450/525 EXC questios

[mdm_rides]

i went from a drz, owned 2 ktm 450's 05, 06. you will kill the ktm riding on the road. the high hp 450s are not for putting miles on. a drz motor will outlast several ktm motors. however if you are looking for the best offroad machine in the world, get the ktm........kc

Right on.......did the same. DRZ is a better street bike, but then so is a V-Strom, Nothing is better than the Ktoom off road. Period

[raven-9]

if your looking to get a KTM 450/525 for road use...forget it stick with the DRZ, but if yu want the best ofraod bike, choose either KTM youl be happy.

shoet bursts on road are ok, they are not built for highway use

[damnplumber]

yep the KTM is a race bike and so is a GSXR!

[Ditchdigger]

I ride with guys who own these bikes and cover some serious mileage on the black stuff when we are out for the day. Never experienced any problems. Will happily cruise at 60 - 70 mph. At these speeds things can get a little shaky when on knobblies, which would affect any bike. Plenty of stomp for overtaking I might add. Tyre wear is no worse than any other knobbly shod bike. You could always reduce the wear rate on the front tyre by keeping it up in the air!

As also mentioned the seat is more like a plank covered in black PVC. So expect a sore A*S after mucho miles......! I thought my WRF was bad until I had a go on one of these puppies. Great bike, although small tank does limit distances between pit stops a little. Although don’t let this put you off. Owned a DRZ - E model, loved it. However found it a tad heavy off road for what I wanted. Go for it. You won't be disappointed!

[Triumphs]

DRZ is a better street bike, but then so is a V-Strom, Nothing is better than the Ktoom off road. Period

Yep, it generally comes down to the best tool for the job, or in the case of dualsporting...the best compromise!

[martinsktm]

i have one too(450 EXC), and it is excelent!Sand, road, off-road it smashes everything!Great bike...

[cardiffdrz]

The bike is a dirt bike that can go on the road, but it will eat tires, make your butt sore and shake like hell! You may get 150-200 miles on set of tires. I had to stop a dual-sport ride due to tire wear at 75 miles! The bike is a stalling machine, even after rejetting. It stalls just when you need it most. The suspension is light years behind other bikes. Ride the drz a bit longer, newer, better dual sport bikes are around the corner. I would not buy my 450 exc again.

Wow, this post should be made into a sticky. I don't think i have ever seen anyone say that they had a bad experiance with a KTM after owning one.? Well actually Splice 35 has a legendary thread in here about his ktm overheating fix, which was changing it to a Honda. It compliments his latest thread of his new KTM that replaced the Honda that replaced the first KTM

[BobbyC]

KTMs are great but require MUCH more maintenance than a DRZ. That's something to think about if you plan on riding it on the street a lot. The engine just wasn't designed for that.

I bought a plated 450exc so I can run enduros with it and that's it but I ride the DRZ on and off road.

[suade907]

I got a 07 450 exc and ride it about 90/10 rode/dirt. I love mine but take it for what it is. It's a dirt bike with a plate and it's definitely gonna vibrate a heck of a lot more than your DRZ. You said that your 50. If you don't mind a little buzz every now and then the 450/525 are fine on the road. The bike will get a little head shake at cruising speed and if you are gonna ride a lot of road i recommend getting the tires balanced. But take it for what it is a hardcore dirt bike on the street. Any drz will be better on the road but not in the dirt. Maintenance on the DRZ will be better as well.

The guys a couple posts above mine said his bike was a stalling machine. Mine has never stalled not once. Granted I only have 300 miles on mine but it's ran perfect since new. I'm gonna be taking it up to MI this summer to put about 400-800 trail miles on her. We'll see how she does.

[damnplumber]

Just completed a 187-mile d/s ride yesterday 75 miles street no problems just the back tire wears out quick it was bald at 700 miles. extended 70 mph was just fine. The biggest drag is I have to change oil again.

[pterry]

How many miles to a tank do you get on a 450 or 525 exc?

[crossEDup]

Stock tank/gearing/jetting, on a ride with about 80% 2nd-3rd gear trails, 10% 4th gear trails, 10% gravel fire roads, I get about 65 miles before reserve.

[Jerry_Z]

My 2006 450 EXC is for sale! Check the classifieds... Has every thing done to it and a CA plate ?

[cipri7]

I have a 525 exc and it is fine on the road, but I do not use it much for that. I do have an Enduro Engineering soft seat (well worth the cost!). I did have a DRZ 400E and the KTM vibrates less, so not sure what those comments are about. The DRZ was a dog on the street with the 4 speed and was unhappy after about 65 mph. I have my 525 geared down to 13/52 and it is still happy at 85 MPH at altitude. At 85 I start to feel uncomfortable on pavement with the knobbies anyway. The only other thing is the high front fender and wind. But I guess that is where the DRZ was better... it weighed about 35 lbs +/- more than my 525, so that probably helps with the wind. I do not mean any insult to DRZ's, it was OK for what it was... a basic knock around bike. It is not even fair to compare it to a KTM.

[kfcz400]

not sure where you found a 4 speed drz, you must mean five speed. i had a drz for 2 yrs and then 2 ktm 450s. the drz motor will outlast the ktm by a long shot. the ktm in my opinion is the king of off road. it isn't a bike to compare to a drz. maybe the xr400 is a better comparison for the drz. i am not even sure why this drags on.kc

[orange flash]

You will do fine with Either EXC. I have the 450 and it handles back roads and rural highway runs OK. I just put 3 break in hours on it, did the recommended maintenance on it and ran a 2 day dual sport. Bike worked great for this type riding. I geared it 14/50 and that was a good compromise as I could handle all the hero sections and cruise at 55 comfortable with a top speed of around 90mph.

[sts475]

Hi there !

My 2 cents are that the 525 with knobbies is sketchy on the freeway especially with 18 mm triple clamps. The front tire wants to follow grooves and cracks. This is unsettling at 70 mph. ( I know I need a damper.) Get more streetable tires. I have been really careful about shifting and rolling the throttle on to minimize shock to the transmission. I was thinking that offroad with the tire spinning and catching traction and then loosing it and bouncing over bumps and long gnarly downhills are probably worse for the transmission than the street use. I'm getting super moto wheels with the cushion drive hub and I think it will be fine. The 525 is scary fast on the street and will run circles around my TE610. What a weapon !!!

Enjoy !

STS.

[PfM]

Guys, I am considering running a 525 on the street 90% also, but am concerned about the bikes longevity, rather than comfort.

In terms of serviceing, the 525 KTM manual specifies oil changes every 20 hours or 140 liters of fuel. For my 25km commute to work at average speed of 50km/h, I would be changing the oil every 1000km (600 miles) or 4 weeks, which is exactly what I did for my trusty old XR400. 140 litres of fuel would get me about 1500km. Either way, not a concern.

Used in this way, any ideas about how long the engine would last ? Average speed 50 km/h (30mph), no freeway work - max speed 100km/h (60mph), some trail work - very easy. If I can get 3 years out of it - 30 000km, I would be happy.

As to why I want a 525 on the road - why not ????, but for me, the main thing is the light weight and feel which you do not get with a DRZ. been there.

Cheers

PfM