2007 KTM 525 exc

[marvin Fredrich]

Bikes been in the shop more hours than ridden. Over heats, bolts stripping off when changing oil filters, Evaporation tank fills up and bike won't start(dealer didn't inform of emptying this each time I ride), kick start spring fell off, Liscence can rip off if in silt or clay that kicks up from tire due to void area in fender. Not to mention dealer can't get jetting right or the fuel mixture screw. I'm not pleased with this bike.

[B Smith]

Sorry to hear about your string of bad luck. I have a 04 525 and have been very pleased. It did run hot and after rejetting it has been great. Have to be careful on aluminum parts with steel fastners, I wish KTM would use steel inserts on the maintence items such as oil drain plug and filters, this seems to be a high repair area for stipping out.

[trevor]

i just bought a 2007 525 exc.first problem was overheating,then i stripped the hex bolt for oil screen.for overheating issue i was told to rejet to 185 @ 45 and change out pipe for restriction! after doing this the bike was still getting hot.so then i changed stockk coolant to cycle logics engine ice and gutted the thermostat for a free flowing system!after doing all this the bike needs a lot more abuse than before to over heat but it STILL DOES-very frustrating!! my only option left is to install the engine fan which is still on back order for at least another month,and was also recomended to run waterless coolan(evans)!im 260 pounds which doesnt help the situation,i know. but if anyone else has any suggestions im all ears!dont get me wrong i love the bike,it HAS cooled down a lot! but im looking for news maybee to incress the lb rating on radiator cap to possibly 4lbs from the three lbs ktm supplies for this bike! if anybody has heard news with this problem please respond! thank you

[Steve]

My friend Nick has a 450 EXC. He had overheating problems which he fixed by cutting additional holes in the radiator fairing plastics. He checked air flow by using a leaf blower to see how the air went thru the holes he was adding. It worked great...he hasn't overheated since he did the work.

[lorenzo]

I've got a 2006 450 exc that used to over heat also. I installed a JD Jetting kit aand it seems much better. Also installed a coolant recovery system for those real hot days. No problems since.

trevor wrote:

i just bought a 2007 525 exc.first problem was overheating,then i stripped the hex bolt for oil screen.for overheating issue i was told to rejet to 185 @ 45 and change out pipe for restriction! after doing this the bike was still getting hot.so then i changed stockk coolant to cycle logics engine ice and gutted the thermostat for a free flowing system!after doing all this the bike needs a lot more abuse than before to over heat but it STILL DOES-very frustrating!! my only option left is to install the engine fan which is still on back order for at least another month,and was also recomended to run waterless coolan(evans)!im 260 pounds which doesnt help the situation,i know. but if anyone else has any suggestions im all ears!dont get me wrong i love the bike,it HAS cooled down a lot! but im looking for news maybee to incress the lb rating on radiator cap to possibly 4lbs from the three lbs ktm supplies for this bike! if anybody has heard news with this problem please respond! thank you

[Jeff Dedmon Canyon Lake]

I bought a 2006 525 exc and I have had my bike over heat every time I start climbing hills. Wide open on strieghts ok. Reading all the things people have tried how much money are we supposed to spend on top of an already high dollar bike.There has to be something done by the factory for some sort of recal just like the gas cap proplem. What are your thoughts?

[curtdude2]

i totally agree,bought my 2007 450 exc,(cause I loved my other ktm)89 350 exc,and this thing overheats in traffic,on the moutain,basically you have to shut it down whenever you can,what to do though when you are in tight trails and climbing on a hot day?as we all know the fan is backordered,ktm needs to set thes piles up good to go from the factory,I am losing faith in my ktm,also how come the front forks are so stiff,I have loosened the compression all the way and my 89 rode softer than this thing. where do i get the coolant recovery system?

[Johno]

trevor wrote:

i just bought a 2007 525 exc.first problem was overheating,then i stripped the hex bolt for oil screen.for overheating issue i was told to rejet to 185 @ 45 and change out pipe for restriction! after doing this the bike was still getting hot.so then i changed stockk coolant to cycle logics engine ice and gutted the thermostat for a free flowing system!after doing all this the bike needs a lot more abuse than before to over heat but it STILL DOES-very frustrating!! my only option left is to install the engine fan which is still on back order for at least another month,and was also recomended to run waterless coolan(evans)!im 260 pounds which doesnt help the situation,i know. but if anyone else has any suggestions im all ears!dont get me wrong i love the bike,it HAS cooled down a lot! but im looking for news maybee to incress the lb rating on radiator cap to possibly 4lbs from the three lbs ktm supplies for this bike! if anybody has heard news with this problem please respond! thank you

Trevor - yup, heard of this. i'm a big unit too 115kgs, previously owned an XR600, had oil vaporising issues too. i'm looking at buying a new KTM525 and so did a bit of research - have included an idea from a review i read about having an oil cooler installed for about $199US to combat this issue. http://www.dsadventures.com/why525.htm
"project525" "However, there's one critical thing keeping the EXC from being a good dual sport bike -- it's limited oil capacity (only 1200 cc's, or 1.27 quarts). When doing stretches of highway miles in 5th and 6th gear, the oil temperature can quickly get to the point where the oil starts burning off, leaving the transmission and engine in desperate need of lubrication. So the first thing one must do to make the EXC a reasonable dual sport is add an oil cooler with extra capacity.

Fortunately, HT-Racing offers exactly that -- an easy-to-install oil cooler that reduces oil temperature by as much as 30 degrees while adding 800 cc of oil to total capacity. By adding this product to a stock EXC, the total oil capacity reaches 2000 cc, or 2.1 quarts.(By comparison, most XR650R bikes have an oil capacity of 1.65 quarts.) This simple and cost-effective option instantly transforms the EXC into a reasonable dual sport machine."

Hope this helps.

[henry]

I had a 2003, 2005 and a 2006 KTM and never had any of your problems.
It is probably one of the best bikes ever, but if you got 2 left hands, you shouldn't use any wrenches.
Leave it to a good mechanic!!

[curtdude2]

its not a matter of having a mechanic,it is a matter of buying a brand new bike and having probs right out of the box,I am perfectately capable of wrenching on my bike,never had a problem with my 89 350 for the ten years I owned it.

[tim]

my 07 525 does run hot but does not overheat due to the f2racing de-emission kit which re-jets,uncorks the pipe,and adds heat tape to the exhaust under the radiator. las vegas nv

[drewski]

I have been working pretty hard to solve the overheating issues on a sx525 with a thumper big bore engine set up for flat track racing.Taking the thermostat out is not the answer especialy at high rpm.The coolant will flow through the radiators too fast not releasing enough heat to cool the engine.you need to slow the circulation down.the fan kit only helps at slow speeds.Fluid-dyne makes a set of oversized radiators for about $425.00 Thumpers 570 kit builds tremendous power but drasticly fades when the engine gets heat soaked.

[2PATIENT]

KTM... Listen up... This is not how to break into the American street bike market.

Customer service:

"a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron. "

"something made or done by a commercial organization for the public benefit and without regard to direct profit"

If you pride yourself on your machines... Do the right thing. We payed extra for performance... not for our bikes to look pretty in the shop!

I had my 07 690 sm 3 weeks before it overheated. It too is out of comission longer then ridden.
please feel free to post a comment:

"2007 ktm 690sm Overheated"

[curtdude2]

I'll say it a million times if i have too,make them ready to go ,for the most part, out of the box,you get plenty of dough for them,don't make me change brands!!!!!!!!!!oh yea,it looks nice in the shop though!!!!!!!!

[2wheelfun]

I have a 2007 525EXC that YES had a overheating problem then put on the KTM fan kit that made another problem of the electrical system not able to produce enough electricty at trail speed and draining the current out of the battery when the fan turns on to keep the bike from overheating (this is with the headlight disconected, the DOT headlight pulls watts that can kill the system by itself) now try kickstarting a bike with a dead battery that is overheated. When I go to the dealer they tell me to open the exaust to reduce heat, but I purchased the bike due to its quietness, Looks like KTM didn't do there homework before putting this bike out, also had and still have carb problems, the dealer took off all the emmission canisters that yes did fill with gas, and handed me a bag full of parts they took off. the rear tail light and turn directionls self distruct from the roost from the rear wheel and no sub support under the fender so lights flop all over when riding. I would like KTM to fix problems starting with mine. [e-mail]

[mtnrider]

I've loved my KTM 360 2 stroke, but I am deffenately thinking twice about the big bore 4 stroke with the overheating problems etc. What about the Honda XR650R?

[henryhenry]

mtnrider wrote:

I've loved my KTM 360 2 stroke, but I am deffenately thinking twice about the big bore 4 stroke with the overheating problems etc. What about the Honda XR650R?

i have a 360 and need a kick starter do you know of any other model of KTM kickstarter that will work on the 360.

[Chazmanian]

marvin Fredrich wrote:

Bikes been in the shop more hours than ridden. Over heats, bolts stripping off when changing oil filters, Evaporation tank fills up and bike won't start(dealer didn't inform of emptying this each time I ride), kick start spring fell off, Liscence can rip off if in silt or clay that kicks up from tire due to void area in fender. Not to mention dealer can't get jetting right or the fuel mixture screw. I'm not pleased with this bike.

The real issue here is that folks need to understand that the KTM 450/525 EXC are RACE BIKES with a tag and lights. Period. The RFS KTM motors are legendary in offroad racing and are widely considered to rank right up there with the Honda XR motors in reliability. This still doesent cahnge the fact that these are purpose built racing machines and are really not meant or marketed towards the casual rider who cant wrench on a bike. Simply put KTM restricts the 2007 EXC 450's and 525's with very lean jetting and a very restricted exhaust systen to pass EPA in all 50 states. So it takes a person with a slight bit of mechanical skill to get the bike running off the showroom floor. This bike is marketed towards experienced racers who want a street legal bike as well to connect the trails. This group of riders understands that the EPA crap is easily removed and the bike is easily rejetted. As with any race bike the bolts must all be retorqued opun delivery either by you or your dealer. The bike will never also jet correctly until the exhuast restrictor is removed. It also will not ride at its true potential until the rear sprocket is changed as the stocker is a 45 tooth thats put there to pass noise laws and keep RPM's down.

I own a 2007 KTM 525 EXC. I haved raced and ridden offroad bikes for 20 years. The KTM is hands down the best bike I have ever owned....I also understand race bred machines and dint even ride the bike until I rejetted the carb removed the exhuast restrictor, added a coolant recovery tank and regeared the bike. I also tightened all the bolts and locktited those pesky kickstarter bolts~! This bike qwill rip up the hwy at 90MPH+ and then proceed to attack the narliest scariest single track Colorado has to offer. This is the same bike that Juha won the world enduro championship on. World class machine with world class componetry. Its a race bike. The dealer who sold you this bike without "Vhecking Your Credentials" did you a misservice. He should have sold you a Suzuki DRZ or a Honda XL650. This bike is way over the riding level of someone who dosent understand race machines. Every racing four stroke on the market will overheat in the hands of a Novice rider. Your dealer did you dirty. KTM RFS 525's and 450's are a bike for fast capable experienced riders.

Go trade it in on a slow heavy unraceable turdish Honda or Suzuki.Leave the KTM's on the showrooms for the guys who know how to use them!

[Chazmanian]

Jeff Dedmon Canyon Lake wrote:

I bought a 2006 525 exc and I have had my bike over heat every time I start climbing hills. Wide open on strieghts ok. Reading all the things people have tried how much money are we supposed to spend on top of an already high dollar bike.There has to be something done by the factory for some sort of recal just like the gas cap proplem. What are your thoughts?

Who told you there was gas cap issue with a 2006 EXC? Thats bizzare Bro. The gas cao issue is with the SX style caps. The 2006-2007 KTM 525 EXC have nop issues whatsoever pertaining to the leaky gas caps. Different bike. Different customer base. Pure-bred closed course MX bikes with the funky caps. Not enduro EXC's. If yours leaks try tightening it!!!

[Chazmanian]

mtnrider wrote:

I've loved my KTM 360 2 stroke, but I am deffenately thinking twice about the big bore 4 stroke with the overheating problems etc. What about the Honda XR650R?

All race bred high compression high output 4 strokes will overheat when ridden slowly in low gear. Period. KTM has a fan kit and coolant overflow tanks are widely available. If you are overheating a KTM 4 stroke you will absolutely boil an Asian MX 4 stroke racer.

XR650R's are yesterdays technology. Low output heavy pigs. The only racing they are good for is in large wide open spaces. On any tight trail a KTM would simply destroy an XR650R.

The key to riding a new race bred 4 stroke motorcycle is that you need to be capable of riding at 12 MPH or better and have a basic understanding of gear selection as the water pump impellor needs to be moving fluid through the machine.

Bike that are aimed at the non-racers and guys who want to putt around slowly and not actually ride at higher speeds are considered "Play Bikes" and they are great for just that purpose...Playing.

Try a Suzuki DRZ400 or a Honda XL650l a Honda XR650R is also a good bike to putt on but it will overheat as well as it has higher compression and a more race oriented design. Very heavy and hard to handle on tight trails for anyone riding below a B level. Perfect for dirt roads and 48" quad trails. Not good on technical single track. thats KTM EXC/XC-F,WR450R,CRF450X and KLX450R territory