My Kove 450 Rally February 2024

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KOVE will indeed release such a sidecover with sightglass soon, they're currently busy testing their design.
The pics above show an aftermarket cover, not Kove's.
I'd be tempted to buy it if I didn't know Kove would bring one out themselves... so I'll wait for that one.

I am sure I saw a picture of the prototype oil inspection window 😑 😉

what-are-glass-noodles-4800942-step-01-d047b9b5d53b494eb88d3b6ab380af8e.jpg
 
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The carbon belly pan closes this off very neatly, with vents of course, slots to let air through for cooling (y)
Sorry, no pic of this now... but look up a post, the pic of the bellypan as seen from the motor's side!
Found a pic...

View attachment 878615




Yeah, the carbon canister (a plastic cylinder with active carbon inside, which filters/neutralizes fuel vapours) plus all its rubber hoses was removed - for reason this system cannot play up and cause problems anymore, and any possible water ingress is, eh, impossible now 👌
I am late on this thread. Thanks Bart, for your enthusiasm!

Personally I will replace the carbon belly pan with a plastic skid plate if available. Carbon is brittle and cracks/breaks on impact.
 
I am late on this thread. Thanks Bart, for your enthusiasm!

Personally I will replace the carbon belly pan with a plastic skid plate if available. Carbon is brittle and cracks/breaks on impact.
Dis baie stil hier, lyk my Kove is soos Yamaha. Breek nooit so daar is nie veel on te bespreek 🤘
 
Personally I will replace the carbon belly pan with a plastic skid plate if available. Carbon is brittle and cracks/breaks on impact.

Yay.... and Nay.
Here's why.
I did Lesotho with it, a Wildwood trip, and as I'm the childish type still I'm easily lured into dicing a bit. Add a bit of onnosel too, and conclude with me - lees mooi nou - that I tried to wrestle this Desert Racer into an Enduro tool: ek kan mos so why not eh?
That worked, actually surprisingly well, but yeah, the carbon belly pan (note I didn't say skidplate) took strain there... and you're right with the cracking bit, I pierced it a few times actually. Some big rocks (one SO big it kicked the bike & me in the air) took turns to put damage on the bottom, and the (Lesotho-normal) smaller flying rocks caused some marks/scratches on the side. It's wide also, with a completely flat underside.
A skidplate (plastic, metal, meant for skidding over rocks & logs etc)) would be the solution you reckon - but I don't, at least not to replace the entire belly pan.
This is a bike perfectly suited for going fast over plains, sand, riverbeds, tracks, roads, hell, tarred roads even, and there the carbon pan works very well and is more than sufficient, plus light.
But, again, it is not a Roof tool. If you want to do that other bikes better suited for this spring to mind, and no surprise these all are a lot narrower under the engine.


Having said that though, the flat bottom of the carbon pan does suit itself for a piece of nylon or the like, and such may be what I'll mount - but will keep the pan as-is, for it looks good, does its intended job well, and the small tool-storage compartment is handy to have (y)
 
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Yay.... and Nay.
Here's why.
I did Lesotho with it, a Wildwood trip, and as I'm the childish type still I'm easily lured into dicing a bit. Add a bit of onnosel too, and conclude with me - lees mooi nou - that I tried to wrestle this Desert Racer into an Enduro tool: ek kan mos so why not eh?
That worked, actually surprisingly well, but yeah, the carbon belly pan (note I didn't say skidplate) took strain there... and you're right with the cracking bit, I pierced it a few times actually. Some big rocks (one SO big it kicked the bike & me in the air) took turns to put damage on the bottom, and the (Lesotho-normal) smaller flying rocks caused some marks/scratches on the side. It's wide also, with a completely flat underside.
A skidplate (plastic, metal, meant for skidding over rocks & logs etc)) would be the solution you reckon - but I don't, at least not to replace the entire belly pan.
This is a bike perfectly suited for going fast over plains, sand, riverbeds, tracks, roads, hell, tarred roads even, and there the carbon pan works very well and is more than sufficient, plus light.
But, again, it is not a Roof tool. If you want to do that other bikes better suited for this spring to mind, and no surprise these all are a lot narrower under the engine.


Having said that though, the flat bottom of the carbon pan does suit itself for a piece of nylon or the like, and such may be what I'll mount - but will keep the pan as-is, for it looks good, does its intended job well, and the small tool-storage compartment is handy to have (y)

I understand completely what you say - that this is not an enduro bike.
The fact is that one still need protection - ideally that will last. Instead of aluminum, there is a very nice plastic plate available from Acerbis for the Yamaha T7 -

AcerbisSkidPlateT7.jpg

And for the KTM 890 Adv R by AXP.

AXP skid plate 890 Adv.jpg

They are adventure bikes, but the engine still needs protection.

The plastic plates are light (not as heavy as alu), quiet (they do not vibrate like metal do) and can take the knocks. I like them a lot.
 
AXP is nice but I prefer alu!
 
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Julle ouens maak vir my skade.

Oompie, there's still a few Kove's at Offroad Cycles available, perhaps even one still in a crate?
They do move though, so perhaps go flip a coin ...... you may get lucky ;)
I've sold my 701 because it was superfluous.
The Kove keeps up with bigger bikes on road trips, it does it all as well but is more comfy, plus it's easier over shite.
The suspension alone will hook you like a nice bad girl.... go for a proper testride maybe, a few hours blowing off frustrations? (y)
 
Oompie, there's still a few Kove's at Offroad Cycles available, perhaps even one still in a crate?
They do move though, so perhaps go flip a coin ...... you may get lucky ;)
I've sold my 701 because it was superfluous.
The Kove keeps up with bigger bikes on road trips, it does it all as well but is more comfy, plus it's easier over shite.
The suspension alone will hook you like a nice bad girl.... go for a proper testride maybe, a few hours blowing off frustrations? (y)
nice ...bad girl... Bart you have a way with words my friend.. 😇😈
 
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