Best mods for 2018 KTM 500 EXC-F

[Cray Paper]

Worked out a decent deal on a new KTM am picking it up Saturday. I have done some research online, but I haven't found anything specific to the 2018 US model. I'm only going to ride the bike on trails, ORV parks and fire roads to get to trails and ORV parks.

As part of the 11,500 out the door price the dealer is throwing in 500.00 of in store credit. I have already asked that they swap out the stock tires for Dunlop off road specific knobbies, change the front and rear sprockets to gear it down a little and O-ring chain to match. The service guy recommended deleting the EGR, witch I hadn't read about but it was only 50.00 bucks so I asked for that as well.

What else should I look in to to prepare the bike for serious trail and dune riding?

 

[8dayz]

I have an '18 Husky FE501. Start with www.ktmandhusky.com. Enjoy the bike.

 

[Blow It Up]

Delete smog.
Euro flash computer so it's not running so lean.
Re spring suspension for your weight. Definitely valve if it's in budget
Fmf silencer so it can breathe .
Put small led turn signal lights on. Especially in the rear mounted on fender without arms so there out of the way.
Get rear plastic dirt version brake light and plastic thats smaller install and mount plate so it eliminates that giant license plate holder for hitting rear tire when ripping.

Did this to my 2016 Husky 501s and the bike came alive.

 

[Hondo-407]

I have an '18 Husky FE501. Start with www.ktmandhusky.com. Enjoy the bike.

YES! I highly recommend Best Dual Sport Bikes! Lots of knowledge to gain by watching his videos...

2015 KTM 500EXC Rider.... Could be the making of the 1st annual RDP Dual Sport ride!

 

[stokerwhore]

Delete smog.
Euro flash computer so it's not running so lean.
Re spring suspension for your weight. Definitely valve if it's in budget
Fmf silencer so it can breathe .
Put small led turn signal lights on. Especially in the rear mounted on fender without arms so there out of the way.
Get rear plastic dirt version brake light and plastic thats smaller install and mount plate so it eliminates that giant license plate holder for hitting rear tire when ripping.

Did this to my 2016 and the bike came alive.

^^^perfect^^^

also my 2018 husky came with a reed valve (i shit you not) in the air intake. pull the air filter, reach in their with pliers and shit can it.
*euro map is key

 

[Blow It Up]

^^^perfect^^^

also my 2018 husky came with a reed valve (i shit you not) in the air intake. pull the air filter, reach in their with pliers and shit can it.
*euro map is key

It's crazy how choked down they deliver them. Guess they have to in order to be able to sell a beast like this and be smog legal. Bikes are badass.

 

[Hondo-407]

Dave,
Just my 2 cents / philosophy... Money spent on the correct suspension set-up is the absolute best money spent.... Also I highly recommend a set of wide foot pegs if you plan on doing any lengthy rides. This thread got me fired up to go in the garage & snap a picture of her.

 

[rmarion]

Plenty of GAS!!!

 

[Cray Paper]

This is the specific stuff I have been searching for, you guys are awesome. When I talked to the parts counter goon, squaty guy about 215 and 5'7" tall, he started talking about an EGR delete I explained how one works in a car how it is not a bad thing and his eyes glazed over, he just swore up and down that this 50.00 dollar EGR / PCV valve delete kit would make a huge difference. They had no fucking clue as to why or what they were talking about. It might, but they had no idea how why it worked.

I'm way heavier than most riders so suspension work will be a must. I havent been on a bike in almost 20 years so I cant fucking wait to toss a leg over the MOFO and get it out in the funk.

 

[Headless hula]

With everything I just read, all heard was....




BRAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPP!!!!!



sure looks like fun....

 

[Cray Paper]

I have an '18 Husky FE501. Start with www.ktmandhusky.com. Enjoy the bike.

Thanks for the link, BTW, I would have rather have bought a Husky, but it would have been a couple of grand more for almost the same bike. Maybe next year. Thanks again for the link.

 

[8dayz]

^^Nice dirt scooter! Suspension is next for me also. At PC as well. I have the Voyager Pro, GPR 4, LED Supermoto Tail light, end cap, all the fuel rail zip zaps, bigger billet clutch cover for more oil, & TPS adjusted. Moto Z tractionatores, 4 mill tubes etc... going with the mousses for a Colorado ride in September. Off the showroom it was a pig. My CRF450 would crush it. Now I’m way into. Be careful it’s like a HD [emoji3] Oh, and go join Thumper Talk, they have a bike specific thread. Enjoy that rabbit hole haha

 

[Sharp Shooter]

If you're still 300+ pounds re spring and valve your suspension for your weight.

 

[boatdoc55]

Almo

This is the specific stuff I have been searching for, you guys are awesome. When I talked to the parts counter goon, squaty guy about 215 and 5'7" tall, he started talking about an EGR delete I explained how one works in a car how it is not a bad thing and his eyes glazed over, he just swore up and down that this 50.00 dollar EGR / PCV valve delete kit would make a huge difference. They had no fucking clue as to why or what they were talking about. It might, but they had no idea how why it worked.

I'm way heavier than most riders so suspension work will be a must. I havent been on a bike in almost 20 years so I cant fucking wait to toss a leg over the MOFO and get it out in the funk.

Almost 20 years!!!! I tried getting back on one after 18 and I never remember it hurting that bad when it jumps out from underneath you. Have a blast on your new ride and make sure your insurance is up to snuff. Not wishing any harm to you, just my experience.

 

[AEA]

Thanks for the link, BTW, I would have rather have bought a Husky, but it would have been a couple of grand more for almost the same bike. Maybe next year. Thanks again for the link.

What did you like better about the Husky?

 

[DLC]

My buddy has one and he does a lot of ridding and he has a trials type tire on the back, not sure what brand but it last longer...
He does a lot of Mexico / tecate single track also did the big bear DS ride

I’m so jealous! Congratulations on your New scoot!

 

[DRIVE BYE]

Last I checked KTM has the Euro map locked out... I went with the Vortex ECU That was the best $ spent by far. Add a scotts stabilizer, A slip on, and some Black Dog wide footpegs. The best gearing i think is 14-46 for what you'll be doing, all great info everyone!

 

[green250]

IMS 3 gal tank, aux USB for power, RAM mount for GPS. Hell most everyone has an old phone now a days. Download GIAA app and you'll have GPS even with phone offline.

The smog mod is an easy DIY.

Agree to everything above. Oh yeah bark busters too. If you are going on long rides Seat Concepts seat.

Ok now I'm getting antsy. Someone put that RDP dual sport ride together. I'm in

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[pixrthis]

Take it to George at ESP and he will make it a much better motorcycle.

 

[Hondo-407]

Oh... Absolutely the best mirror on the market. Follow the link. Go with the enduro set-up. If your a bigger guy go with the long Ram Mount so you can see around yourself. Your factory mirrors will last about 30 minutes on the trail... As mentioned above these things are like a Harley when it comes to accessories... BRAaaap

https://www.doubletakemirror.com/build

 

[2Driver]

Recluse clutch and a scott stearing dampener

 

[footer]

As was said above, dial the suspension. Setting the spring rates, sag, and damping for you and your riding style is the #1 way to be more in control, more comfortable, and therefore faster. Having a suspension tech help with the set-up is the best money I’ve ever spend on a dirt bike. The biggest difference between the pros and the rest of us is suspension.

 

[oldschool]

Suspension, extra tires and gas. Congrats and have fun!

 

[oldschool]

The biggest difference between the pros and the rest of us is suspension.

And the skill to really use the suspension.

 

[footer]

And the skill to really use the suspension.

You're right. There is that whole skilz thing.

 

[Rajobigguy]

YES! I highly recommend Best Dual Sport Bikes! Lots of knowledge to gain by watching his videos...

2015 KTM 500EXC Rider.... Could be the making of the 1st annual RDP Dual Sport ride!

My vote is for a days ride on the Mojave trail. Start out around Baker and end up around Needles.

 

[sintax]

My vote is for a days ride on the Mojave trail. Start out around Baker and end up around Needles.

I could be into this once it cools down.

Another option is hitting the High Sierras

 

[Hondo-407]

How many dual sport riders do we have near the Inland Empire? (I'm not proud of it)

When it cools down I can put together a ride leaving my driveway in Redlands heading up the side of the mountain thru Angeles Oaks with a lunch stop in Big Bear. After that I loop around the East end of the lake working my way N/W towards Arrowhead & Silverwood then back into Redlands with maybe a pit-stop at Hanger 24. My loop is usually about 120 miles 80% percent of the ride is dirt with as much single track as I can find. We love to do it on Fridays when there is nobody on the trails but Sat or Sun doesn't suck either.

 

[Rajobigguy]

How many dual sport riders do we have near the Inland Empire? (I'm not proud of it)

When it cools down I can put together a ride leaving my driveway in Redlands heading up the side of the mountain thru Angeles Oaks with a lunch stop in Big Bear. After that I loop around the East end of the lake working my way N/W towards Arrowhead & Silverwood then back into Redlands with maybe a pit-stop at Hanger 24. My loop is usually about 120 miles 80% percent of the ride is dirt with as much single track as I can find. We love to do it on Fridays when there is nobody on the trails but Sat or Sun doesn't suck either.

Is this something you do on your own or are you part of the Big Bear trail riders group?

 

[ChumpChange]

How many dual sport riders do we have near the Inland Empire? (I'm not proud of it)

When it cools down I can put together a ride leaving my driveway in Redlands heading up the side of the mountain thru Angeles Oaks with a lunch stop in Big Bear. After that I loop around the East end of the lake working my way N/W towards Arrowhead & Silverwood then back into Redlands with maybe a pit-stop at Hanger 24. My loop is usually about 120 miles 80% percent of the ride is dirt with as much single track as I can find. We love to do it on Fridays when there is nobody on the trails but Sat or Sun doesn't suck either.

I have my KTM out of La Verne.

 

[HotRod82]

Oh... Absolutely the best mirror on the market. Follow the link. Go with the enduro set-up. If your a bigger guy go with the long Ram Mount so you can see around yourself. Your factory mirrors will last about 30 minutes on the trail... As mentioned above these things are like a Harley when it comes to accessories... BRAaaap

https://www.doubletakemirror.com/build

also check out highwaydirtbikes.com and look at their hanguard / folding mirrors combo.....IMO better than the doubletake stuff.

A steering stabilizer is worth the $$$$ too.

 

[sintax]

How many dual sport riders do we have near the Inland Empire? (I'm not proud of it)

I'm in Riverside

 

[Dan Lorenze]

Suspension sprung for your weight, gearing 14x50 and chain, skid plate, Acerbis 3.x tank, Sicass license plate assembly and blinkers, slip-on FMF Q4, Desmog. Doesn't need a steering stabilizer unless you're racing Vegas to Reno,Baja etc..

 

[HBCraig]

If you will do a ton of offroading get a good set of bars to help with some arm pump.

Fasst Flex bars are nice.

 

[Hondo-407]

Is this something you do on your own or are you part of the Big Bear trail riders group?

Not part of BBTR, Just a few buddies... (RDP Members)

 

[stokerwhore]

AXP skid plates are nice

 

[HotRod82]

Suspension sprung for your weight, gearing 14x50 and chain, skid plate, Acerbis 3.x tank, Sicass license plate assembly and blinkers, slip-on FMF Q4, Desmog. Doesn't need a steering stabilizer unless you're racing Vegas to Reno,Baja etc..

Have you ever ridden one with a stabilizer? I used to think they were only for high speed prerunning, I had one on my XR650 but did not have one on my first KTM500...... now (I'm 49) I don't know why I ever rode without one. They reduce fatigue and help flatten out the cross grain. My 2016 actually ran better with the stock silencer too. I had Crower dyno it with both...top end was dead even, I picked up about 3 ft. lbs of torque on the bottom/ mid-range with the stocker and it is waaaay quieter than the Q4. I have a Blaise ecu tune and desmogged of course. Incredible how good these 500's are!

 

[Terry G]

Change the stock seat for a "Seat Concepts" seat, add the FMF pipe, de-smog, oversize foot pegs, wheel weights (compensate for the f'd up balance from OEM) and a bad ass camel back that holds a few cold adult refreshments! Hondo-407 is a crazy man, I wouldn't ride with him. Not without CL that is!!!!

 

[Rajobigguy]

As has been mentioned in the last couple of posts, the first mods should be a steering stabilizer and if your going to spend any time with your butt planted on the seat then get rid of the 2x4 it came with and get a nice Seat Concepts seat, your butt and back will thank you.
Later down the road you might consider a Recluse of EFM auto clutch.

 

[Cray Paper]

Thanks for the advice, duly noted. Guess this should have been a LAM thread. I had the dealer change the gearing ( they put a 13 up front and 50 on the back), with new chain, tires and de smog kit. Not sure what all they pulled from the smog stuff, but it's a decent sized box of factory parts they handed over. My kids went with me so I used my personal truck with a short bed, had to pull the tool box loose and turn it sideways in the bed to allow the bike to fit. We did a bunch of running around before I got home and was able to ride it. My old Shoei helmet from 20 years ago doesn't fit anymore and the dealer didn't have anything larger than XL so I order a 3XL Bell. My kids helped me offload the bike then I took it for about a 15 minute spin around my sisters 5 acres. It's so much different than the last bike I had, a 95 worked over YZ 250. IT makes good power, but the suspension is soft, the front feels like it is a little darty ( soft springs), had it flame out twice just by pulling in the clutch after having some mid range revs. It has some balls, just didnt have the room or gear on to start getting after it. LOL, I stopped by one of my younger brothers place after picking it up and he said dont be dumb and take it easy. I felt like I was talking to my mom and told him I'm way older know and dont plan on doing the crazy shit I used to. He said I give you one hour on that bike and your going to start trying to ride it like you were 25 again. He is the guy that had a ZX 1400 and posted hundreds of crazy videos on youtube, his handle was something like ZX_BLUR. It took about 3 minutes and I started trying to see how far I could ride a wheelie in front of my kids. No helmet, no boots, just shorts and a tee shirt.

I have good insurance on it, just need the riding gear and break in time now. Most of our riding in this area is in tight wooded areas. The gearing change seems drastic but I dont doubt it is correct for our local ares.

 

[Cray Paper]

Just ordered a Seat Concepts Tall seat. Not sure if I need a steering stabilizer right now, I want to get used to the steering angle then decide. I am riding in western Washington, our riding is tight and twisty with lots of vertical transition thrown in. If I was going to hit the dunes in eastern WA or Oregon or do the Matawa 100 again I will be all over it.

 

[HotRod82]

If you've never owned a KTM be aware they are hyper-sensitive to sag and preload settings. It's amazing how 3 or 4 mm difference in rear sag on my 2016 can be the difference between a great handling bike and a terrible handling bike. Very different from the Hondas and Kawi's I've owned.

 

[Cray Paper]

What did you like better about the Husky?

Number one is that they are different but perform! From what I have read the suspension is better for dedicated off road use because of the rear linkage?

 

[DLC]

I’m sold on the Husky! I just need the cash to Make It SOLD!

I have a Husaberg 501 and it will hit 85-90 no problem, but it’s a lefty kick, it’s so easy to ride

 

[yz450mm]

I'm in, let's ride! The boxes with new goodies are already arriving, just waiting for Friday night and and some beers to start swapping parts...

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[white tortilla]

i have the 18 husky. hated it at first they are total shit from the factory. i did smog delete, thermostat delete, 1 tooth shorter in the front, lower seat, scotts stabilizer, rear plate mount went to TE mount, sickass blinkers, the fmf pipe, 450 airbox snorkel exchange, and the main thing that made a big difference was the Vortex CDI. About $2500 later its getting to be a decent bike

 

[Xring01]

Worked out a decent deal on a new KTM am picking it up Saturday. I have done some research online, but I haven't found anything specific to the 2018 US model. I'm only going to ride the bike on trails, ORV parks and fire roads to get to trails and ORV parks.

As part of the 11,500 out the door price the dealer is throwing in 500.00 of in store credit. I have already asked that they swap out the stock tires for Dunlop off road specific knobbies, change the front and rear sprockets to gear it down a little and O-ring chain to match. The service guy recommended deleting the EGR, witch I hadn't read about but it was only 50.00 bucks so I asked for that as well.

What else should I look in to to prepare the bike for serious trail and dune riding?

The best mod you can do for a 500 4 stroke is:
Replace it with a 300 XCW 2 stroke.... HA...

 

[Croz]

I’ve got both my kawi 450’s for sale, I’m getting one of these bad boys. Going to buy a used one, I’ve seen some with north of 12k miles!

 

[Cray Paper]

Man, sad to say I haven't ridden the bike in 3 weeks and it only has 1 hour of run time so far. Ordered a seat concepts seat the weekend I picked it up, it came in last week but haven't put it on yet. Just been busy with work, the kids and the divorce. When I started looking in to buying a bike I had the intent of buying a bike to teach my two sons to ride with and hopefully they would be interested and we could spend time together doing that. After months of searching I settled on a 2005 Yamaha TTR 230. I picked one up for 1500.00 3 weeks ago. My kids saw it when I had them 2 weekends ago and almost immediately my soon to be ex texted me that the kids were not interested in riding. My youngest son texted me that night that he and his older brother had talked and they dont want to risk being injured and not being able to play football.

When I picked my kids up the next morning my soon to be ex came out and tried to jump my ass for "forcing them" to ride a dirt bike, she then told me I was a shitty teacher because when I tried to teach her to ride ( after her and her dad swore she had ridden dirt bikes her entire life) she didnt understand what I was saying and it was my fault she didn't like or learn to ride.

That right there is why we are in a divorce situation. I told her I am not a great teacher, never claimed to be, but try. I then told her that she should know that she is a shitty student and didn't even try to listen to anything I tried to teach her, just protested and then blamed me when she didnt follow through. It was such a strange conversation, but the outcome is I have a bike that my kids wont try and ride but my BIL and his stepson ride the shit out of.

I know my kids will come around, just sucks my soon to be ex has made this way more difficult than it should be. How many kids can stand there looking at a motorcycle that is theirs and say " na, mom says I might get hurt" and stick with it?

 

[Kevin Schulte]

Man, sad to say I haven't ridden the bike in 3 weeks and it only has 1 hour of run time so far. Ordered a seat concepts seat the weekend I picked it up, it came in last week but haven't put it on yet. Just been busy with work, the kids and the divorce. When I started looking in to buying a bike I had the intent of buying a bike to teach my two sons to ride with and hopefully they would be interested and we could spend time together doing that. After months of searching I settled on a 2005 Yamaha TTR 230. I picked one up for 1500.00 3 weeks ago. My kids saw it when I had them 2 weekends ago and almost immediately my soon to be ex texted me that the kids were not interested in riding. My youngest son texted me that night that he and his older brother had talked and they dont want to risk being injured and not being able to play football.

When I picked my kids up the next morning my soon to be ex came out and tried to jump my ass for "forcing them" to ride a dirt bike, she then told me I was a shitty teacher because when I tried to teach her to ride ( after her and her dad swore she had ridden dirt bikes her entire life) she didnt understand what I was saying and it was my fault she didn't like or learn to ride.

That right there is why we are in a divorce situation. I told her I am not a great teacher, never claimed to be, but try. I then told her that she should know that she is a shitty student and didn't even try to listen to anything I tried to teach her, just protested and then blamed me when she didnt follow through. It was such a strange conversation, but the outcome is I have a bike that my kids wont try and ride but my BIL and his stepson ride the shit out of.

I know my kids will come around, just sucks my soon to be ex has made this way more difficult than it should be. How many kids can stand there looking at a motorcycle that is theirs and say " na, mom says I might get hurt" and stick with it?