Any problems, dissapointments starting to creep on 2009's ?

5.5hrs and 100 miles and all is well!

Im looking at picking up a new 570 ,switching from an 08 450 xcf.
How do you guys find the weight of the big dog .Im used to my 300 xcw and got the 450 for a change but like the look of the new berg .Any insite would be great .
Joe

There seems to be a lot of 09 ride reports on www.ktmtalk.com. All positive reviews. In fact, some of them are downright sickening how much people love their 09s.

I am not sure a lot of those guys know this site exists.

Small issues...

I have about 6 hours on my 09 450. So far, I have had an oil leak on the right side cover, and have lost the screen on the end of the exaust. Not big issues, but something to watch for. Oil leaks happen, and this one is a simple fix. As for the screen, hindsight says I should have checked it for snugness, but common sense(?) says it should have been installed correctly on a $9500 bike. Small inconveniences compared to the plusses that this bike brings. Oh, and the rear fender is the most worthless piece of plastic ever hung from the back of any motorcycle I have ever ridden. If you ride in the wet, you will get muddy, period. I just can't figure out what the designers were thinking, form over function on this one for sure. I will shortly be adding a light/lisence plate holder to try and deflect a bit of this mud slinger. Again, small complaints for sure.

BRN2RDE
09 FE 450
08 FE 450
BatteryStuff.com

RE: Small issues...

The biggest problem I have with my 2009 FE450 is that when I ride through a mud puddle it gets dirty. If this bike was half what some people say it is then it should be able to walk on water and not get dirty.

Oh, and speaking of getting dirty, the short USA rear fender is pathetic. Have ordered the "number plate carrier" in attempt to keep mud off my back and backside of my helmet. If that doesn't work I'm going to add a truck mudflap.

160 miles and about 11 hours so far.

Bought the tall seat. Originally felt like soft pine, now feels like soft balsa.

First chain adjustment hit the stops at the end of the swing arm. Removed two links and positioned it nicely in the center where most KTMs come from the factory.

Suspension is loosening up and starting to work properly. Learned that 8 clicks out on rebound was wrong the first time I hit an 18" jump at speed.

RE: Small issues...

Anyone have problems with the seal around the fuel pump? I filled my tank up with fuel today, and it began leaking out on the ground. I traced the leak back to where the fuel pump mates to the tank. The pump is held in with 4 fat threaded screws into the plastic of the tank. One of my screwholes was stripped. Because there is nothing backing these screws, I can think of no way that this can be fixed short of replacing the tank. Any suggestions? After removing the pump and reinstalling, the leak is now so bad that iyou can see fuel running down the frame.

BRN2RDE
09 FE 450

joe7125 said:

Im looking at picking up a new 570 ,switching from an 08 450 xcf.
How do you guys find the weight of the big dog .Im used to my 300 xcw and got the 450 for a change but like the look of the new berg .Any insite would be great .
Joe

Click to expand...

I read the new issue of Dirt Bike, where they test the new 450. Their only complaint is that it feels twitchy at speed....and all I can think is that eveyone compares it to a 2T..and ther ya go!!!!!

As far as stripped screws, if your not going to replace the tank, stuff a zip tie end into the hole, then turn the screw in. not sure how long that will last, but have heard of this fix on other plastic applications.

Re: RE: Small issues...

BRN2RDE said:

Anyone have problems with the seal around the fuel pump? I filled my tank up with fuel today, and it began leaking out on the ground. I traced the leak back to where the fuel pump mates to the tank. The pump is held in with 4 fat threaded screws into the plastic of the tank. One of my screwholes was stripped. Because there is nothing backing these screws, I can think of no way that this can be fixed short of replacing the tank. Any suggestions? After removing the pump and reinstalling, the leak is now so bad that iyou can see fuel running down the frame.

BRN2RDE
09 FE 450

Click to expand...

trip back dealer and ask him to sort? after all you just stummped up a large wedge for that bike

Re: RE: Small issues...

BRN2RDE said:

Anyone have problems with the seal around the fuel pump? I filled my tank up with fuel today, and it began leaking out on the ground. I traced the leak back to where the fuel pump mates to the tank. The pump is held in with 4 fat threaded screws into the plastic of the tank. One of my screwholes was stripped. Because there is nothing backing these screws, I can think of no way that this can be fixed short of replacing the tank. Any suggestions? After removing the pump and reinstalling, the leak is now so bad that iyou can see fuel running down the frame.

BRN2RDE
09 FE 450

Click to expand...

I would definitely pursue the dealer for a new tank.

In the meantime, I have personally had incredibly good luck using MSR quicksteel epoxy for similar applications (and all kinds of crazy trail fixes!). Just fill the hole with it, let it set, then drill and tap it to size.

fryguy said:

joe7125 said:

Im looking at picking up a new 570 ,switching from an 08 450 xcf.
How do you guys find the weight of the big dog .Im used to my 300 xcw and got the 450 for a change but like the look of the new berg .Any insite would be great .
Joe

Click to expand...

I read the new issue of Dirt Bike, where they test the new 450. Their only complaint is that it feels twitchy at speed....and all I can think is that eveyone compares it to a 2T..and ther ya go!!!!!

As far as stripped screws, if your not going to replace the tank, stuff a zip tie end into the hole, then turn the screw in. not sure how long that will last, but have heard of this fix on other plastic applications.

Click to expand...

The 450 is a little twitchy so that doesnt really bother me.
It also has the same cam chain adjuster as the berg and hasnt given me any problems at all.
I do know there is a fix for it for a reasonable price that corrects it if it becomes a problem.
All and all after my test ride tomorrow Ill know where I sit ,just hope it has a lot of balls like my XCF .

I am riding a 450 and 570 demo back to back almost every time I go out.

Here are my small problems:

* hard to grab seat release (my finger is too big I guess for the loop) so I added a zip-tie, problem solved.

*Only a little twitchy out of choppy corners at speed. Motosportz or Scotts damper cures this., but that's most bikes.

*Still trying to think of another..............................

Make sure you check the spoke torque after first ride or two, but that's any bike.

The bikes are great. I have a couple hundred miles on each.

Later,
Jeff Tasky

Bike is at the dealers for a fix. It looks like a new tank is going to be the fix, but the design does seem to be poorly thought through. It is something that could easily have been prevented with a simple collared steel insert from the factory.

BRN2RDE

Only issue I have experienced is the weak front guard. One off & it breaks in half. The blue plastic seems to not be as strong as the white stuff.. Other than that everything else is very good!

Forgot how many hours I have on my 450, just under 20. On two separate outings I have hit the same 1" sapling twice and now have two different breaks in my left radiator shroud. The first time I thought it was a bit brittle from 32°F temperature, but this Saturday was much warmer. Ordered new, but meanwhile duct tape serves.

As for tank repair, many years ago I had a crack in a 1996 KLX650R tank and the word online and from dealers was that a new OE tank was $500+ and the supply had dried up of the one supplier who once made aftermarket tanks. Found an "ATV Fender Repair Welder" kit from Urethane Supply (latter found it in the Rockymountain MC/ATV catalog) for under $50. Kit included a modified soldering iron. Fixed a 1" crack in under 20 minutes and its still holding.

Have a stripped screw hole in my 2003 KTM 450 EXC gas tank. Have attempted repair several times. Works for a few rides before stripping out again. The wire tie thing to stuff the hole doesn't work very well either. Guess the next time I tackle it I will have to get more aggressive in the volume of plastic I reflow.

I'm not sure if this will help with your situation, but I have repaired stripped out holes in fuel tanks before with fiberglass . I have used fiberglass for years to repair plastic at work. In this fuel tank case on my CR 500 the screw hole on that suported the petcock started to spin as it was an insert. I removed it, grinded an sliced into the repair area carefully and re-inserted with fiberglass and resin. Then after setting I did plane out excess repair material so the petcock would come up and seal properly again. Never had a problem with it again. I've tried and still have plastic filler at hand but with my experiance fiberglass has worked the best in many cases.
Pollo