BIkes: 2019 KTM 500 exc

For many years now, if you wanted the lightest, most powerful, road registered, dual sport capable, dirt bike, then this was it, the KTM 500 exc.  The champion of the current crop of light weight, powerful, enduro dual sport bikes. 

It's not perfect, but for what i intend to do, there is little better in terms of a base to build into an adventure rally bike.  This bike is being built for a specific purpose, to rally in Africa and elsewhere and dual sport along the TET.  I'm going to attempt to distill all the experience of recent builds, research and advice into this bike.  For me that means keeping it simple and reliable, no bling, everything must have a purpose to earn its place. 

1. Fuel Range

The minimum fuel range requirement on the Intercontinental Rally is 250KM, and so the bike needs a large tank.  There's not much choice for the 2019 KTM, either the Acerbis 15.5L or the IMS 17L, both work with the original plastics.  The IMS wins on the extra capacity, metal fixings and marginally better design. Whilst i prefer the tank in black, its been an annoyance not being able see the fuel level on my current bike, so i went with the natural variant. Peace of mind and practically matter more than vanity in the back of beyond.

Below image copyright of https://basherdesigns.com/

2. Lights

Some of the Rally days start at 5am and its still dark, the OEM candle on the front of the KTM does not suffice for road riding, let alone Rallying.  There's a few options to pick from, the long standing range topping Baja Designs or newer competitors in Rigid Industries, Denali or Acerbis LEDs. The cheapest, but still practical alternative, is bolting spot lamps to the bars, it would be better than the stocker, but i didnt want the additional appendages getting ripped off in a fall.  In the end, getting hold of the Acerbis was easiest in the UK and like the Baja and Rigid, its a complete assembly ready to install onto an EXC. 

I attempted a quick review here. My apologies for the terrible quality, it was the first time id ever attempted a video.

The light comes fitted to a front enduro shield which makes swapping it for the original very easy.  The Acerbis doesn't come with an electrical connector so i had to source one from ebay, however once fitted its a straight swap, no further modification required. Totally compatible with the bikes electrics.  The light is 'full beam' only, no low beam, but that suits me as i use the low beam switch to turn the light off, this conserves power for other purposes.

On this occasion i also decided to install indicators.  I noticed  how much safer my buddy looked on his bike being able to indicate, rather than totter along with one hand stuck out.  I installed mini LEDs on the rear to prevent the exhaust burning them and any accident ripping them free.  Perhaps a pointless addition for most of the Rally, but safer for dual sporting and on the liaison sections.
I attempted a quick guide to fitting the additional indicator loom here. Again, my apologies for the terrible quality, it was the second time id ever attempted a video with my phone. 

3. Rally Tires

Hard wearing compounds that can handle the miles, rough terrain and changing environments.  Everyone will have their own opinion, but i've found the MotoZ Desert Tractionator to be extremely tough, long lasting, and good on and off road.  Tom, one of my Rally teammates, contacted Adventure Spec, the UK distributor, and they gave a massive 30% discount when they heard what we going to attempt in North Africa.

 Bingo!

I'm taking two sets of wheels with me, both fitted with new tyres and mousses. Should make a mid point tyre swap easier!

Below; a newly fitted MotoZ Desert Tractionator.

Below, the rear MotoZ tyre after approx 2000KM.  The hardest wearing knobbly tyre ive ever used.

4. Mousse

A set of mousses to replace standard inter tubes are highly recommended on a rally. Ive watched videos of people getting punctures in the desert wilderness whilst on a timed section, and i don't fancy that!   How much would you pay to not have a puncture 100miles away from anyone else in the Sahara desert? Hopefully mousses will prevent the punctures and other damage in the back of beyond (in the baking heat) and so i've looked at my options. After much consideration and research, and for various reasons, i'm going with Nitro Mousse.  Thankfully they have a handy sizing guide on their site that includes my tires! I also contacted the vendor and they were quick to confirm the correct sizing. 

http://nitromousse.com/ 

5. Protection

For obvious reasons the more delicate parts of the bikes need protection in the form of some armour plating. I've opted for an Acerbis skid plate for its coverage and light weight.  I did attempt to buy a metal variant from Poland, it looked great and covered much more of the engine, but the chap could not ship until after new year, which is too close to the rally.  I also know from experience that metal guards reflect more noise back at the rider.

To be totally honest the acerbis is a pain in the ass to fit with a small bracket thats attached behind the centre bolt.  If you have large hands, you're going to be using a large dollop of patience!  

After much consideration i've decided against fitting engine casing protection. My reason on this occasion is that the 2019 KTM has 300ml less oil than the previous model.  It will be hot in the desert, the cooling system will already be stressed and insulating the engine with plastic covers will not aid the  engine (and oil) in dissipating heat.  I hope i don't come to regret this decision. 

The second item of protection i like to use are wrap around hand guards, ive used them on all bikes and never suffered a broken lever, damaged grip or throttle sleeve. Worth the weight and cost in my opinion.  

At each side of the bar i've fitted a standard RAM mount that enables the mirror or GPS to sit at either side.   I've also moved both levers inwards a couple of centimeters, this enables me to grab with two fingers without the end of the leaver trapping my other digits. 

The final piece of protection is in the form of 2x Neoprene fork gaiters to keep the dirt away from the fork seals.  If they are good enough for Lyndon Poskitt, they are good enough for me. 

6. Throttle Tamer, Foam Rally grips and RAM mounts.

I used the G2 Throttle Tamer on my last bike and it was brilliant, really softening the throttle response in the first 25% of the twist.   This mod, along with the cushub, means i'm exerting less energy 'hanging onto' the bike when opening the throttle. Its particularly noticeable when you are stood on the pegs.  Another really good option for dual sporting.  You can just see the red throttle sleeve in the image below.

A tip i picked up on a rally forum, ProGrip Foam Rally Grips, they're softer than rubber grips and apparently absorb more vibration from the bars.  They are certainly much spongier to the touch and are supposed to reduce fatigue. The downside is they will likely retain water if it rains a lot.  As always i place a RAM mount at either side of my bars, it allows me to choose which side i mount the mirror depending on the side of the road on which you have to drive. (GPS goes on the opposite)

7. Air filter. 

The KTM manual has a section on preparing the bike for riding in sandy conditions. When it comes to the air filter, the recommendation is the additional sand and dust filters fitted over the original air filter. Both are now installed... 

8. Electrics

I need to power additional devices on the bars, one of them being the mandatory spot tracking device (https://www.findmespot.com/en-us/). I've created a simple additional wiring loom by running a cable to the handle bars direct from the battery.  The fuse for this additional wiring harness is accessed via the side air filter panel, easy to replace as needed.  The harness allows me to power two devices simultaneously by way of an SAE splitter cable.  I normally use a USB charger and a Satnav system and the best USB charger i've found is the Optimate.  It puts out enough current for power hungry devices, shuts the power off automatically when a USB device is unplugged, and highlights the current state of the main battery charge. Just cable tie or Velcro it where you like and you have an adaptable USB charging system.

 9. Cush Hub

Dual Sporting, Adventuring riding or Rallying, there's a lot of miles to cover and loads of it on the black top.  I've read many times over that a cush hub is recommended, this advice is echoed in many Dakar prep films i've viewed. The purpose of a cush hub is to dampen the shock to the drive train from the engine and can, apparently, help the crankshaft, chain, sprockets and spokes last longer.

I managed to locate a KTM 640 LC4 supermoto hub from Facebook marketplace, which i stripped and had laced onto a spare Excel rim.  The hub dimensions are perfect, but the spacers are a few millimeters off.  Initially i used the normal KTM exc spacer on the brake side and the LC4 spacer on the chain side.  I've since had some new spacers machined at a local engineering firm, Vision Engineering.  (A great group of lads happy help!)

The hub really does soften the abrupt throttle response you get on dirt bikes, as a result its one of the modifications, like the throttle tamer, that makes a massive difference to comfort levels. 

10. Pegs.

Apparently even a small drop in the foot peg height makes a big difference to comfort and leg strain when moving between sitting and standing. I've bought some DRC -5mm lower pegs.  They are cast metal and heavier than the originals, and unfortunately, when initially fitted they point upwards at the tips!  The upwards tilt is because the DRC's do not have a groove at the rear of the peg for the spring to fit into.  The original pegs do have a groove for the spring.  Once i spotted this issue i used a grinder to modify the DRC until they resembled the OEM pegs complete with spring groove.  They fit better as a result and are lower. 

10. Seat

A higher seat is recommended, like the lower pegs, to reduce leg strain over the long days. For comfort reasons a softer, wider seat, is recommended by my arse cheeks. Having just completed 3000KM on another wider comfort seat, i decided to splurge for a seat concepts tall comfort seat.  I can tell you now, it is soo much better that the OEM plank of wood.

Image below copyright of seatconcepts https://seatconcepts.com/pages/ktm_fitment

11. Suspension 

Whilst looking through images of my previous trips i noticed that my bikes always sat low in the suspension travel. After reading the KTM manuals i now understand the bike comes setup for a 75KG to 84KG rider.  In full kit im about 100KG and with luggage, obviously more.  After chatting with Barrie, the chap who instigated my participation in the Rally, i opted to up-rate the springs. The manual gives specifics for the spring tensions, based on rider weight in full kit, as highlighted in the table below. 

I found KTech Suspension (https://www.ktechsuspension.com/) in the UK and after consultation have decided to opt for the springs in the 95 - 105KG range. 

13. Final Gearing

I opted for 14 - 48 as i used on the dual sport trip to Morocco.  I think the bike would handle better on the road using 15 - 48, and the engine could certainly cope, but the former is fine for me. 

Setup

One of the many things i've learnt from my triathlon competing friends is that preparation is everything.  They may all differ in training technique, but they all get their road bikes (bicycles) fitted specifically to them for the 102mile race.  I've done some research on motorbike fitting and have taken advice.  However, for a quick one stop guide, this article covers the basics succinctly and forms the basis for some of the changes i made. The overall difference it makes is clearly noticeable and well worth the effort.

a) set the Sag

b) change the shock spring

c) change the fork spring

d) set the handle bars

e) change the seat

f) set the pegs

There were a couple of setup options i procrastinated over, but eventually decided against.

Impeller:  Its a desert and will be hot.  I've read about people fitting larger impellers to the pump or using Engine Ice or other coolants.  With the impeller i don't understand the point unless the radiators can extract the heat, a larger impeller serves only to push more coolant via the rad's and a heat saturated radiator cant extract it.   The special coolants are more viscous, thicker, placing more strain on the components, but do enable the engine to heat beyond the boiling point of water.  (Boiling water bubbles causing extreme hot spots within the engine - a bad thing)  If i was going to do anything it would to be to fit an additional manual fan to the other radiator.

Screen: The rally screens are 'fashionable' and i'd be moving away from my own 'keep it simple' ethos here, but it would be nice to have a little wind protection without unreasonable cost and weight. If i were going to tread this path i'd buy the bajaworx enduro screen. However, having completed several long adventures on enduro bikes without the screens, i know i'm not fast enough for it to matter that much :) 

Steering Damper: I have heard that two things can you save you from a high speed spill; sorting the suspension and fitting a steering damper. At the time of writing its 10 days until the bike is collected for Africa and I don't have a damper. In this instance I won't be fitting one, instead I'll rely on the hidden truth within my opening statement; I'll ride slower ;o).