ktm 500 exc as adventure bike?
 

Bwahahaha. I have no response to that.

here is nice summary why and how adventurize ktm 500 exc:

Adventurizing the KTM 500 EXC | The Rolling Hobo

mine will be soon ready as well

Nice build, but seems he's left a few things out. But to each his own! :thumbup1:

I subscribed to Rolling Hobo's Blog a while back ... never got any notifications. I don't know his history regards travel, would be nice to read up on it and learn more.

As expressed before here and elsewhere, the KTM 500 EXC is possibly the best serious street legal dirt bike out there today. But as a RTW travel bike? It may fall short for some.

Lots depends where you ride and how deep into rough off road areas you want to explore. Most riders stay on some sort of "road", be it rough, muddy, beat up, rutted, steep or whatever. Most roads support vehicle travel at least part of the year if not year round.

This means that on most small to medium bikes you can probably make it through, and even big bikes can make it, especially if the rider is pretty good.

I can say from experience that finding good off road routes in Latin America can prove tough. There are few detailed paper maps and GPS may not show much either.

In most cases you won't find the sort of groomed single track trails you find in USA or Canada. Most travelers don't know the areas and GPS may not be accurate.

One strategy is you pay for a guide (like in Ecuador) who has spent YEARS
assembling good, fun Enduro routes. Some are mapped out, some not. And not all countries are well explored and basically NO ONE (except locals and the military) really know where certain roads go. Bottom line is you can get pretty lost.

I know that in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica you may find local riders to guide you into some serious fun trails. I lived in Guat. 3 years (off/on) did a bit of exploring, most on foot around Tikal. If you get lost in the Peten Jungle on your bike ... you may not make it out. :eek3:

Many ride into the interior of central Peru' unguided. But good news is there is lots of knowledge on this North-Central interior and good ROADS going everywhere ... plus villages and decent roads.

Single track trail? Go ahead, take it. See if you can make it out! doh

All this blather to say that for most (IMHO) the KTM 500 EXC may not be required to do a fair bit of exploring. Sure, if riding at race pace all day everyday, the KTM will be WAY more fun than my 37 HP DR650 ... which is 100 lbs. heavier.

If you're into doing US based rides like the TAT and other cross the nation trail rides, then the KTM could be great. But if heading into UNKNOWN territory everyday ... I'd think twice.

With the KTM you would also have a blast exploring BC Canada, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and Nevada's awesome off road riding. Some seriously technical challenges await.

So, if you're that into riding serious, challenging trails ... why not join AMA and enter the Enduro series. That's what I did for 8 years. I was limited to Calfornia and Nevada but saw the very best trail riding in the state ... just me and 400 other competitors. My best finish ever was 4th place. In the B class. And that is saying a lot.

But realistically, how many riders are at AMA or World Enduro rider level? To get the most out of what the KTM 500 is capable of, you will need SKILLS. Being young, strong and in great shape will really help. Now add years of off road competition experience. Now you're ready.

Regards the Hobo's build:
I am surprised that he is "apparently" running the stock KTM torture rack seat.
I've ridden the KTM 500 briefly two occasions ... one of the bikes had a Seat Concepts kit seat, other was stock. IMO, for travel on road where you are actually SITTING not standing, these are ONE HOUR LIMIT seats.
So, good luck with that doing long range tour.

Also surprised he's left off the oil cooler, which he bought but did not fit. Yes, a PITA to install and you have to be super careful it does not leak, but IMO ... would be a MUST HAVE for long range riding on that bike. Even the DR650 and DRZ Suzuki's have oil coolers ... and those designs are 20+ years old.

If you're doing day rides or weekend jaunts then his luggage set up is OK, but what about camping gear? Carrying even the small tent shown could be pushing it when you add a decent sleeping pad and bag.

And what about spare tubes, Sandals, tools, First Aid kit, foul weather gear? Might be a bit tight! :smartass:

I have never been fan of a large array of racks and bracing up at the front of the bike. Big Nav towers a la Dakar racers is just a bit silly for typical travelers.
But more worrying is what that steel or Alu tower does to your body when you crash and your smashed into it chest or stomach first.
Been there, done that!

Some who follow Dakar may know that a few Dakar racers have died from exactly this reason ... the giant Nav tower ripped their guts out in a crash.
Windshield also pose a possible hazard and some have been nearly decapitated from them.

My advice is if you want to learn how to build your KTM ... go hang out with the AMA Enduro racers riding KTM and see how they do set up and how they Prep their bikes. These guys are really good and know what works.
bier

If you're getting an erection while riding (your bike) you definitely need to modify your seat :-o

I just came across this thread and I'm the guy traveling rtw on the 500. Aaron Steinmann.
I get that it's not for everyone and some days slabbing it on long distances it's no fun but long straights aren't much fun on any bike.
Yes you can stretch your oil changes and I carry a spare no big deal only 2 liters to carry and really quick to do.
Filter every 2nd change.
As far as taking into somewhere remote any bike can break down and it's a pretty basic bike to do the little things on and I'm not a good mechanic just handy with tools.
You don't need to be a great rider to own it and it would be way easier to do the BDR routes and TET on than a big bike.
There is no perfect bike out there to do everything but there is enough to pick from that suits you , your attitude and riding. I picked this because I thought it would be a challenge and I like wheel stands
Just don't not pick it because you think it needs a piston every 100 hrs . Maybe if you are riding it pinned all day every day but we are talking about adventure riding not Dakar.
If you are going out camping for a few nights exploring the trails perfect bike.
I wouldn't of been able to go to as many places alone with a bigger bike just in fear of getting it stuck and or not been able to lift it out.
It's also handy to fit through doors for safe parking which opens up more accommodation opportunities.
I would like KTM to bring out a bike between the 500 and 690. Like a 600 little more oil longer between changes. Make it a little smoother a light subframe and cool Dakar style fairing. Kinda like a newer version of the old classic XR600
Oh btw I did do a full top end at 67000k and I would say most of your questions about it will probably be in my thread on advrider.com . Seat Concepts was the first thing to go on but yup some days my arse still hates me.

Sounds about right. My 450EXC was really nice when nipping around cities and pulling it into hostels (lobbies) in Latin America. And, like you, I found that slabbing on a dirtbike is pretty rough, especially across the lower states in the USA.

As you said, it really depends upon the rider. For my style, I found that the off-road bias for my trip didn't help, as I'm not really an off-road rider. I would like to, someday, become a better dirt rider, but for the majority of my riding in the places I've gone, it's been mostly asphalt. I imagine that in other parts of the world, with less paved roads, the KTM really shines. So it really is about choosing the right tool for the specific job.

BTW, when I was looking for my bike in 2014, I considered the 500 and did a lot of research. There are quite a few companies that make rally style fairing kits. If I remember correctly, they're not cheap, but they're out there. The Motonomad guys made their own if I remember correctly too.

Glad to see your post. Thanks for sharing. Safe travels. bier

well, if you like rally fairing you can get it straight from ktm buying 450 Replica Rally :)
Price is kinda a factor though, 24k Euros doh

http://moto.zombdrive.com/images/ktm...replica-13.jpg

Thanks for chiming in Aaron! I'm sure most here have read all or part of your Report on ADV Rider. Nice work!

Were you able to find good quality synthetic oil in S. America? Big cities?

Correct, you don't need to be a great rider to own and enjoy the KTM 500EXC ... but my point was that most average riders will never come close to riding at the level the KTM 500 allows ... and most simply don't need a bike that good off road ... cause they won't go down that trail in any case!

As you know, riding the 500 for all riders of all skill levels will find they will be safer and expend less energy riding the 500 in difficult terrain.

As you say, much easier than on an bigger, heavier bike. Lighter and better everything on the KTM makes an easy bike to manage! :D

But most will never really know just how good that bike is. The KTM 500 is a bike that can win the Erzberg Rodeo ridden off the showroom floor ... with a good enough rider aboard. :thumbup1:

Very very impressive you made 67K km (40K miles) until top end rebuild. How did everything look inside? Most of my many KTM riding buddies have not done that well with their bikes ... but most ride like hooligans.

Still, compared to typical service life from say, 10 years ago? 75% better everywhere with the KTM's.

Where are you now and what's next for you?
bier