OzVMX Forum
Marque Remarks => KTM => Topic started by: Hoony on August 21, 2010, 12:47:09 pm
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This is a caution to all late model KTM owners, possibly mine could be an isolated case.
the other night i changed the chain & sprockets on my KTM300EXC. this is the first change on the bike since new.
i needed to pull the axle forward toward engine to get the correct tension as old chain was stretched, the axle adjusters were tight then really tight. when i tried to back them out the bloody things were nearly frozen in each direction, now as it has a 10mm hex i was worried i was going to round it off with a open ender so pulled the axle out and got a 3/8" drive single hex socket onto to it to no avail. i had to use some heat, penetrene and finally managed to get it out.
The adjusters had slight damage where they bound and are high tensile M10 x 1.25 metric fine thread, i had a thread file and cleaned them up and then run a Tap thought the swingarm only to find it did not go through freely and i was surprised at the amount of swarf caught when i removed the Tap. I found the same thing on the other side. i then assembled using anti seize.
So if you have one of these i recommend you check yours, imagine getting the bloody thing stuck in there on the side of the trail !
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Hoony
what year model was it
Thanks
shoey
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Have heard that it can be common problem . I checked /greased the adjuster bolts from new. (2006)
I remove the adjusters on my 300 & grease on a regular interval ( at rear tyre change), so at least 2 -3 times in a year.
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2005 KTM300EXC
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Thanks guys
i will check mine tommorrow.
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Welcome to the world of KTM and now Husaberg. This is common if you aren't made aware. If they break (they do), it's a huge pain in the arse to fix as you need extra long drill bits to start with. If you own one and haven't already done so, pull them out now and put some anti sieze on the threads. If they are already tight, good luck!
Cheers,
K
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Hey K, anything else i need to be aware of?
i have done hardly any maintenance on this bike as i have hardly ridden it since new .
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Any body notice the pitch of that bolt?
I was taught at TECK that you put a course pitch in aluminium.
Because the thread was deeper and had less chance of stripping. :o
Guess we don,t do that anymore.
After all what did they know in the old days :)
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Mike the back of this arm is some kind of weird alloy, the tap when it went through felt like steel more than aluminium?
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The ones on my husky are forged but all the same still not as tough as steel. :o
The fine threads are a new thing.
I have noticed them lately and wondered. ???
Have some in the exhaust and inlet flanges on my 240 wr and yes they are all stripped.
Put recoils in , they fixed it. :)
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Just normal maintenance Hoony, but don't overtighten the chain as the rear hub doesn't like it due to the PDS system. If you are unsure, go on the looser side rather than tighter. The PDS bush (bottom of shock) wears out semi regularly, but are easy to replace and not badly priced.
Cheers,
K
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Yeah,been a prob for a long time,i just had the wheel out of my 360 the other day and the right hand side adjuster was pretty stiff but still working,i went strait down to Bursons and got a small container of anti sieze and applied ,did up the adjusters and undone a couple of times and now all is sweet.
P.S. mines a 97 so its not for just modern models.
dale.
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A few extra things on top of Micks points.
The KTM & Berg adjuster bolts always have been and always will be a pain in the bum. Tends to be an issue more so when people take the "optional" items off the swing arm, chain guards etc, and dont block the holes off. Water then sits on the inside of the swing arm and corrodes and seizes the bolt. EVERY time you take the wheel out, back out the adjusters and re-apply the anti-seize.
And.......
1, Check the rear sprockets at the start and 1/2 way through each decent ride. The amount of TALON rear hubs that we have fitted to KTM's & Bergs is incredible, al because the bolts come loose.
2. The lower PDS shock bearing cops a flogging. Watch them carefully.
3. Watch the subframe where the seat sits/rubs on it. Seen quiet a few badly damaged.
4. Side stand bolts. KTM have had problems with them for ages and their modified ones are marginally better. The amount of riders that come in with nothing more than a spring with the rest lost in the bush is hugh. If it happens dump the KTM system and fit a TRAILTECH unit.
5. If the bike is a few years old and she's hit the deck a few times, replace the clamp mounting bolts. Seen bikes that have come off a big errosion jump and landed to a broken bolt.
6. If you have a 4 stroke, and it's a few seasons old, check the throttle cables, they wear out and faster than the 2 stroke single cable.
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Thanks, good info.
Dale.
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I have a 09 250 sx (2t) and had alot of issues with bolts seizing threads. Everything that comes off now gets a dob of grease before going back in. The nuts and bolts seem to be made of plasticine.
I have snapped of jets, just by looking at them. In two strokes there is a nut that holds the needle in the slide, not the usual plate held by throttle return spring. This rounds off without even getting a spanner out of the toolbox, an costs $85 to replace.
Stripping sump plug threads is another fairly common problem, 'specially in the smaller bikes.
All that said, what a great bike......makes pre '90 bikes feel like model "T" fords.
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Try your honda dealer for the carby needle holder, same part used on CR250's till 2001 and cheaper than KTM. Use a 6 sided hex socket when removing to prevent dramas. Before attempting to remove drain plugs on KTM's give them a tap with a hammer to help loosen them first. Use a gallon and a half of loctite on the two shock bolts as they have a tendency to fall out also. Same for thegear lever retaining bolt, and the kickstart bolt.
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back in the day stripping your new bike....lubricating it and loctiting it the day you got it was a given. My KTM 350s did almost the same things years ago.
BTW EXC 300 has got to be the best dirt bike ever built, I am dead jealous. ;D
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Never used locktite on my bikes.
Silastic worked a treat and easy to undo the nut if required. :)
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BTW EXC 300 has got to be the best dirt bike ever built, I am dead jealous. ;D
Yes, i am very happy with it, it has a beautiful engine, nice strong bottom and mid with a nice hit up top, its a great trail bike and a pleasure to ride.
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I was warned about the axle screws when I bought my 2000 model 300.
What they didn’t warn me about was how the swingarm could brake in half for no reason.
Or that the left side main bearing will chop out easily due to it being smaller than the right side and wearing a heavier flywheel compared to the MX model.
Had all sorts or starting and running problems till I worked out the main bearing was gone.
I hated mine. Seemed like a good idea at the time but it just gave me a lot of grief (stupid things like the fluid drain plug in the motor fell out when I wasn’t looking which cooked the motor & the swingarm breaking)
It was a peaky model too, it was bloody quick in a straight line but too hard to ride in tight bush.
I’ve ridden a 06 or 07 model which was streets ahead of the 00 is usability. Rode an 09 recently too, it was so grunty I had to check to see if it was diesel.
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I have got the 07 300exc.
Running the Red spring, FMF Fatty pipe, SXS muffler. Holy sh#t does it go.
Haven't had any issues with it, except for the bracket that holds the pipe on got a crack.
About to fit steering dampener setup soon.
More fun is fitting the motard wheels and heading up macquarie pass!
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I was warned about the axle screws when I bought my 2000 model 300.
What they didn’t warn me about was how the swingarm could brake in half for no reason.
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I’ve ridden a 06 or 07 model which was streets ahead of the 00 is usability. Rode an 09 recently too, it was so grunty I had to check to see if it was diesel.
Shit, what a bad run. did KTM (Was it old Berty then?) replace the swingarm under a warranty claim Geoff?
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I took it to Boltons who tried to put it through as warranty but it was knocked back.
To be fair though, I was the 3rd owner.
It broke clean through just in front of the axle adjuster that you talk of. There is a hollow in the webbing in the cast axle slot section just before it joins into the extruded part of the arm. (Only on some arms)
It was only my second ride on it at home here, it was handling really weird, I kept stopping to check the tyres to see if they were flat. When I saw the tyres were fine I was starting to think that I’d lost it.
Then I suddenly realized I never had it to start with. ;D
I’ve often wondered if the previous owner knew and that’s why he unloaded it.
I bought this bike because it looked to be a low hour bike that had only been ridden by casual trail riders.
What really bugs me is that I only wanted a modern bike that didn’t need working on, but it ended up consuming many dollars and time.
I could have finished my HL for the money I spent on it, which would have grown in value compared to the KTM dropping in value.
Ah well, not the first or last bad decision I’ve made.
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"I could have finished my HL for the money I spent on it, which would have grown in value compared to the KTM dropping in value." quote from GMC
Thats why i punted my 2008 EXC 530 for a `83 KX 500
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Make sure the chain is a tad looser than the manual says. Best is to take the shock out and push the wheel through it's arc to get your set adjustment and then take note of it. I usually keep it 8mm from the swingarm. Too tight and they will crack hubs.
As for rear sprockets comming loose. I have only found that on sprockets that have cutouts on the centre mounting hole. (So instead of a full circle you have these feet that sit against the lip of the hub.) From what I can tell the sproket tends to rock back and forth and loosen the bolts. Had it happen twice. Tossed the sprocket and went back to one that has the full circle centre mounting hole and never had a problem in thousands of K's.
The bolts siezing in the swingarm has a part number and is standard KTM. Although I've only had it happen once and it was a bent bolt not a siezed one.
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mate here at work is looking at one of the new 300s - I heard the electric leg was only useful for when stuck on the side of a hill and was a bit lightweight for every time use - true? Are they as good as everyone says?
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mate here at work is looking at one of the new 300s - I heard the electric leg was only useful for when stuck on the side of a hill and was a bit lightweight for every time use - true? Are they as good as everyone says?
there as good as a big breasted Blonde who's dad owns a pub.
i agree with the electric leg, they are easy to kick over and it would come in handy on a snotty hill, having said that if you had the electric start you would always use it, if you didn't have the model with it you wouldn't miss it.
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I have a 08 300 exce bought it new, it is my only euro bike and it is great, SX mufler for a better note, suspension sorted by terry hayes. I do find that the elec start requires lube every 6 months. I kick start it when its cold only
Best modern bike i have ever riden or owned!
Brett
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hey Brett how much did the SX muffler cost? notice any performance gain?
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Hooney,
I got a KTM hardpart FMF silencer on my sx.Cost about $250 if memory serves me correctly.
Peformance changes, buggered if I know.It did require some serious jetting changes (richer) though.
Looks shit hot, that's all that matters right. ;)
(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o82/evo550/Image0006.jpg)
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Hoony, i think the sx mufler cost about $250 from a ktm dealer, I dont think it is std though its a hardpart like the dude above said same for a 250 or 300, by chance it looks just like the one in the photo above. It made the bike a bit more snappy which i like seeing my last modern was a yz 250 2002. The sound is no too noisy but a nice note. The owner of the ktm shop said that it would make it a fun thing to ride, i also rejetted, but funny enough i prefer the mid strength powervalve spring.