Bagstr

https://www.all-spec.com/loctite-anti-seize

Moto Ownership is about Riding and Maintenance. The Ride Reports take care of that side. I had a thought to compile a number of these little maintenance issues here in one thread. We will see how valuable this concept is. Front Axle Grease Seals Six months or more past, I replaced the grease seals on the front axle of my 2016 KTM. Un-knowingly they were installed incorrectly. The seals have a sharp outer lip and the steel spacer has a narrow groove ring. When installing the grease seal ( by tapping in with a socket ), the seal can be pushed too far toward the center of the hub. This can cause said lip to be out of alignment with the spacer groove. In my case this misalignment created a high friction point and premature wearing of the grease seal. I believe my spacers are OEM, and when installed the narrow seal groove is 1 or 2 mm outside of flush with the hub. Leave the grease seal that same distance and you won't have pre-mature seal failure. Dave New install

Mr. J, You are on to another type of travel. Those in Australia will be texting you on details. Me here in LM, thinking another style of moto is needed to keep up with YOU. Bags P.S. You are putting the hours. Watching 👀, 👀

51F when we arrived 0800, 65F at 1400hrs. Soil conditions excellent. Vallecito Wash looked like it had been quite the mess Friday through Sunday. The two of us used the day to explore areas which we were un-familiar. BLM down south between the Immigration check and the Fans ( the west side ). Shooting range was really Trashed Up. Dos Cabezas Rd. up to where the rail disappear into the canyon. Then all the way north up June wash where we explored all three forks down to walking speed. A large group would have been rolling their eyes with all the dead ends. PMB held up to the torture. That's More Like It

Now, ,,Don’t you feel better??

Hey gang, There is a Dark rumor circulating on the crevices of the web : a small group of two wheelers will be gathering at 0800 in ABDSP for 80 miles or so of Sand and Rocks. If you are disposed and have a plate and stay on the trails, you are welcome to join us. Bagstr

The 350 is a Twin Cam and requires the cams to be removed to change the shim. The 450/500 is a single cam. Release a couple of set screws, slide out the cam axle and change the shim. Above is the single cam rocker. I have owned a 350 and now the 450 XCW. The '16 was the last year with the " Open " ECU and non XPLOR suspension. As far as pavement, there is no question that the big bore is better. For the forest, the 350 is best. For the open desert, I would choose the 450/500. I bought the 450 because people I trust claimed it handled the slow rocky climbs better than the 500. The claim was that the off-idle acceleration was abrupt. Well the mapping on an XCW is different than the EXC. If you have a '16 or earlier Or aftermarket fuel tuner, that Off-Idle stuff can be smoothed. No question that the 350 needs to be revved to make power in the sand or big hills. Less room for correcting if you back off the throttle. I always have the power I need with the 450; can back off a tricky section and then hammer it and recover. In terms of handling, I have heard it described as centrifugal inertia. The bigger the motor, the less it want to change direction. These are Both excellent motos. It is a matter of how hard you want to work at your off-road projects. Bags

With All the Talk about front axle installation,,,, I was careful while cleaning the front bearing grease seals. Recently installed these Totally Buff fork protectors, but. They created a bind in the pinch system. The axle proved tight and had to be driven out with a wooden punch once All the bolts were loose. Normally, the axle pushes out with finger pressure from the screw side. I found that the sleeve on the protectors are a little undersized, causing the pinch bolt to not release pinch pressure on the fork bottom. Added a little more clearance with a 5/16 drill. I think the too small hole caused side pressure on the bolts. Now the pinch action is returned to stock and the axle slides in and out easily. I thought you would want to know. Bagstr

The Only way to go - Form vs Function If not the local dealer, then Rocky Mountain

I'm Livin' 17 year old. That is the scale everything is measured. 😎 Oracle, Can you imagine life lived through the eyes of you son?

You know George, that test ride was worth at least $2. Short jaunt on the pavement is no way to really evaluate anything related to dirt function. Plus the thing is geared for the street. Looked like a 45T sprocket back there. Did a few small radius circles in the concrete drive and the bike felt relaxed and not threatening to fold in half. Cable clutch and street gearing puts it light years away from my 450. All considered, feels immediately comfortable with that relaxed settled stability you feel on a dirt bike. Certainly that T700 would benefit from the Suspension 101 treatment for off-road use. Maybe I was just too cautious on someone else's bike, but I would be re-gearing for fire roads etc. Then there are the Look of the thing. The seat and tail are low, like a street bike. Did the standard KTM kick over the seat and I was about six inches High. The Link rear shock resides quite low. Second purchase after a rear spocket would be a shock guard. The frame loops are low but the crank centerline is high with that 3" oil pan plus, Wait for It, the exhaust and Cat adding yet more height. Then you put the fuel tank on top. I am a fan of the low saddle-bag style tank. Two discs, who needs two discs? The front definitely has the Adventure Style thing going. Spoke wheels check that box. Has the Dakar upright screen and display. Grabbed the bars and did the two hand pick-up simulation. Well, I could pick it up off the ground without too much trouble. Not easy but doable. The same semi-test of a 790 at the dealer had me a bit more concerned. Don't these things weigh about the same? I have given serious thought to owning this type of bike. Every time I get close to one, Man it is a friggin' street bike. I may look at the Honda CB500X sometime and just be done with any off-road pretense. George, what increments of $5k would it take to bring the CB500X suspension up to average? Like the days of yore; Great motor, crap suspension, Great price point. Bagstr - SDAR Test Rider

UC It will take about two weeks to adjust. Wait, make that One week. You will never be more busy; with Your projects. We have both colors on the team. If you have a plate, we are happy to see you Bags 18 Party Days, Plus 1 to clear your desk. Should be fun

Electrical Highlights: Brown Plug - " I ran out of wire nuts. " White Plug - " I saved time by just using this nice Stab-In- the-wires feature. " Orange Cord - " Maybe I should have drug the extension cord through a Knockout so the door could close. " But then it would take longer to tighten the wire nuts in order to keep everything running. CID may be in Mexico again. 👀

George of Suspension 101 is working on a Project. " Hey I am putting this thing back together if you want to have a look at it," "Well, I am helping my son put together garage shelving. I will give you a call to see where you are when we finish." George had just returned from a shake-down run after revising the suspension. He is quite excited about the possibilities of this platform. " Good Bones " I will say that the " Build Quality " is apparent. Thanks for the Preview George, Good Luck trying to give the unit back to the owner. Dave

Leaving the mansion in the Rain takes a leap of faith. Faith that your environment research is correct and that you have friends that are just as crazy as you are. Near San Felipe Wash - A moment of sunshine in a cloudy 62F day. The amount of moisture depended on the location. I would say about 90% perfect. 5% muddy, 5% almost dry. Just a few whiffs of dust and a little more mud than you would like. ( Fault Wash ) Thanks for the Team Spirit to SoCalMule, Oracle and the PMB. P.S. Working with this new Mac Photos program, which make the processing slow. Welcome to Borrego Springs