Madhatter wants a dirt bike….

Madhatter

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GtP, you videos are showing me just how tuff the KTM 2 strokes are, and other videos ive seen show the same. very impressive. one of my things is to learn to ride better and ride better in the woods is how much does it cost when you drop a bike . im sure at times some items get bent, it good to see that modern dirt bikes are tuff.
 

Checkswrecks

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Pruning shears came out for the political rants. We all have our political views but there's the Lounge for it if you really need to vent and besides, most of us are here to get away from the daily barrage of Us, Them, Red, Blue crap.
 

Madhatter

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after working nights for the last few weeks I don't remember what I said , could be age . thought I was pretty neutral ,I think.... may have made a bike choice , wife likes the choice , neighbor likes the choice , so why am I reluctant to pull the trigger.
 

SilverBullet

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..,I think.... may have made a bike choice , wife likes the choice , neighbor likes the choice , so why am I reluctant to pull the trigger.
Good choice, happy wife and your neighbor now will be obligated to help you wrench on it if needed. I've yet to know anyone that isn't happy with theirs. I'm assuming of course that you decision is the orange 500.
 

Madhatter

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SilverBullet, I like orange and there are other colors to consider , the biggest color to consider is the ' green ".... and we ain't talking Kawasaki.... so if all goes well I may have a new bike next week.....or not... it will be a 4 stroke ( if it happens.) it will not be orange, made a great deal on another color and pending any glitches with my credit it will be...…..
 

Madhatter

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just a personal note , I tend to buy new , have not bought a used anything since high school . some one has to buy new or there is no used for those people who prefer to buy used. I actually am not a fan of carrying a lot of debt , and I am at the edge of my comfort zone when I start thinking of buying something , my new truck had me in buyers remorse for a year , i'm cool with it now. filling out credit apps are not a favorite thing I do , rather go to the dentist, generally I keep a fairly high score, it is something I strive to protect and after a divorce and being in the credit toilet for a period of time ( this was 20 years ago ) I am more anal about paying bills on time and debt to income ratios.... and as I get closer to retirement the more debt free I want to be . so buying this new bike ( for it is a toy ) I am not sure the wisdom but we live one life and we are blessed to live here in the USA so why not enjoy the fruits of ones labor. one day it will end and to look back on life and think I never did anything fun for me would be just sad. ran into an old friend yesterday , asked about others he new , he said most are gone , he lost his wife last year , and he just left a funeral of another friend ( some one I don't know) how quickly it can all change. as for the new bike , may never get out of 2nd gear as I am a slow rider. just messing with you SBullet…. but it is true.
 

greg the pole

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GtP, you videos are showing me just how tuff the KTM 2 strokes are, and other videos ive seen show the same. very impressive. one of my things is to learn to ride better and ride better in the woods is how much does it cost when you drop a bike . im sure at times some items get bent, it good to see that modern dirt bikes are tuff.
We ride woods 98% of the time. Logs, rocks, roots, snow, mud, whatever.
My used 2014 has suffered no real broken bits, and it's been flung, driven into trees, and generally dropped as I saw fit (read: the bike will not get hurt, you will if you elect to hang on)
None of these hurt the bike, and I only do it to save my own bacon. Last wedneday it was getting late and dark and we were on a narly hill climb. I chose the hardest line over a 12 or 16" step/root, the bike made it over just, but went into a vertical wheelie (controlled/slow) I thought I had it, and was still on the bike, when in fact I did not. I slid off the back, and the bike flipped back at me (remember we're on studded tires). I managed to duck out of the way. The bike went down on the bars fairly hard. No harm no foul. I did break my used and old gps which was moutned on the ram ball mount.

I average about 120+ hrs a season, and so far had to replace wear items only.
The pipe that came with the bike had eventually to be let go, as I was running a shitty plastic skid plate
That said, my 300 has the full armadillo skid plate, rad guards, hand guards from EE, and a rear disk guard.
All those things extend the longevity of the bike.

BETAs are well built bikes too, but talking to a mechanic that works on them, he says on the 4S the electrics suck, welding is done by a child, and overall he'd go with the Austrians over the Italians. He did say that the 2S is stupid heavy compared to ktm/husky, and is rougher running (no counter balancer). The beta is lower and has better down low toruqe.

notice the guards, and shit eating grin! We both ride 300s, and run basically the same protection. Money well spent.
 

greg the pole

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Pruning shears came out for the political rants. We all have our political views but there's the Lounge for it if you really need to vent and besides, most of us are here to get away from the daily barrage of Us, Them, Red, Blue crap.
Nothing about political views. I'm not red or blue. Just speaking about the weird shit the gov is doing out here.
I don't talk religion and politics with my riding buddies. We are there to ride, and enjoy the moment!
And now, back to regular programming
 

Madhatter

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besides tire studs ,heated grips might be nice upgrade for your riding...…. stator upgrade might allow it..... since the weather forecast comes from an agency might get pruned for complaning about the weather.... hows that global warming working for you GtP?
 

greg the pole

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besides tire studs ,heated grips might be nice upgrade for your riding...…. stator upgrade might allow it..... since the weather forecast comes from an agency might get pruned for complaning about the weather.... hows that global warming working for you GtP?
meh...I wear slightly thicker gloves. Don't want the extra bs of wiring them up, as I change grips quite often.
Global warming? Damned if I know. Winter is here, but then again we're above zero for the weekend. Who the hell knows.
 

Madhatter

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so its time to reveal the choice..... ktm500exc-f ,a great bike , all agree... local dealer asking 12k . ktm300xcw-tpi , man I want one bad , but so many say you will hate a 2s..... honda crf450l, very well done but not much after market , almost to pretty to drop . honda crf450x the 2017 version 5 speed a little dated ….. and the winner is , Honda CRF 450 X..... it fits me pretty good, has huge after market , not street legal so no full coverage insurance expense , and priced to me 6500.00 . almost 6k cheaper than KTM 500 EXC-F.... so if I end up sucking at this dirtbike thing , im not so deep into it money wise, dont need a street legal bike that what's the tenere is for. this thread has been fun for me , and I have learned a lot …. everyone who extended advise to me had valid points and I still see and believe that a 2s is probably a better choice for what I originally intended to use a bike , but then there is life . our son will be taking a job in Phoenix in a few months and the wife is going to want to go see the boy , and being that's there is lots of desert the honda seems the natural choice.. the honda is not perfect but lots of info on how to get it right , it will be more capable than me , so lots of practice ahead. should be a great work out riding and picking it up. and I may do a thread on my impressions of the X.... at some point I may get the bike plated not to be a dual sport but to make road access easier . thanks guys , be safe out there.
 

Madhatter

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yep , giant 5.5 gallon tank , rack for soft luggage , windshield etc. so you know "trail boss " , he helped me unload my new honda out of my very high ram 4x4 pickup bed all slippery with rain , damn truck is pretty tall . going to have to find some longer ramps .
 

Curt

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I would probably decide the opposite -- a suitable KTM for dirt-only bike, and a Honda for street legal use.

I love my 500 EXC, and it may be the last dirt bike I ever own, dual sport, tuned nicely with 3.1 gal Acerbis tank (180mi range), handguards, heated grips, rotor guards and everything else.

But the problem with the KTM, besides being expensive, is that it's a highly targeted race engine, and as such is quite maintenance intensive. Oil changes are very frequent and valve jobs are a necessity. Droning through Death Valley at 60 mph with thousands of feet elevation change, my engine died with warped head and valve. It's really not made for that kind of application.

BTW my friend's DRZ400 has a 5+ gallon tank; he will only fill it to half because 40 lbs of fuel makes it top heavy.

Also, regarding loading bikes in a ruck: back up to a curb or berm, and/or a back the rear tire into a gutter so the ramp will be flatter and it is much easier to load/unload!
 

Madhatter

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thanks Curt , all good advice .... last night ( lots of rain coming down ) the nearest curb about 5 miles away and anything made of dirt say a berm or ditch is pure mud.... so in the dark of the drive it was.... neighbors ramps and neighbors help got it done , no damage to persons or bike. my neighbor is very experienced in dirt bike so he will be a good guide , he also has a ktm 500 exc-f , so it will be a chance to compare bikes in a real way , long term at least. and at 6500.00 the honda was a better fit to my budget. the ktm was first on my list, but value won out. 450x has a pretty intensive maintenance regime itself.
 

Madhatter

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that's one way to look at it.... did a search and there are 10' folding ramps at not to pricey a price that would lesson the grade … we were using Richards 7'5" ramps. so the longer ramps might take the pucker out of it.
 
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