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I am looking at the ktm 350 or 500 dual sport. Which local shops are good ? and are there any to avoid?

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Thumbs up for All American in Ramona

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Thumbs up for All American in Ramona

x2. They have a good rep and people actually come from all over the country to buy from them. RJ is the owner and Trevor is the main sales person.

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Thumbs up for All American in Ramona

+1 Talk to R.J the owner! Really good people there!

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I bought my 350 at NCY. It's a good shop. I do all my own maintenance, so I can't comment on the service dept. I have purchased many bikes from them, and they usually throw in extras (if you ask), and give 10% off on parts through a rewards program. Jim Hurkman, the owner, is a supporter of SDAR. He usually kicks in some bucks for the Desert Dash lunch. Nice helpful folks in the parts dept too.

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Yup. All American.

I can help you with prep, Rick.

Thanks Paul.I am not seeing any reason to get the 350 in stead of the 500.I think skid plate and bark busters are mandatory.what else on A reasonable budget?How often are oil and filter changes needed?

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Mandatory - Chain/sprockets, better mirror, bigger fuel tank, ecu remap, skid plate, bark busters

Optional- Steering Dampener, seat, header heat shield ( if you like your pants without a hole)

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Thanks Paul.I am not seeing any reason to get the 350 in stead of the 500.I think skid plate and bark busters are mandatory.what else on A reasonable budget?How often are oil and filter changes needed?

I think the 350 probably has a smoother power delivery- I've not ridden one, and perhaps some of the 350 guys will chime in. PbdBlue has a good list.

This weekend I was very glad to have the 500 (BTW- needs regearing- geared too high stock) when chasing Roger, but was not so happy on Ranger trail several weeks ago. But that's just because I'm not a very good rider.

The motor holds 1.2 liters of oil- that means change it often. I'm still on the breakin miles, so I've changed it a few times already (dino breakin oil) and will settle in at about every 500 miles. I've come full circle on oil- I now use the big-bux stuff. I used Rotella synthetic for years, but can't get past the notchitty shifting that happens after a few hundred miles- a proble I don't have with the good stuff.

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After owning a long line of 450's I bought a 2014 350EXC. Absolutely love it. That said it shines on the trail but not so much on the highway. It was a bit of an adjustment to go from the torque of a 450 to the 350 which definitely is a different animal. The truth is I am way less tired at the end of the day riding the 350. Light, nimble and smooth power. If I were in the market for more of a road warrior I would lean towards the 500. For trail riding which is what I mostly do I am thoroughly satisfied with the 350. YMMV.

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If you do go NCY instead of All American, be sure to talk to Danny Feeman. He's an experienced rider (unlike a few others over there), and can help guide you in the right direction. All American all the way for service....

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I would buy the bike where you want to start the loyalty and give continued business.

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I would buy the bike where you want to start the loyalty and give continued business.

Amen

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Yep. Forgot to put that on the mandatory list.

Also on the mandatory list is one of these:

post-286-0-30122700-1412517499.jpg

Plug to desmog the air valve. Credit goes to Bagstr for that find.

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The motor holds 1.2 liters of oil- that means change it often. I'm still on the breakin miles, so I've changed it a few times already (dino breakin oil) and will settle in at about every 500 miles. I've come full circle on oil- I now use the big-bux stuff. I used Rotella synthetic for years, but can't get past the notchitty shifting that happens after a few hundred miles- a proble I don't have with the good stuff.

+1. In the past I ran all manner of oils from dino (Rotella) to Sythetic (Mobil1 15-50, Amsoil, etc). For the 350 I've been running the recommended Motorex Crosspower 4T. 4L jug on Amazon ~$55 delivered to your door.

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I like RJ and recently (June) bought a 500 from him. Gearing, remap, skid plate, Acerbis 3.2 gal tank, V4 GPR steering stabilizer, HDB hand guards.

I just got a headlight from motominded. The guy 3D prints the bracket to fit to the OEM mask and then you can add a D2 Rigid light.

I took the bike to baja last weekend and the light is still on there after 200 miles of vibration. So far so good.

I have probably got $14K into the bike and around 700 miles. The 2014 models may be $500 cheaper than I paid in June.

-------

It is pretty cool to jump on the bike and not have to fiddle with the choke or petcock.

DD

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and radiator guards. I like the BPD, but others are good too.

You want to install them before you tweak the radiators. The installation would have been much easier.

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and radiator guards. I like the BPD, but others are good too.

You want to install them before you tweak the radiators. The installation would have been much easier.

I have been ignoring the need for radiator guards...Hmmm.

DD

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and radiator guards. I like the BPD, but others are good too.

You want to install them before you tweak the radiators. The installation would have been much easier.

I have been ignoring the need for radiator guards...Hmmm.

DD

Yeah, I was too.

Suffice to say the Acerbis tank provides insufficient protection.

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and radiator guards. I like the BPD, but others are good too.

You want to install them before you tweak the radiators. The installation would have been much easier.

+1 on BPD rad guards, well worth the money IMO unless you never crash of course.

As for local dealers I bought my 08 530EXC from NCY and later found I got screwed on the bike and accessories so I've never been back and won't, yes my bad to some extent letting it happen but not a good experience.

Next I bought a 10 300XC from RJ and AAK and a totally different and great experience from the sale to support, absolutely great so I have bought all other KTM's from them. I do however buy some parts and accessories online as cheaper plus free shipping and no tax and they're not in the most convenient location.

My next choice as backup plan would be Veys, Robert the owner is a nice guy and supports local races and events and rides the same things we do, only things I have bought from there were using a gift voucher I won from a race and I would go back there as a backup if necessary

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I picked up the 2014 500 exc yesterday.Rode it for about 2 hours today mostly dirt.I would have to say it is everything I had hoped for.Now I need to get used to it.Quite A bit different than my 1997 xr 400 that I have ridden for the last 7 years.

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Yes Robert Rosenberg is a really good guy. The new Veys store in el cajon will open December 1st.

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