GAZZA, You sound like the bloke who rang me at my shop in orange on saturday, go for it mate i was trying to get to Safari myself on a berg this year but we are getting a new addition to the family soon so i had to back out. The baby is due the same weekend as Finke, i did mention to my wife we could have the baby in Alice but i did not get a reply, just a glare,Gazza said:
We spoke about some things so i can answer most of these to the best of my ability and someone else may get a benefit if i do it online.
Im not trying to beat my own drum but so you know im not guessing all this information i rode (thrashed) a 650 fe 06 all last year its maiden ride was the condo 750 10th outright not a single thing went wrong, we ventured to the Finke qualified 44th ended up 79th (very dusty) i backed off 2nd berg home i think, bike ran flawlessly, yellow mountain x country at condo 3rd outright av speed 130kmh top speed 175 kmh in this event.didnt miss a beat.
I ran a full akropovic it gives the same top speed as a slipon but the low and mid range it noticible 2 HP gain and a Finke would actually lift the front wheel in the sand when i knocked it back to 5th at 140 kmh,
For the record i found the best allround gearing was 16-46 it maxed out at 175 kmh on the dirt( 175kmh looking at a map whilst probably lost in the desert is enough i think) and the 650 has the grunt to pull you if you end up in tight terrain, i ran a stealth rear and genuine berg front berg spkt is dearer but there tuff.
I ran a Yamaha needle in mine (how embarrassing) (will get the part no) middle clip we put it on the dyno in Alice and got the best results around 55hp at the back wheel with michy baja fitted, 178 main 45 pilot, i done a one stop fuel at 130km standard main tank and sub tank had about a litre left. The 650 comes jetted lean in Australia you have to jet up as soon as you put an exhaust on it or it will fry.
I ran the new MSC titan steering damper you can flick them easily between modes with your hand whilst on the gas. Check out the sub mount version which fits the unit under the bars we ran one on our 550 demo, perfect if you like a high bar position raises about 20mm and it does not foul your vision for map reading.
Im about 110kg with my gear on( thanks to tooheys new) so i ran a 95-250 WP shock spring 97-250 to hard, .44 WP fork springs are a bit stiff and the small hits at speed will fatigue your arms i used a .44 in one side and the standard .42 in the other to give me .43 it works fine, you can buy .43 eibach spring sets, run the preload adjusters that the KTM SX range run they are available from the force depot as well, this enables you to dial it in with small increments of preload, this will stop the front end diving badly under brakes no doubt your running a bigger Clarke tank full. this combination was used for everything including moto x.
We sell the modified seal carrier to stop the weep
I recommend an oil cooler and increase the volume of oil where possible the 650 can use a little oil if punched along hard and if the original w/pump seal is still installed it can loose a 100ml or so from the weep hole as well, not good you need to fix it.
Cush drive hub is a must but use TALON sprocket bolts there high grade steel, longer and come with a nyloc lock nut use loctite thread locker as well and even put it on the shaft.The original bolts have a habit of loosening and are too short for a nyloc to catch.
Check the crank endfloat .4 to.5 no less than .3 mm its recommended to be checked at time of pre delivery and again at 10 hrs the 650 has been mostly unnafected by this because it runs a forged crank but a couple did slip through that were a bit tight.
I would split the motor and change the main bearings the NJ style bearing on the counterbalancer side lacks support where the back of the inner race rests against the balancer bearing and can break out use the C3 ball bearing, The NJ bearing on the opposite side is fine because the whole surface area is supported by the crank journal. We do use a heavier duty NJ 206 bearing that we found that has an extra roller 13 instead of 12.
De Burr the gear shifter plate we have had a few stick a light file and wet and dry is fine.
Standard cam chain is fine.
Run a good Xring with a press fit link i recommend DID 520 VM or EK quad ring, RK have one now called a U ring make sure the chain is not too wide or it will hit the hyd clutch slave cylinder. eg standard Regina x ring that comes on a KTM hits we found out the hard way.
I recommend Motorex Powersynt 10w 60 its thicker when the heats on. Dont overfill your gearbox 1 litre halfway up the sight glass or even a bit under.
Tyres are important you need to check out the new Aussie ones called MOTOZ we tested for them and had our best two riders throw every thing they could at them last weekend at Condo 750 and the tyres held up 650 fe 07 & 540 ktm, they have a hard terrain 140/80x18 called a TRACTIONATOR with a flatter tread so the load is spread out and they wont throw knobs. there thick on the side walls and they grip even at half worn. Michy Bajas are good but they move around a bit when they loose their edge especially in the wet they are desingned also to match up with a mousse and lack a bit in the sidewalls compared to MOTOZ. i would run a mousse in the front but be carefull on the rear they can melt on a transport section if your at high speed running late. Run a VIPER rear tube they are about 5mm thick and put a new tube in at every tyre change the friction at high speed will rub through the tube sometimes. I used a Baja with new viper tubes at Finke it done a few pre runs and the race down and back but rubbed through 100k into the next ride.
Extra bracing on the subframe would be advisable, we have looked at making our own removable alloy subframe in kit form. I will keep you posted, we have also looked at making a removable frame spar so you can get at the carby easier.
I will add to this list when i get more time, some things i mentioned may seem a bit over the top but lets not forget you are entering the second most demanding rally in the world beyond DAKAR and it gunna cost you a small fortune, i would hate to see you DNF on the fist day because of something you overlooked.
I will sell you my personal KTM frame to hold your map roller as soon as i talk to KTM on monday to see if i can get another one they are on backorder but i will get Skip at KTM to shoot me another on air freight from the factory, i will do it cheap just to help you out. it will fit straight on your Berg and hold your original headlight you should run a 2003 model KTM digital speedo and cable as a backup in the lower section of the frame (holes are made for this speedo) as well as your ICO up high Vince Strang has an upgraded magnet for your ICO its more accurate at speed (negative charged or something???). The KTM unit will run ok of the standard magnet but hook it to a tripmaster switch then disconnect it from the bikes main power and set it up in competion mode with just the watch battery in the back it lets you put the trip meter in big numerals where the speedo usually is its easier to read. you can cancel out modes you dont need and change wheel size to calibrate it. then hook it back up to mains power and you will illuminate it. You cannot get these modes with it connected to the mains because its illegal not to have a speedo visible and wheel size is preset at 2205 from the factory.
regards ORANGEBERG
