High 5
Pack Dog
Hi Guys,
I have been looking into the whole Rallye Riding scene that seems to be taking off very nicely in SA, plus a mate of mine is doing the Amageza this year. With all the talk and training etc that has gone into his race, it really sounds appealing to me. So I decided to do a little research of my own as to what will be the best type of Rally bike to build, I am not as fortunate as my mate who has an ex Dakar KTM 660 to do the rally on, but I think most of my fun will be derived from actually building this bike myself.
I have narrowed down my choices to the following two bikes, I am going to highlight what I think are the pro’s and the con’s of each and would appreciate some positive input and opinions from guys who have done this type of build or who ride these types of races. As we know real world experience from real riders is always the best advice. Below are my two options:
KTM 525 Exc Donor Bike:
Weight: 113 kg
Power: 48 Hp
Oil Capacity: 1.3 Litres (HT Oil Cooler Might be necessary)
Gearbox: 6 Speed
Honda XR 650 R Donor Bike
Weight: 131 kg
Power: 63 Hp
Oil Capacity 1.7 Litres
Gearbox: 5 Speed
Putting the bikes side by side, I would say that the KTM has a better suspension setup and I would want to swap out the XR forks and replace them with a nice set of Showa’s off a newer CRF 450. The KTM does not have a shush drive standard (R6,500 aftermarket option) where I believe the XR has the cush drive. The KTM wins with the electric start, but I am also used to kickstarting a 650 thumper (left hand kick).
I know that we never build these bikes to ever profit from them, however the question must be asked as the KTM is cheaper to buy initially than the XR as the XR is a rare bike, however I have seen a KTM 530 Rallye converted bike recently on gumtree for R110k. I am expecting to fork out between R65 – R70k on this build and wonder if I was to sell it which one would recover more of my money (opinions here most welcome)
I have many KTM’s in my garage but I still think the XR is a very special bike and with the rear tanks installed along with the big Acerbis and Desert Lizzard fairing its a one beautiful piece of equipment (just like the pic I stole of REV’s build) that would be how I want my XR to look.
I look forward to hearing the opinions of my fellow wilddogs, and thank you for reading my post.
I have been looking into the whole Rallye Riding scene that seems to be taking off very nicely in SA, plus a mate of mine is doing the Amageza this year. With all the talk and training etc that has gone into his race, it really sounds appealing to me. So I decided to do a little research of my own as to what will be the best type of Rally bike to build, I am not as fortunate as my mate who has an ex Dakar KTM 660 to do the rally on, but I think most of my fun will be derived from actually building this bike myself.
I have narrowed down my choices to the following two bikes, I am going to highlight what I think are the pro’s and the con’s of each and would appreciate some positive input and opinions from guys who have done this type of build or who ride these types of races. As we know real world experience from real riders is always the best advice. Below are my two options:
KTM 525 Exc Donor Bike:
Weight: 113 kg
Power: 48 Hp
Oil Capacity: 1.3 Litres (HT Oil Cooler Might be necessary)
Gearbox: 6 Speed
Honda XR 650 R Donor Bike
Weight: 131 kg
Power: 63 Hp
Oil Capacity 1.7 Litres
Gearbox: 5 Speed
Putting the bikes side by side, I would say that the KTM has a better suspension setup and I would want to swap out the XR forks and replace them with a nice set of Showa’s off a newer CRF 450. The KTM does not have a shush drive standard (R6,500 aftermarket option) where I believe the XR has the cush drive. The KTM wins with the electric start, but I am also used to kickstarting a 650 thumper (left hand kick).
I know that we never build these bikes to ever profit from them, however the question must be asked as the KTM is cheaper to buy initially than the XR as the XR is a rare bike, however I have seen a KTM 530 Rallye converted bike recently on gumtree for R110k. I am expecting to fork out between R65 – R70k on this build and wonder if I was to sell it which one would recover more of my money (opinions here most welcome)
I have many KTM’s in my garage but I still think the XR is a very special bike and with the rear tanks installed along with the big Acerbis and Desert Lizzard fairing its a one beautiful piece of equipment (just like the pic I stole of REV’s build) that would be how I want my XR to look.
I look forward to hearing the opinions of my fellow wilddogs, and thank you for reading my post.
