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Which Bike? Comments and Questions on what is the best bike for YOU, for YOUR trip. Note that we believe that ANY bike will do, so please remember that it's all down to PERSONAL OPINION. Technical Questions for all brands go in their own forum.
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  #1  
Old 30 Dec 2008
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ktm exc
Does anybody have any experience with ktm exc 525 for long distance traveling?
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Old 31 Dec 2008
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I've ridden one on an enduro practice session. Fast, flightly race bikes. If it's a competition of some kind, with no luggage or any need for consessions to comfort then sure, but I wouldn't use one to go from A to B personally.
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Old 31 Dec 2008
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Ktm
I have a KTM and ride Dual Sport with many KTM onwers and if you are talking few days ride the bike will do it very well and fast but for an adventure ride with a lot of mile the 525 will suffer , the 640 or 690 are much better and will do the same work at a lower RPM, even on single track .
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Old 31 Dec 2008
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With more road oriented gearing, big tank, 50/50 tires it could be done.
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Old 31 Dec 2008
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Its a race bike...
Hi,
Mollydog has summarized it well. Its a race bike. I have one, I am participating in various desert rallyes, always around 3 to 4000 km. Its superb, but maintenance intensive. Every day there is servicing needed, not what you want on the RTW etc. It was constructed to participate, not to travel.
One tip. There is a post out on the KTM military version of a 400 I think. One guy drives one currently in South America. He will be able to share his experience of endurance. Other than that I did take my KTM LC4 Adventure around, it is heavy duty and meant for travelling. But there are also other choices...
Have fun.
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Old 3 Jan 2009
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EXC's are not suited to overland or RTW type riding but that's not to say it couldn't be done, there was a recent thread on this topic over on AdvRider. As others have said, they're race bikes with service intervals measured in hours, not miles. I change the oil & filters on my 400EXC every 25 hours as I only use it for trailriding. If I was racing the bike, I'd do it every 10-15 hours.

The military spec 400's that someone else mentioned are small LC4 type bike's & more suitable for overland riding. Personally, I'd rather use a DRZ400S than an EXC or 400 LC4 as the service intervals are less frequent (15,000 miles for valve checks?). The EXC has a peakier power delivery than DRZ's etc, making it a little more tiresome to ride, especially when loaded up. You'd need to spend a fair bit of time & money beefing up the EXC subframe etc to cope with a decent amount of luggage. No cush drive in the rear hub is something else that needs looking at to extend chain life.

I rode 212 miles in one day on my 400, followed by a severe case of Monkey Butt.
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Old 3 Jan 2009
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Dakar aha ha...
Quote:
Originally Posted by jisj View Post
Does anybody have any experience with ktm exc 525 for long distance traveling?
Patsy Quick did 9000 miles on one in 2006, pretty much non-stop...

It was fecked by the end of it though xx
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Old 3 Jan 2009
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thanks for replays. was very informative.
im kinda newbie and never did long distance travell on motorcycle. after reading forums im thinking about lc4 400 and drz400. I would go for ktm, we have good services around here, but 400 version is harder to find. I think the best option is to go to germany and buy exmilitary bike. i supose they should have good service history. and thats really important, isnt it? But DRZs are about 1000$ cheaper, avilable locally, and as i understand more reliable. Maybe just have to wiat for summer, ride one and then decide.
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Old 3 Jan 2009
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The "S" model will make a good travel bike. Look no further.
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