oh please, wheels and suspension is the biggest one - even today all new honda crf250l or Africa Twin have crappy soft suspension and people change it right away. Same goes with very soft rims. Have you ridden on recent KTM bike at all? As far as the Japanese engines, usually under powered unit without character.


p.s.
and yes hydraulic clutch system makes ktm less troublesome and more maintenance free.

Yes, I've noticed quite a few bikes in the classifieds here on HUBB that are in South America and the prices are ridiculously low. Makes me wonder if I should fly south, buy and travel north on the next big run.

oh noes.

"Character" and "soul" are the two most nondescript words overused by journalists and bloggers. This is purely subjective. There is absolutely no measure for this. It's a stereotype and it's marketing. "Italian bikes have soul" "European bikes have character" "Japanese bikes have no soul." "Japanese bikes are purely mechanical. They have no character. They're functional, but they don't speak to my soul the way X does." Sound familiar? It's an idea that's been repeated so often that it's has become accepted as common "fact."

hogwash.

sure it's non descriptive, how can you describe feelings. But phenomenon is real, if you get erection while riding it's definitely real

Anyway, it's not the point here.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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