KTM 520 EXC
KTM 520 EXC | |
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
Production | 1998 - 99 |
Engine | Four stroke, single cylinder, SOHC, 4 valves per cylinder |
Ignition | CDI Kokusan 4K-3 |
Transmission | 5 Speed |
Suspension | Front: 43mm WP USD fork Rear: Fully adjustable WP |
Brakes | Front: Single 260 mm disc Rear: Single 220 mm disc |
Front Tire | 90/90 - 21 |
Rear Tire | 140/80 - 18 |
Wheelbase | 1481 mm / 58.3 in |
Seat Height | 925 mm / 36.4 in |
Weight | 112 kg / 247 lbs (dry), |
Fuel Capacity | 8.5 L / 2.2 US gal / 1.9 Imp gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
Engine[edit | edit source]
The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Four stroke, single cylinder, SOHC, 4 valves per cylinder.
Chassis[edit | edit source]
It came with a 90/90 - 21 front tire and a 140/80 - 18 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Single 260 mm disc in the front and a Single 220 mm disc in the rear. The front suspension was a 43mm WP USD fork while the rear was equipped with a Fully adjustable WP. The 520 EXC was fitted with a 8.5 L / 2.2 US gal / 1.9 Imp gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 112 kg / 247 lbs. The wheelbase was 1481 mm / 58.3 in long.
Photos[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
KTM 520 EXC
The state of
the four stroke art. For now, anyway.
I thought
Id share with you folks my first ride on my KTM 520 E/XC.
Over the
last several months, I came to the hard realization that I am not a
two-stroke person. I had been riding my 2000 KTM 300 E/XC for about a year
and was trying desperately to like it.
Now, this
isnt because its a bad bike or anything. Quite the contrary, in fact. It
was the finest 2-stroke motorcycle I had ever thrown a leg over.
It was light, tractable and the power band hit like you were stepping off a
three-story building. It would be the perfect bike for somebody who remains
100% focused while they ride. (Mike Lafferty and Shane Watts come to mind.)
Unfortunately, my thoughts tend to wander when Im just trail riding. When
Im not doing something fast or technical, my internal narrative goes
something like Look a pilliated woodpecker Empty Coors Light
cans and spent shotgun shells. What a sensible combination, and Wow,
thats a pretOh *#*&@, TREE!.
I was afraid
the mixture of this wandering intellectual jibberish and the 300s power
band would conspire to make me one with a Western Red Cedar.
That, and Im a wiener.
So, I sold
it.
I wanted a
four-stroke. I wanted something that was like my WR400. A bike that could be
relaxed when you wanted and a rocket when you felt more aggressive. But
different.
There were a
lot of choices such as Honda, Suzuki, Husaberg and Husqvarna.
They were
all either too heavy, too slow or from Sweden.
Of course, I
had read about the KTM Racing Four Strokes. About how light and fast they
were. Unfortunately, I had also read that they were harder to find than a
jelly donut at a Weight Watchers meeting.
Anyway, I
was driving back from Vantage with a sweaty wad of money I had been handed
from a very excitable young man for my 300. I think Id had the money for a
total of 90 minutes when I saw a KTM dealer on my left and I thought to
myself Hey, what the heck. And there, in the corner, was a 520 E/XC. It
was dressed all slutty silver and orange plastic. I walked to a salesman
like I still had free will. I walked out dizzy, confused and the new owner
of a KTM.
But what a
bike. The spec sheet read like a letter in Forum . 520cc. 248lbs. And,
wonder of all wonders, electric start. Hoo-boy!
(An absolute
Godsend to anyone who has owned a YZ/WR400F Yamaha. On a bad day, Suzanne
Summers could market the kickstarter as a work out machine.
Call it the SwearMaster.)
Well, the
first thing you notice when you get on it are the un-500-like dimensions. It
feels more like a 250. Its narrow-waisted with a low center of gravity and
roomy ergos. A million light years from the sumo-inspired XR650L I used to
own.
One touch of
the happy button and it produced a sound nothing like the ring-dingy leaf
blower on steroids I was used to riding. This was every bit a thumper.
Throaty and amazingly quiet.
I broke it
in on some fire roads. The ample torque and wide ratio transmission made
sure there was a gear for every circumstance. (Second or third, take your
pick.) And power slides and fourth-gear wheelies were a twist
of the right hand away. Unlike the Yamahas high-rev horsepower, the KTM
engine makes its power more like a traditional big thumper. It pours it on
from the bottom through the upper middle of the rev range.
In tight, technical stuff, the weight of the 520, or lack there of, really makes itself apparent. Its positively nimble for a big bike. You can grunt it over practically anything. If you make a mistake and kill it, just punch the button and youre on your way. Aint technology great? Whats next, a bike that loads itself on the trailer?
Another benefit to this brand is that KTM doesnt show up on the Department Of Licensing computer. So a license plate is only a couple of forms away.
Sure, there is a gripe or three. Changing the oil is a royal pain. (two filters, two screens and a bunch of gymnastics to get it done.) It ate the odometer cable in the first day of riding. (The Austrian engineers must have been hung over that day or something.) And the price. Eeesh. (They did everything but turn me upside down and shake me for change.) But, overall, complaining about this machine like making fun of the mole on Marilyn Monroes face. You run out of adjectives to describe it. My recommendation is that if want the lightest, fastest woods bike money can buy, the KTM is it. If you want to save about $1.500 and want something nearly as good, go get yourself a Yamaha WR426F. If you want something even lighter or faster than even these two, wait about six months. Thats about as long as it will take for Honda or someone to make them seem obsolete. Source soundrider.com
Make Model | KTM 520 EXC |
---|---|
Year | 1998 - 99 |
Engine Type | Four stroke, single cylinder, SOHC, 4 valves per cylinder |
Displacement | 510.4 cc / 31.1 in |
Bore X Stroke | 95 x 72 mm |
Cooling System | Liquid cooled |
Induction | Keihin MX FCR 39 |
Ignition | CDI Kokusan 4K-3 |
Starting | Electric & kick |
Transmission | 5 Speed |
Final Drive | Chain |
Front Suspension | 43mm WP USD fork |
Front Wheel Travel | 295 mm / 11.6 in |
Rear Suspension | Fully adjustable WP |
Rear Wheel Travel | 320 mm / 12.6 in |
Front Brakes | Single 260 mm disc |
Rear Brakes | Single 220 mm disc |
Front Tire | 90/90 - 21 |
Rear Tire | 140/80 - 18 |
Wheelbase | 1481 mm / 58.3 in |
Seat Height | 925 mm / 36.4 in |
Dry Weight | 112 kg / 247 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 8.5 L / 2.2 US gal / 1.9 Imp gal |