I have had all the well known issues with my 2006 adventure.

Cam follower bearing at 40k
Broken tooth of starter gear destroyed stator.
Broken rear sub frame
Steering head bearings

Leaking base gasket at 50 k so did a top end rebuild at the same time.
Leaking fork seals

Clutch replaced at 55k

Usual consumables chains sprockets brake pads wheel bearings tyres etc

Frayed wires under the dash caused all sorts of issues.

Currently have the carb off chasing a bogging issue.

Bike has now done 65 thousand hard klms and I still love it, although the relationship gets a bit strained at times.

If they were still making them I would buy a new one. Would love a 690 adventure but obviously never going to happen, so I am going to hold on to the 640

Done 20K (almost trouble free) km since the rebuild now so on about 115K km. Only recent issue has been some wires rubbing through on each other just out of the igniter box, easy fix but took a few hrs to find. 1st time it's ever stopped on me out on the road.

Clutch? That's not a common one at all, what failed? There are a few issues with the cylinders now & then but the rest seems to last forever usually.

Cheers
Clint

Sorry Should have pointed out that it wasn't a clutch failure as such just replaced the plates.

Still got the Current issue of a flat spot just off idle and bogging after landing off small jumps or climbing rough hills.

Have replaced the needle & seat and cleaned carb but its still there. Going to raise the needle 1 notch to see if that helps.

If you experience bogging over rough ground that usually points to an incorrect float level...

Yep thanks mate. Looking at that this week.

Can't seem to find what the correct height is though.

The ballpark setting listed in the manual works pretty good and is simple to do with the eye: Just as the float tang contacts {not depressing} the float needle pin plunger the bottom surface of the float should be parallel to the carb body gasket surface... Bend the tang up or down to get the desired results...

You can check your bowl fuel level with the carb on the bike by doing the following: Pull the drain hose off the bottom of the carb and replace it with a length of clear line that you can observe the fuel in it... Then run this clear line up the side of the carb and tape it in place so the tip sits a couple of inches above the bowl gasket surface... Then crack the bowl drain screw a couple of turns until the fuel runs up the line... It should stop at whatever level the fuel is in the float bowl... The fuel in the line should stop at a couple MMs above the gasket surface, if it is at or below the gasket surface then the carb should be removed and float tang should be adjusted to bring it online.... You can also check the level using this method with the engine running and make sure the fuel level does not stray too far from where it sits at rest... Sometimes if the float needle is near the end of it's life the extra push from the fuel pump while the engine is running will cause the needle seal to fail and push up the fuel level causing a very rich boggy condition which will make the bike stall and misbehave at low revs...

Thanks island hopper.
Will give that a try

Good Day

Myself and 2 friends are doing a 8000Km trip through Africa (South Africa – Namibia – Zambia – Malawi and Mozambique)

We got KTM 640 Adventure 09 and 2000 models and bought them from a guy in South Africa
Both of them got around 43 000 Km on them so what I would like to know as I’m not very familiar with KTM (Honda Man) what must we have looked at before the trip and most important what spares would you recommend taking along on our adventure.

Now the bikes did a trip from Germany to South Africa so it got all the long trip conversions done.

Any recommendations will be appreciated

Thanks Peter

I'd start off by reading this thread from the beginning ... it started in 2004!!

Then go over to ADV Rider (Thumpers section) look up the 640 ADV specific threads over there. Some VERY comprehensive ones by guys who have been dedicated to this bike for ages. A TON of knowledge.

Look up a Canadian guy on ADV Rider (Gunnerbuck) He knows the 640's very well. Don't read too much ... or you may never go on your trip. Not ALL news is good news regards this bike!

I love the 640's ... to ride, but not so much to own or to travel on. But if you deal with all the common issues, carry spares and know your ins and outs of the bike ... you should be fine!
Safe Travels!

Time to update: At 127,000 KM I rebuilt my engine, including splitting the cases and replacing a worn countershaft, since then the bike has been worry free for a few yrs... I am now approaching 202,000 KM and it is just starting to use a bit of oil meaning the rings and valves could probably use a service in the next 20,000 km.. One thing I have found is that the top end component life increases considerably with a more free flowing exhaust installed instead of the OEM unit...

Sounds like more trouble than it's worth..

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

To tell you the truth, the 640 has never broken down or left me stranded on any trip... In fact the 640s that accompany me have a fairly reliable track record compared to some other brands of singles along on these rides.... We have had more than a few DR 650 failures, most notable were blown engine seals and burnt clutches... Dr 400 stator problems.. The BMWs had shock failures, plastic pieces rattle or break off the bike, wheel adjuster issues, ABS issues, blown forks seals and soft rims.. KLR 650 -Electrical failures , suspension failures and oil use issues...

A motorcycle that lives a soft life is going to in all likely hood last longer than ones that see hard miles ... For my personal type of riding I don't see a motorcycle out there that would stand up any better than my 640 has to what I have asked of it... I have been waiting for yrs for a better ride {for my needs} to come out and it hasn't happened... So far the manufacturers only seem to be focused on the fat pig Adventure market as to where they are producing large displacement, heavy, high hp multis and labeling them as Adventure bikes... They do for sure fill that role for a certain segment, but for some people an Adventure bike signals something that is more capable when you leave the beaten path..

In the process of buying a '05, will update once I get it

__________________
Mike


www.singapore-scotland.blogspot.com
www.argentina-alaska.blogspot.com
My little Vid: India/Pakistan

BMW R1150GS
Suzuki DR650 SE: Ride it like ya stole it. Oh, somebody just did...

Not so funny BST40 carb, is it?

Following islanders hoppers instructions above totally cured the problem. Have done several thousand Klm's since then and. All good.