive and a smoother ride. On an out and out performance machine its questionable whether the cush drive is beneficial, but on a longer distance machine I'd tend to be kinder to the drive train, I doubt the difference is as significant as shaft vs chain but I could be wrong.
 
I have a 500 that I am also looking to get more mileage on.

Originally I was lucky enough to get a couple of trips abroad every year taking it on the dirt tracks in the Pyrenees, but unfortunately finances dictate that I can't do that for the foreseeable future.

I have a larger tank and uprated springs (I'm not a racing snake!).

The seat is a concern as very uncomfortable for any distance sat down, so will look at the Seat Concepts option.

My main worry is with the rear hub. It is currently the original non-cushdrive. How much of an issue is this, using a non-cush hub for the majority of time on tarmac?

I have looked at either replacing the wheel or getting the original rear wheel rebuilt onto a new cush drive hub ie https://www.smprowheels.co.uk/super...s-125cc-530cc-rear-orange-cush-drive-hub.html

If I were to get the rear wheel rebuilt how much of an issue is it to have the cush hub used off road should I get the option to get abroad again?

Many thanks in anticipation

Regards

Dazlove

Hi I've also got a 500 that I use for trips abroad. I had a cush drive wheel wheel built (Haan hub and SM Pro rim) after reading about possible spline wear if using the standard wheel. The bike is definitely nicer to ride on tarmac with the cush drive and doesn't seem to have any negatives off road. I have done a couple of 2500 mile trips on the TET and there is absolutely no wear on the splines on the output shaft. I did, however, break 2 spokes on my last trip! A mate with the same set up on his 450 had no problems. In regards to your seat I can thoroughly recommend Bootleg Bike Seats (http://www.bootlegbikeseats.com/) of Preston. They reworked the original seat on my 500 and my mates 450 and they are very comfortable. I've done 400 mile days without too much discomfort, 200 miles is a breeze. They charged us £100. My bike is the earlier model (up to 2016) so if yours is a later one please ignore the bit about the seat!
Cheers
Rich
 
I was lucky that I had a 640 cush drive hanging around the garage which slips straight in, have laced it with SM Pro rims and they havent budged at all.
 
A second hand steering damper courtesy of ebay was next to be added, just for a little peace of mind on fast gravel tracks. This also has the added advantage of lifting the bars by 25mm.

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Then my favoured bend of Renthal fatbars.

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Closely followed by a set of Cycra handguards. A neat little tankbag by Enduristan, and my old gps mount complete the cockpit. For now.

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A bit of a mix and match with some decals, old and new, and a bit of trimming here and there to give the old girl a bit of a makeover.

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Mark
 
Heh Mark

Looks like you and I are almost building the same bike, only problem I had fitting the steering damper was that I have 3 inch risers on there as part of the HDB kit and look some machining of mounts to work correctly, but very worth it as the front end can get a bit loose some times in the dirt.

My next job is a to graft a 1200 front screen to replace the orange screen so best I start manufacturing brackets over Christmas and stop looking on here,

Have a good one

Mark
 
Hi Mark, 3" risers? Blimey! :eek I have about 30mm on mine, just about right for me, but I an vertically challenged. I was contemplating a screen but have been pleasantly suprised at how much difference moving the light mask up and forwards has made to the airflow. Hope to get some other little jobs done over the holiday.
Mark
 
525 Screen

Here is a pic of my handiwork crafting a R1200GS screen onto the 525 over the Christmas break.

Let me know your thoughts
 

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