I'm Drooling over a plated WR450F

[78YZ]

It has been years since I owned a KTM. Are the service intervals on the street legal EXCs still that short?

yes, but you'll need to drop the oil every 10 hrs, and adjust the valves at 20 hours... ::015::
How about a 690, or the new 701 which is a white 690

 

[greg the pole]

It has been years since I owned a KTM. Are the service intervals on the street legal EXCs still that short?

pretty sure. I sold my 08 450, and the valves were meant to be checked every 10 hrs. Typically you set them once and forget it.

my 300 says that the bottom end needs to be rebuilt every 60 hours .
I'll just ride it till it blows up.

 

[FrontRangeRider]

The service intervals for the 500 EXC in the owners manual are still short (oil change every 15 hours/ check valves every 15 hours) but KTM only provides recommended service intervals for racing/ competition use. MY WR450F service manual had different recommended service intervals depending on whether you were racing or riding. I don't remember the specifics on the racing intervals; some were "Every race" and others were "Every third race" if I recall correctly. However, the recommended oil change interval for non-racing usage was 1800 miles. This is on a bike that has a 1.1 quart oil capacity and no radiator fan...

Here are the "facts" as described by a number of KTM and Husqvarna owners that I spoke to over the last five months while waiting for my shoulder to heal so I could start riding again (and buy the new dirt bike). Some of them change the oil religiously as per the recommended maintenance schedule. Many others change the oil based on the usage the bike got/ will be getting. Dusty conditions, very hot weather, etc. causes them to change more often. Long miles of "dual sport" usage and they stretch the intervals. As far as rebuilds, one of the local Husqvarna racers hasn't done a bit of engine work after three seasons of racing (according to the dealer that sponsors him). I could not find anyone who indicated they had done any rebuilds at the intervals recommended in the manual.

Here is my plan:
Change the oil based on the recommendations while the bike is under warranty (six months) and will then probably adjust them based on the riding I'm doing. I figure an engine designed to handle the rigors of racing won't be overly stressed by my riding style; I'm not going to race in the desert or bounce off the rev limiter every shift. I'll check the valves a couple of times at the 15 hour intervals until I am comfortable that they haven't moved and I'll slide my check intervals out. Even if I have to do more maintenance, I don't mind. I bought the EXC so I could ride challenging single track and high mountain passes here in CO. Those are places I am not going to ride the Tenere. And when I need a bike for a very long ride, the S10 is the perfect choice.

 

[True Grip]

Sounds like a good plan! I still consider oil a cheap investment. You're gonna have a great time out there!

 

[greg the pole]

totally agree with the race service intervals.

I look at them and chuckle. One thing I do is the trans oil every 10 hrs. I use cheap rotella synthetic anyways, so it makes sense.

With 4 strokes, if it starts easy, the valves are probably good. I would not risk missing a valve adjustment on the ST, but on my old 450, once I checked them, and cleaned the carb, the bike ran great.

For the 300, I'll keep an eye on starting, and compression. Once my compression/performance starts dropping, I'll pull the jug, have a look see, if it needs work (and no replating) I'll dump in the new piston, rings, circlips, and bottom gaskets and i'm done).
bottom end? not really sure how many hours the bike started life with, so that's a tough one.
On my next two stroke (Beta 300 Oil injected) I'll probably do the piston every 100-130 hrs. Bottom end should be fine till 300 hrs.

 

[True Grip]

Greg I'm hearing the 300's that have had top end checked at 100 hours haven't needed any work. Still worth a peak. Looking forward to your thoughts on the bike and some video.

 

[greg the pole]

Greg I'm hearing the 300's that have had top end checked at 100 hours haven't needed any work. Still worth a peak. Looking forward to your thoughts on the bike and some video.

that's what I heard as well. When I have some down time, I'll have a look see. Easy enough.
there's some videos up here of us fumbling through snow

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzSJeqjKkwDjhSJlT5T4hfQ