So recently on a trail on a 2015 ktm exc 500 and my radiator hose had melted on my exhaust! I managed to cut it shorter and make it home, everyone is saying remove thermostat but I don’t really want to as apparently it’s not a good idea if I plan on riding in the winter? Some advice is highly welcomed! 🙏

hi all looking for feedback on a good fit for my first bike.

I know that this is a 10% road/90% off road tire, has anybody driven one of these tires on the road? Is there anything I should or shouldn't do? Is it truly safe on the road?

Bonjour à tous,

J'ai une fuite d'huile sur ma Kawasaki KLX 300 R de 1999 (modèle français).

Les symptômes :

• La moto fonctionne parfaitement, aucun problème à signaler.
• Je roule 2 à 3 km, tout va bien, puis de l'huile commence à suinter et couler au niveau du tendeur.

Mes questions :

• Est-ce que c'est déjà arrivé à quelqu'un ici ?
• J'ai repéré et acheté le joint torique (réf. 92055 sur le schéma). Pensez-vous que changer ce joint est utile et suffira, ou est-ce que ça vient carrément du tendeur complet (réf. 12048) ?
• Si ce n'est pas le joint torique ni le tendeur, que faire d'autre selon vous ?

Merci d'avance pour vos retours et votre aide !

What do you think of the RVCA bag? Ugly or ingenious? 🥸

I was about to order Tusk Traverse bags ($200 canadian) when I saw this one at Winners(TJ MAXX) for $24.99 earlier. Perfect for carrying my rain gear all the time.

I could even put one on the other side for other bits and bobs... The GIVI bag is there to carry my lunch.

And no, I don't want a backpack, I'm allergic 🤣

Hi, I wonder if anyone is using 50/50 tires ( like pirelli scorpion ar anything simmilar that people put on their advs) on ktm/husky 450/500cc platform.
Since street legal knobies feel horrible on pavement, i am thinking about having some compromise.
My use would be 5-15km of pavement each way to have an hour of fun offroad. Mostly gravel. No technical stuff nor sand. Mostly hard surfaces.

Would I feel a lot of a difference compared to dedicated offroad tire?

Just got my motorcycle endorsement so looking to make a purchase soon. I'm 5'6 female and doing solo rv life so I would need something I can load and unload by myself. Would mainly be doing trips around town when the rv is parked but I know I'm going to fall in love with trail riding since I grew up on ATVs. When im back home I would also use this as my primary method of transportation so ideally something that can keep up with the flow of traffic if i had to hop on the highway. Thank you in advance!!!

Drz4s on stock tyres surely can do a field excursion.

I would like to change my Honda ADV 350 for a bigger bike, I use it mostly on the city, in my country we can lane split and with my bike I can do it easly.

I tried to go out on the highway with my current bike but it was kind of scary as most truck push air towards me and move me a little bit. Also in slow to mid speeds I could overtake fine. But agains a car over 100km/h it was imposible. So that is why I’m not using it a lot (better to say never) on the highway.

I would like to use a bike on my daily comute and to use it when ever I want to go out in the highway safetly

My options to change are the Honda NX500 e-clutch, Honda Transalp 750 e-clutch and the Suzuki V-Storm 650. I’m going to try the TA. And check if it makes me feel more safe on the highway and is capeble to daily comute because I appreciate my bike to be capable of lane splitting

Also I would like to know if is safe to change from a 350 to a 750 or a 650. I have to say I’m really a chill rider that likes to live and not be a daredevil

I can buy all of the bikes the problem that I have is I do not want to spend money on something that is way to much more that I can no use easly on my daily commute or spend money on something that will feel the same as my adv 350

Without much more to say thank you for your time and if you answer I appreciated

The Kawasaki KE100 was an entry level dualsport that saw its introduction in 1976 and continued until 2001, becoming the last street legal two stroke motorcycle for sale in the US. At 11 horsepower and a price equivalent to a modern Honda Navi the 100cc mosquito repulsion device was no competition bike but for many a 16 year old it was their first street-legal introduction to two wheels and, as Kawasaki's advertisements put it, it sure beat a moped.

I picked this gem up from a local guy who bought it to re-live his youth, but his lack of mechanical ability combined with the bike sitting more than he would like led to it getting listed for $950 "needs a battery and the carb cleaned". Sure.

The bike ran, but only with the choke on; a sure sign of an air leak somewhere. A night of disassembly resulted in the engine blown apart across half of my buddy's shop as we got increasingly baffled as the number of potential leak areas dwindled. Eventually I leaned over and puffed air through the intake tube and was rewarded with a blast of air back into my eyes from the base of the cylinder. Base gasket leak? The reason was obvious when I went to loosen the head nuts and was greeted with a 1/4" socket stuck to one of the nuts, and the force required to loosen all four bolts was doable with a 1/4" micro-ratchet gently clasped between thumb and forefinger. "To spec", indeed.

A gasket kit, a new plug, and the carb spending some time in the ultrasonic cleaner and the bike went back together just as neat as anything. An inspection of the crankshaft and the cylinder liner (nikasil; so fancy!) when the jug was off neatly corroborated the sub-5,000 mile claim on the instrument cluster. Two kicks and the bike sprang to life and settled into a chainsaw-like idle as every head nearby shot up wondering who was having a tree removed and I putted around the neighborhood.

Since then the bike has been excellent; that first night it saw both street and trail and the 200lb soaking wet weight and low seat height makes it an absolute blast on single-track, and the 2-stroke power delivery is not as notable as actual performance machines but the complete and utter lack of torque still demanded a very different approach to keeping the bike "on the pipe" and in the powerband to maintain momentum. Hill starts? Perilous.

Since then I have remedied a couple more issues; a new petcock that *almost* fits correctly was installed and the old ball bearing steering stem bearings were replaced with a set of tapered roller bearings from Allballs to resolve a "notchy" feeling in the steering that I believe was caused by contaminated, dried grease.

Coming up next will be a new set of brake shoes, some nice fresh tires (white letter, perhaps?), and finding a way to shore up the 6 volt electrical system so the headlight has more luminosity than a candle on a foggy evening.

I have a lot of bikes in my fleet right now. A fire-breathing titanium-exhausted 1,000cc Italian Aprilia that just received a Gabro tune, a weird Vectrix VX-1 electric maxi-scooter that sounds like a spaceship and can hold my groceries, a Honda Magna V-4 with the baffles drilled out that sounds like a thousand demons chasing me down the road, and a Kawasaki KLX300 dualsport that is superior to the KE in every single respect. Despite all of this I find myself reaching over and over again for the keys to the floppy-chassis, useless suspension, 11 horsepower, 55mph top speed little enduro from the 70s. It is, in almost all respects, a terrible motorcycle. But when I kick it over with what feels like not enough effort and it dutifully springs to life into a ting ting ting ting idle there is one thing that it does better than almost anything else:

it makes me smile.

Man, I've done product photography in the past and I'm trying to get better and moto pics. This is much harder.

Hard to believe she’s 27 years old!!

I mainly ride this on trails, some fire roads, and ditches. I got the new exhaust because it's much louder, and it's a deterrent for wild animals where we go. Also did a tail tidy kit and it looks way better.

Which did/would you choose and why? In the market for either of these 2. I don’t really have a preference for the brand. Any place that one of these shines while the other lacks?

As I was reinstalling the cam retainer a noticed a dowel that was sitting in between the cams. I pulled the retainer off and saw that neither of the 2 locator dowels were in their proper location. I recovered the one that I saw, but I’m not sure if the other was there in the first place.

What’s the proper course of action going forward? My plan is to use a telescoping magnet to fish around the cam chain, and if that doesn’t work drain the oil and pull the clutch and stator covers.
I’m hoping it doesn’t go that far, but does anyone have any advice?

I (29F) took a wonderful fly n ride trip for my last summer in my 20s to the beautiful San Juans. Rented this awesome Honda CRF300LS and took it on the Alpine Loop, Ophir Pass, and Last Dollar Rd. I’ve taken my Tacoma on all these trails so I was at least familiar with the area, but it was a whole different experience on 2 wheels. I brought my own gear but got the bike from Telluride Moto, highly recommend if you’re looking to take a trip out here.

I hate flying but I’m glad I dealt with it to ride this beautiful part of the country - so different from what I’m used to in New England! I hope I can try flying and riding again someday.

Hello everyone,

I recently bought an XT 600 3TB. Mechanically, the bike is in excellent condition, even with 60,000 km (37,282 miles) on the clock.

Cosmetically, however, it's showing its age. After 34 years, it's still wearing its original fairings, and unfortunately many of them are cracked or broken.

Today, I even lost the left side panel (battery cover) while riding to work. I've been searching for a replacement, but it seems they're impossible to find. I can't even find a used one.

Does anyone know where I could get new or reproduction fairings for a 3TB? Preferably somewhere in Europe.

Well if you read my last post, you might be wondering if it’s still cold.

It’s warm now (about 55*) but it is certainly not dry anymore. It’s wet. We could get about 2.5” of rain today ☔️

Had to buy some new tires to deal with the muddy conditions, but still a good time sneaking out for some rides in the midnight sun when the weather breaks.

Hope the trails have been better where you are!
Oh, last thing, this one’s important.

Happy summer.

Enjoy the Ride🤙

Ive sold my drz 400e last year and am in a position to get my next bike. Im a pretty skilled rider and wanting to try something that has the Drz reliability and easy maintenance, as well as the perfect balance of on and off road. But im after something much lighter and with a bit more power.

Loved my drz and sort of half tempted to try out the new drz4s, but a part of me wants to give something else a go

I am in the market for a "plated dirtbike". I am an intermediate dualsport rider looking to broaden my offroad horizons. Been riding for around 5 years.

It is relatively easy to plate a bike in Michigan. I was originally shopping for a WR450F, but red has recently started calling to me. Something to do with watching the 2005 Orange Crush GNCC on youtube I'm sure. Doug Henry is a legend.

I am cross shopping current gen 450X vs 450RL. I know that they are highly similar, but I am still a bit torn. I am open to other options for sure, but save the "buy a KTM" for this thread please. I know. The KTMs hold their value a little too well at the moment. The CRFs are getting somewhat close to being in my price range used, and the X models specifically are often leftover and sell for some really good deals that I can justify for a brand new bike.

Coming from a DRZ. Looking for something lighter. Will keep the DRZ around. Just want something that's a little easier to ride on routes with more deep sand and singletrack. I don't plan to crush street miles on this bike at all. For these types of rides I typically truck out to them. A plate is still required though, you miss out on a ton of good riding without one.

My pros for 450X:

• Less emissions equipment to take off for de-smog.
• Less restrictive and lighter weight exhaust.
• (as far as I can tell, correct if wrong) Less need for an aftermarket exhaust and ECU to smooth the bike out.
• A slightly steeper rake. Not something I would likely notice, but something to consider. Quicker turn in sounds nice.
• More off-road oriented suspension tuning.

My cons for 450X:

• Wiring work to install horn, blinkers, brake light.
• No extended subframe. Not really a luggage guy, but the option could be nice.
• Gotta deal with the process of getting it plated.
• Still (potentially) need to get an aftermarket ECU.
• No keyed ignition. Would want to add some sort of security measure to stop from the walk up and ride away potential.

My pros for 450RL:

• Comes street legal. No DMV headaches. No wiring.
• Has a beefy subframe.
• Keyed ignition. Permanent odo. 

My cons for 450RL:

• Seems to need an ECU and exhaust.
• More emissions equipment to remove for desmog.
• Other street biased parts that are heavier. Like swingarm that's full of foam. Gigantic license plate mount.
• More street biased suspension tuning.

TLDR: Gotta add a bunch of stuff to the X, gotta take some stuff off. Gotta add some stuff to the RL, gotta take a bunch of stuff off.