450/530 EXC too high strung for street?

[chas2004]

I have been looking at used EXC bikes, and there are a lot of California street legal examples to choose from at good prices in my area. But my usage would be mostly street and dirt roads - dual sport type stuff. I've heard that these models (as opposed to the LC4, which I don't like all that much) are quite peaky, like race bikes, and need a lot of maintenance. Opinions?

[Windblown]

More work, yes. But you'll find several folks especially on ADV that use them on the road regularly. Balance the tires. Keep the oil changed. Check the valves fairly regularly. Get a fan if it doesn't have one. If you want some extra insurance get the HT oil cooler for the extra capacity. If you plan on popping lots of wheelies you might want a cush drive, but many run without and have not had any drive-line issues.

I added a steering damper (but no oil cooler) to mine simply because I was accustomed to the more lazy steering traits of a DR-Z. Of the two I would say bigger is better. I run 14/50 on my 525EXC and it does roads and trails just fine so far.

[gravelfreak]

A 525 or 530 with say 15/45 gearing will last forever. I'd be more worried about my lc4 than my rfs

[R0CKETMAN]

As the owner of a new 450exc, I would go with the 530 based on your criteria. For that matter I'd check out the FI 500 EXC.

Of course if you want to buy it and forget it, XR650L is very hard to beat.

[bassjam]

As the owner of a new 450exc, I would go with the 530 based on your criteria. For that matter I'd check out the FI 500 EXC.

Of course if you want to buy it and forget it, XR650L is very hard to beat.

^this^ If I rode a lot of street I think my pic would be a 530 or 500. Currently it's only about 5% with the rest in tight trails so my 400 does fine. X2 on Honda XR650l!

[DrKayak]

I would not choose a 530/450EXC for dual sport unless you want to ride trails on it too. 2 reasons - engine life and comfort.

Check out the KTM 950/990 if you can aford one. They are killer fun on back roads and about any dirt road. More comfort, carry camping gear, 2-up, much longer engine life...

[akarob]

There's not reason NOT to, but you have to understand that replacing the piston and rings on these bikes is part of routine maintenance. I think about 200-300 hours is the service interval for replacement.

If you want something that you can just ride and ride and ride, as said above, get an XR, DRZ, KLR or other dualsport bike. High performance comes at the price of maintenance.