Since our last article the
525 has provided us with many miles of fun. The orange giant has taken us on
numerous desert rides, over plenty of nasty singletrack, on a few dual-sport
rides and even found its way onto a few motocross tracks. The 525 handled each
of these scenarios remarkably well. This fact can be partially attributed to the
extremely rider friendly and torquey motor, partially to a chassis that isn't
overly stiff but can take a beating and partially to the Novation suspension
that has proven to be so versatile in varying conditions and terrain we expose
the bike
to.  |
Over the course of the
last couple of years we are happy to report our 525 has been nearly stone
reliable and has never left us stranded. This is not to say we haven't had a few
incidents here and there, but most of them caused by normal wear and tear. We
had the countershaft seal go bad on us once resulting in oil seeping from behind
the countershaft sprocket. Luckily it was a cheap and quick fix and didn't pose
a major issue so we took care of it before the next ride. In another instance we
had a fork seal start leaking and decided that was a good indicator that it was
time to freshen up both the forks and shock with new oil and seals. We sent our
suspension back to Novation
where things were freshened up and new Synergy fork seals installed. The Synergy
seals.
KTM MXC Tank -
Since our last article we have added a few things to make the bike more
functional in its dual-sport role. Since dual-sport outings and long desert
rides often end up covering many miles a 3.5 gallon tank from the KTM
MXC model was installed. In order to fit the tank on the EXC cleanly we also had
to use the seat off of the MXC model and a couple rubber spacers between the
tank and the radiators.
The spacers are the same ones that the stock tank sets on against the frame and
they help to keep the MXC tank from rubbing against the radiators. After
installing the tank we are able to get over 90 miles before hitting reserve, and
this is with a good 40 miles of deep sand-washes. The tank does take some
getting used to because it is considerably wider than the EXC version but once
you adjust the extra mileage is worth the width. KTM Fan Kit - In
addition to the MXC tank we also installed the KTM fan kit to keep the engine
cool when riding on tight technical trails, up big sandy desert hill-climbs or
riding on the street in traffic (which we prefer not to do). The fan kit is
available from your dealer and is actually an OEM part number because it is used
on the European models which are available stock in dual-sport trim. The kit
installs relatively easily and comes with the fan, a fuse and a temp gauge that
threads into bottom of the right radiator
after removing the stock plug. The stock wiring harness on the bike already has
the connections for the power to the fan so after you finish installing the fan
on the right radiator you just plug it in. Before running out and ordering the
fan kit make sure that the fan will work with your setup because some
aftermarket tanks don't allow enough room for the fan. The fan works great at
keeping the engine temps down during high engine load situations or when there
is a lack of air-flow going through the radiators, such as on slow technical
trails. With the limited oil capacity the 525 has we felt the fan was a great
investment to keep temps down and engine durability up. The fan is powered
directly from the battery and only comes on when the engine reaches a certain
temp and then shuts off as soon as the engine cools below that temp. It is
always fun to see the look on peoples faces when you pull up next to them, turn
off the bike and they hear the fan still running for a few seconds.  |  |
While the fan was added
for engine protection we learned quickly during a minor head-on collision that
the radiators also would benefit from protection. While coming around a corner
on the usually empty double-black diamond Snowy Trail we encountered a fellow
KTM rider coming in the other direction. With no time to react both of us tried
to hit the brakes and lean the other way but we still hit and went flying.
Luckily both of us were ok and the bikes only a little banged up. The left
radiator on our 525 connected with the radiator shroud of the other bike and
ended up getting a little bent. It wasn't drastic but enough to make us realize
how bad it would be to loose a radiator way out on the trail. KTM Tubular Radiator
Guards - Upon searching for radiator protection we needed to make sure the
radiator guards would be compatible with our fan kit yet still offer both front
and side protection. Many of the popular aftermarket aluminum guards would not
fit because they wrap around the backside of the radiator right where the fan
mounts. Luckily we found that KTM had an answer in their Hard Parts catalog.
They offer radiator guards that are essentially tubular bars that wrap around
the sides of the radiators and retain the stock plastic guards in the front. The
KTM guards mount up easily, offer superb side impact protection and work with
the fan without any modifications. What we quickly found out
however is that even though there is excellent side impact protection the front
of the radiators are still only guarded by the stock plastic guards which remain
exposed to the elements. On the second ride out with the KTM guards in place a
branch, or desert bush, stuck right through the stock plastic guard and ripped
it right off the bike. This left the radiator completely exposed in the front
for the rest of the ride which made us feel very uneasy. While this may not be a
common occurrence all it takes is one branch to poke a hole through the radiator
and end a day or weekend of good riding. BulletProof
Designs Billet Radiator Guards - Review |
After this incident we
started looking for radiator protection that would offer both side and frontal
impact protection while still working with the fan. Interestingly about the same
time we began looking for better protection we were contacted by BulletProof
Designs about testing their aluminum radiator guards. The first question we
asked of course is whether or not the guards would work with the fan kit and
both the EXC and MXC tank. We were pleasantly surprised to learn the guards do
in fact work with the fan and both tanks. In fact the folks at BulletProof
Designs actually started designing their guards after trying all sorts of other
aftermarket guards and finding they just didn't hold up to the demands of racing
and hard core riding. We agreed to test the
guards on the KTM and see how they compared to the hard parts KTM protection. We
were sort of expecting to receive a set of rather thin stamped style aluminum
radiator guards that provided adequate protection to the front and also worked
with the fan. Upon receiving the guards however we were pleasantly surprised to
find out these guards are made of thick 6061-T6 billet aluminum and that they
protect both the front and sides of the radiator. Installation instructions and
all the needed hardware were included in our shipment. Mounting up the guards is
quick and nearly as simple as mounting the Hard Parts guards as long as your
radiators are not too bent up already. On our unbent radiator the guard went on
easy but on our radiator that was bent from our previous head-on collision it
took a little more effort. Total time spent installing was about 30 minutes,
with at least 10 of those working with the bent side. Once the guards were
mounted the radiators felt very solid and secure. These guards mount to the
frame and around the radiators so they do an excellent job of providing
structural integrity to both the front and side of the radiators. They offer
excellent frontal protection from sticks, rocks and other things that the stock
plastic guards can't match. One thing that we did
notice is that while riding sandwashes in temps in the high 80s the fan seemed
to come on more with these guards than with the KTM Hard Parts guards. Our guess
is that the angle of the stock plastic protectors allows more airflow than the
flat slotted holes on the front of the billet guards - but we can't be sure. Besides this observation
the BulletProof guards are awesome and will remain on the 525 as our choice of
serious radiator protection. Since they are of made of the extremely high
quality 6061-T6 billet aluminum we think they will hold up to most any abuse we
will put them through. Plus, they offer protection we haven't seen offered by
other guards while still working with the KTM fan kit. At $189 per pair they
aren't the cheapest option available but just try pricing the cost of one
radiator and see what it will cost to replace! You can even get custom engraving
(see title image) in the guards for that special touch. The above upgrades have
helped transform the 525EXC into a reliable dual-sport and long distance runner
with the protection and durability to make it back to camp. We couldn't really
ask for much more from a bike that is so good at such a wide variety of
conditions. All of our aftermarket parts choices to date have turned out to be
very good choices. From the Ironman Sprockets that somehow have seemed to have
hardly worn to the Fastway handguards that have really taken a beating,
everything has proven reliable and up to the challenge of the multi-roles we ask
the 525 to do. Is that all for Project 525? Of course not, stay tuned for
another update on our HID headlight install that fits in the stock housing and a
few other goodies to make life better. ET
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