Just signed up today myself! first enduro race ever. Going to do it with the t7!! Or at lest try. haha. I live in kristiansand and would love to do some riding beforehand if your up for it!
Iam 42000ks into a trip from capetown to the uk on my 2014 ktm exc 500 still going strong I change the oil every 2500 ks, I use mako 360 bar mount really helps with the vibration I also have bash plate that holds 3lt of oil , which in Africa was worth it weight in gold , I could travel 7500 ks befor I had to look for oil , currently in turkey 😊
Hey Richard, wow that's some adventure you're on! Thank you very much for sharing your experience with the 500, happy to hear it's been serving you well. Wishing you a great trip, ride safe 🙂
@@alanprice9938 no ,I cruise between 90 to 105 ks , I've dropped the bike on some heavily rutted tarmac in iraq but it was slow speed and at night, spooked for a while
The bike in van concept is an excellent one. Even better, you can travel much lighter throughout the trip if you can convince your other half to "shadow' your progress everyday via the highway so at night you can sleep in the van and have a good camp base with decent cooking equipment, cold beers and a comfy bed. Plus it can carry comprehensive tools, spare wheels fitted with tyres etc etc. The ultimate dream solution would be an "Earth Roamer" RV if you have ever seen one of those. When I did the TAT in the states I did see one millionaire with an RV so big it had an entire workshop in the back kitted out with spares etc so he could service his bike. Thats living the life!
My friend I really am out of ideas to help you, i think you will have to go through this journey of self discovery yourself :P This "in and out" is very common, and I think all of us suffer a little bit with it: Comfort vs weight, fast vs reliable, 2 bikes vs 1 bike, trailer vs van vs riding to the destination, etc etc... there are no right or wrong answers cause we all have different goals, different friends, different events to go to, different countries with different off-road freedoms, etc etc...
I think you are very smart. You've always made good decisions pretty quick. The van seems like a good idea especially since you like exploring trails and need a light weight bike.
Also take in account that the TET is for travelling and not for racing (i’m not a saint and I like to open it up as wel) but for me, the lighter and more capable the bike, the faster i will ride easy tracks because they become boring and to easy to enjoy at normal speeds. That’s why i ride the 890 to tame me down a bit and to keep normal single track and dirt roads interesting! Also take in account the people you ride with. If you are going to ride with all adventure riders you have to adapt pace and will get bored aswel. Its a personal opinion but definitely a though process i took in account :)
You raise several very important points here. Most of the TETs I've ridden are easy gravel roads, and the FE350 is overkill for that. That's why I think I will head to an offroad/enduro event instead of another TET with this bike. The T7 (like your 890) is a better option for laidback TET exploring. I like how you have an 890 to tame you down - the 890 is probably the craziest bike I've ridden 😅
I jumped from 70kg Sur-Ron bike to 210kg 890AdvR. Its like comparing a quad to a car! But each of them has its own strengths and weakenesses and I love them both
Having watching your videos since your first T7, I think you are on a journey to find something you are not going to find. Every choice you will make, will have compromises, there is not a do it all bike, amazing in every aspect. You know that. A bike + van combo also was drawbacks, highly costly, annoying logistics wise and you lose all the freedom to start a track in point A and leave in C. You always need to go back to point A, where the van is parked. I wish you all the best in your journey but I think you are better off riding the amazing combo of bikes you have and create memories. It's all part of the game.
First of all, thanks a lot for sticking around António, that's awesome to hear! 😁 I think you are correct, I will never find a solution that will be 100% perfect. There's drawbacks and compromises with every approach, but the only way to find out is to try. I'm having a lot of fun by trying, failing and documenting along the way, and it seems like you guys have too. In the meantime, as this is a long term project, I will continue to be grateful for the bikes I have and make memories with them. Thanks a lot for chiming in and have a great day my friend!
my xr400r has an interfal of 1500km. also in racing conditions. while travaling i changed the oil every 10.000km. and it seems that there has not been any increased wear after 40.000km in 5 months
Just balance the wheels properly and it'll be fine for what you're doing. A Rekluse with some higher gearing makes a big difference as well, it lets you go much slower on the low end while bringing the revs down on the highway.
Great to see that you are navigating your motorbike development leaning towards more enduro mix. If I would try to figure out the optimal setup to meet your current approach from my perspektive it would be a Husky/KTM 450 with low compression piston to smoothen the behavior of the big bore, go up 2 tooth in the front for nice cruise behavior, add a Rekluse clutch to balance the high gearing at knarly single track. This setup would mean you would run the bike at far from its capacity and long service intervals would be ok but you are right it is also no issue with the 350, air filter still super important to serve due to the soft titanium valves. To completely take away the front rimlock is also ok, at least it works for me, and PHDS handle bar damping system to minimize vibrations and finally powerparts 690/701 mini front window. Just some thoughts. And of cause lower footpegs. Problem is the cost….
yes this. having the wife and kid following with the van, having an awesome roadtrip with icecream and taking dips in the ocean, while you rocking on in the mountins, having a blast, then yu meet up in the evnings eating dinner and having fun :D fun vacation for all :p
thinking the same as you....want to use my 525 both on the enduro tracks and also ride it on gravel roads and trails, using the 890 when its more tarmac and longer rides like going to Oslo for work....if I get a ticket to next skog it would be fun to use the 525 instead of the 890 I used this year... btw thank for the laughs around the forbidden bonfire at. skog ;)
Hehe, not the first to say that my friend, but you are right, a 701 would be ideal for a setup like this. But, in order for me to have a 701 I'd have to sell one of my bikes, the FE I use for enduro, and my T7 I love, so not yet at least 😆
@@JohannesDalenMC Ha! I have a KTM 690R & 890R and have just ordered a Beta 390 RR. I plan to sell the 690 but if I don't (because I spent way too much on it) its no big deal. The only problem I see with 3 bikes, apart from running costs, is to know exactly what and where you plan to ride and know it well. With only one bike, the decision is much easier!
Good mods, make sense. I did a similar test run on mine, though I always have air in the tyres, and didn’t balance the wheels…… but at around 110kmh, I started to get some hints of tank slapper/speed wobble. Wheel balance may reduce that, but it felt more suspension and geometry triggered, so it may be something to be aware of…..
So I've done both... IMO driving a van (truck in my case) with a bike in it for 15 minutes is 100x more boring than riding a bike (ANY bike) on tarmac for a day... so enduro's were never going to work for me (because you have to be a masochist to ride them on tarmac)... BUT once you're at the location (for me it was the Rockies) and riding harder offroad I'd much rather have a 350 or 500 excf than anything big enough to ride the 2000 miles out there on... so it's definitely a tradeoff. as for the "15 hours"... it doesn't say "15 hours of racing" in the ktm docs (for bikes like the 350 and 500's)... and it DOES say racing for some of it's table when it's relevant so if they meant 15 hours of racing they'd have said 15 hours of racing. IMO it's a rationalization for not following mfgr recommendations... if you want to ignore them then do so but just accept that's you're doing it. Those bikes have very small oil capacities and are running hard... IMO the oil service interval is pretty reasonable given the design. In my experience... riding one of these bikes (up to and including the 690/701) at 75mph on the interstate is FAR more demanding on the motor than aggressive riding offroad. When I rode the TAT I changed the oil every 2500 miles (6000 mile recommended) - but it was because of those highway miles NOT the offroad riding. If I had taken the 500 I'd have been servicing the bike every day and a half of riding through the entire trip... pretty excessive.
You make some excellent points man. Definitely agree that it’s more taxing for the engine to sit an hour at constant mid-high regimes on the motorway that to work in short bursts of not so high braap braap as you do off-road. Unless of course you’re climbing for miles and miles…
Fair comments 👍 I have a 501 and can relate to most of the points. Wheel balancers are a must (I have the spoke options and they work great) The seat is a torture device - I rather stand up any opportunity I have, specially on roads, and this brings to a crucial point - I had to raise the bars to be comfortable riding standing up (189cm height). That was a gamechanger ! To those who consider these enduro bikes dual sport - they're not... not even close imho. 501 is closer to mx bike than any decent dual sport. The only difference is that engine on 501 is much more mellow (rew up/down time wise) compared to a mx bike (tested on MX track). That's basically it. Otherwise these are light and fun bikes to ride and they expect you to be fit to endure on longer rides. Also comfort is highly dependent on suspension setup - I've found most comfortable ride when going past comfort setting on fork compression (rebound adjusted on the go what felt right.) So I'd advise anyone to play with the settings - they matter and can be easily adjusted while riding.
@@miro_s CRF/DRZ for sure, also KLX models. not sure about 690/701 as I haven't tired those. The definition varies from person to person, but what I would consider dualsport: -Street legal -Road/Offroad capabilities -Ability to go on longer trips (both in comfort and technical - oil changes ect) -Suitable for daily driver 501 at stock trim, would punish any novice by riding seated for more than 10 minutes and it doesn't have a regular ignition key, so the last 2 points are not there... but hey: everything can be adapted if anyone wishes so 😅
I personally wouldn’t want to spend much time on the tarmac with a full blown enduro bike. A 501 with a cush drive maybe slightly better as MAD tv have just featured although after they upped the fuel capacity it weighed in around 141kg which is not far from the 690/701. There’s definitely a space on the market for a bike between the enduros and dual sports, I just don’t think it’s big enough for manufacturers to profit from.
Would be cool if KTM/Husky sold the 500/501 in a dual sport trim - cush drive, bigger tank, slightly more comfy seat and suspension to deal with the extra weight. I wouldn't think it was as heavy as 141, did Dave Darcy weigh his yet? But yeah, I'd avoid the tar at all cost. I would spend some time researching my next destination before leaving, making sure I pick a TET/track that is with as little tar as possible.
@@JohannesDalenMC it was Dave’s bike they weighed. From memory they strengthened the subframe for luggage, installed a cush drive, fitted a larger tank and some other small additions. Came in at over 140kg wet.
Yes, it is Dave’s bike, at the end of the build was 141kg, which is not muuuuch heavier than the 701. (Tho I suspect you might let go of the cush drive, the rear rack, and the tower he put on, saving maybe 10kg?) However, the difference between excf and 701 is not just the weight. It’s enough to braaap the two bikes next to each other to savour the difference between a race engine and a tractor (not meant pejoratively), and this has got a significant impact riding trails…
@@miro_s yeah agreed, the balancer shaft and general mass in the 701 engine will add centrifugal forces which will make the weight difference feel like a lot more.
What 'm thinking about is to find car/bike transporter train lines. I've heard something like there is a train from Vienna to the Swiss border. If there would be more such lines across Europe, that could be a viable alternative as well, especially with evening train lines by sleeping in the train.
Even better for your Enduro events is Van the new 68KG Beta 2024 Explorer electric there and ditch the maintenance-heavy / costly Husky ... just a thought.
Hey Johannes, I’ve got some experience with your current issue. Virtually same bike (just orange, 14/48 gearing), same problems. By and large, the most important thing you have already done, and it’s wheel weights. (Only don’t add them opposite to the valve -do you have rimlocks?- take the wheels off and balance them properly). With them the wheels will stop bobbing up and down, also check that the rims are straight within spec (2mm, I think), and life will be different. I’m not sure why you think the bike might be less performant off-road, the gearing will be ok, perhaps you’re thinking about the tires? In my experience there isn’t very much road comfort difference between 40/60 (say tck80 or twinenduro) and proper road legal enduro tires (say Michelin tracker or medium), tho the latter will be considerably noisier and will fade very quickly (especially the rear). But there will be a considerable performance difference off-road, especially in the wet/muddy/slippery. So I keep enduro tires on, consider them as consumables as petrol, and change when I need to… The saddle is a big issue, because I don’t think the so hyped and expensive aftermarket seats are a game changer. Me, I can normally do some 7-8h on TET conditions (but recently I once did 10h and 180mi) before my bum starts to ache very badly, and need to stop or else. I plan to try with cyclist padded shorts to see whether a fluffier seat would make a significant difference. For the moment I just consider it a necessary pain to endure by alternating sitting positions and standing.
I had a KTM 690 adv bike, it was good, but its a tractor. So i got a 500 exc and build it into a lightweight adv bike. It's perfect to do it all! But offroad focused and just a dream to trail ride. There is also a few who has gone long distance with a 500, RTW Paul and that Braping kiwi guy. It is the ultimate solo offroad adv bike for sure Many adv riders usally start small and go bigger. I do it the other way, so now the plan is a 350 exc. That I'll bring with me on adventures and do even more adventures on! THIS IS THE WAY 🙌
Of course they can. Not good for half the day, day after day on high speed sealed roads but my exc500 happily sits on 110kph for an hour or whatever it takes to get between dirt roads. I geared mine to 15/47 but it will pull 15/42 easily as long as you don't plan on doing tougher single tracks. Cush drive wheel, small screen, modified seat, handlebar end weights, day running lights and the most reliable single cylinder powerful lightweight dirt tourer ever made.
Your 500 sounds like the perfect lightweight adventure bike! I would love to do something like that one day, but that would quickly make my 350 unsuitable for the enduro tracks we have locally. I'm happy with the changes I've done so far, all easily reversible for competition too. Thanks for chiming in!
Nice to see some content with the Husky. I'm excited to see what you'll do with it! When I had my 450L I also added a tooth in the front to make it a little nicer on the road. The seat concepts was absolutely necessary as well for any amount of road riding. When it came to maintenance I felt comfortable stretching the service intervals out to 1000 miles (1600km), at least after the initial/break in period. As for tires I actually went up from the factory 50/50s to 80/20s with the Motoz Tractionator RallZ. They were only a tad rougher on pavement, but enormously better off road. They'd be my recommendation when you wear out the knobbies on the Husky.
Cool to hear, I'm excited for this project van & dirt bike 🙂 Thanks for the suggestion, I will add the RallZ's to the list of possible tires. I've heard good things about them, but they are on the expensive side here in Norway.
@@JohannesDalenMC dang, what isn't expensive for you up there? The Seat Concepts cost over $200 more if I remember correctly. The Motoz are some of the more affordable options here in the states. We need to find a way to smuggle you some parts.
I’d think the issue is this…you get the van to where you are going and then the ride has to be a loop because you don’t want ti backtrack or ride the highway back.
Absolutely Paul, I addressed this in a previous video. The planning on trips like these will be a bit different, has to be ridden in a loop as you say.
@@JohannesDalenMC Although now with a van, you could still drive the T7 down so you have the flexibility to use the best bike for job. That van is the answer to everything.
When I hear you troubleshoot the challenges of an enduro bike, I wonder if a crf300 with up specced suspension, would have been a better fit for your needs?
I’m sure it would have been a great bike for the task. My biggest issue with the 300l is it’s size. The FE is just an inch longer, but feels like a much bigger bike ergonomically. Also this FE can double as an enduro bike, which the 300l can’t. I mean it can, but I need all the help I can get (30kg less) 😅
Thanks for the video! Having come from a race/enduro background, I say leave the bike alone. If you have a short stretch of tarmac to cover, just grin and bear it. If you have more than 10 kays of tarmac to cover, put the bike in a van. It’s a thoroughbred, let it remain a thoroughbred. 👍
Good point. Any mod that I do to this bike needs to be quickly reversed, so if my next trip is an enduro event, I would gear it back down. If the trip is a TET with some tarmac I'd gear it back up and have it like it was in this video. Takes some pre trip planning, but that's a part of the fun, right? 😁
You add some road comfort and take away dirt performance. I tried my FE501 as a more road-friendly bike once (less aggressive tyres, taller gearing, etc), but when I got to the dirt I was so disappointed, therefore I changed it all back. I now have a TE300i set up for Enduro and prefer to drive the car right to the trail head and do loops (50 to 100 km). For occasional roads linking trails, the TE300 is fine on the road up to 90 km/h for about 10 km or so. Your 350 would be even better on the road. Good luck finding the right compromise for your situation. Cheers
Exactly, that's why we are experimenting to see where I find a compromise I'm happy with. Next test will be in this current setup on the local enduro track 🙂
@@JohannesDalenMC it’s great you’re testing. Decide for yourself instead of taking other people advice. The 14 front sprocket will probably be fine for most trail situations but you might miss the 13 on the steep hills. I heard Jarvis uses a 12 and Occasionally an 11 front sprocket. Cheers
Hi mate, I 've been on a very similar path to you over the years (klr650, drz 400, ktm 690, africa twin etc.) and I' ve ended up in this conclusion. If you 're like me that loves the dirt as much as possible, make yourself a favour and sell all your bikes. Buy the van or an enclosed trailer, customise it to have all your gear, fuel, tools, camping gear, clothes, food etc. Then buy the bike, for me nothing beats a good enduro/dual sport bike. KTM 500s (2012-2016, 2017-current model) and Husky 501, Beta 390/480, Honda CRF450l, SWM 500 and even the old Husaberg 570. And go have fun! I 've gone with a 2019 Beta 390 RR Race Edition as I only weigh 78 kilos and found a bargain demo with everything already set up for a great price. Local rides or 2-3 day trips easy on just the bike. If I want to go further with a lot of highway to cover I bought myself a motorcycle carrier, strap it on my 4wd and go wherever I want, ride wherever I want, camp wherever I want. I personally ride nowhere near a race pace so for me I go 2,500 ks before I change oil/filters on the Beta with no issues at all. Thanks for your content mate!
Perhaps you should have kept the 701. You don´t need a real Enduro bike on the TET somewhere. You are tall and strong, the 701 fits perfect your needs...
Yeah the 701 would probably be ideal in a van setup. But as I said in the video, I’ll most likely go to enduro/technical offroad events rather than TETs with this bike. The T7 is close to being perfect for TET/gravel exploring, so I will make sure the van can take a heavier bike too.
Yep, 701 perfect for TET, but you don’t consider how much more fun is the 350. And the 701 is not that much more comfortable tbh, just a bit. The only real advantage is the service intervals imho.
I am really appreciating your videos! About to buy my first "TET bike", and I'm considering something similar, e.g. the AJP 310R or 510R. Would you say that the 510R is better for TET than the 310R? And when you said that the FE 350 is easier to handle in an enduro setting did you mean because the FE 501 has too much power for that (for a non-pro rider)? Thanks!
I am a T7 rider considering an FE 501 kind of bike for similar reasons, the catch is I can only have 1 bike, . so I will be following your journey closely
Interesting situation. I had a T7 as my first offroad oriented bike, found it heavy and sold it for a 701, a bike many consider to be the best 50/50 platform. At the time I could only have one bike too. What I found is that because I live far away from the trails, I ended up riding an offroad beast on tarmac. Where do you live and do you have trails nearby?
@@JohannesDalenMC I am in Canada, when I got the t7 the closest trail was over 1hr away, now I moved and have lots of trails between 15 and 40 minutes from my house, that is why I am considering downsizing
I can’t decide between a T7 or 500 excf. Not many trails available unless I pay for them through a membership. I also want to take a day off of work and go touring but doing that would suck on a 500…so basically I have to decide what type of riding I want to do most.
@@BuckyUSA the t7 is a hard bike to learn off road on. But not impossible, I ride trails with guys on all sizes of dual sport bikes and i have no problem keeping up with them now. This weekend i rode with a friend who has a crf450, he let me try his bike and was great for me to set my expectations straight. Going over logs was a lot easier on his bike, deep sand too, but for the other 98% of the ride I actually preferred the t7, i am so used to this bike now that i had to wait for him on the single track hehehe
Very happy with the changes. First is slightly taller now, but before it was almost too low - excellent when I stop in an awkward situation on the enduro track, but when moving first is too low, second too high. Takes five minutes to swap though, so can bring the extra in the van and change depending on the track. Thanks for watching :)
Balansering av däck. jag har kulor man skruvar fast på ekrarna. det är kanon har på min Honda 450L kan köra 300km om dagen med den och dom :) (man kan göra rebound något långsammare det motverkar gunghäst känslan på vägen ;))
Hi. Great video as always. 😊👍 Check how you will react on long term riding test in terms of vibration. It wasn't so pleasant on my SWM 500 rr (ex HQ 501). But I'm sensitive to vibration. Whole day in the saddle was a challenge for me. Had not such a problem with DR 650.
Thank you Alex 🙂 That is a very good point, it will most likely be very buzzy. The only way to find out is to try, right? Stay tuned for upcoming adventures with this Husky.
Packing the bike into the van is something I always did with my dirt bike, even if it was registered for road use. After a day belting around the bush the last thing I wanted to do was ride it home, enduro or trail riding gear is not much good when you have a 1 or 2 hour ride just to get somewhere, sweat all day then ride home, especially in winter. If you want to ride more difficult terrain you dress light, if you want to ride more open flowing stuff dress for more protection from gravel rash and wind chill, sadly it is hard to do both, you either sweat or freeze. I guess you really just want to go trail riding ? Which is a shit ton of fun, enduro is bloody tough on man and machine so you need to be not only bike and physically fit but mentally tough to get through a tough day of rocks, mud, rivers and the bitch of them all, big hills. Don’t know how much study of enduro you done but it is basically a test of endurance of rider and machine, I remember doing some enduro sections years ago after a round of the state championships, and OMG it was hard, I even helped out one local club to set out some sections , cutting back bushes and branches and so forth and I could hardly walk though some parts. Good luck to you mate, I know you Viking types are pretty hardy soles so enduro should be a breeze. 👍👍👍👍
Don't rule out taking a bike like that to the Pyrenees! The TET is less than 1% of what you can actually ride. There are thousands of miles of great trails there where it would be perfect. You just need to buy a map and find them for yourself.
You took a T7 and made it better for touring, now your taking a FE350 and making it better for the road? Just get a transalp and a 300L, deep down you know you want it! Join team red!
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Just signed up for my first enduro competition - Tiurleiken 12th of August here in southern Norway. It will be a hoot!
- Johannes
Just signed up today myself! first enduro race ever. Going to do it with the t7!! Or at lest try. haha. I live in kristiansand and would love to do some riding beforehand if your up for it!
That is awesome, and with the T7? Crazy 😆 Sure, lets get some riding in, hit me up on IG or messenger 😊
Iam 42000ks into a trip from capetown to the uk on my 2014 ktm exc 500 still going strong I change the oil every 2500 ks, I use mako 360 bar mount really helps with the vibration I also have bash plate that holds 3lt of oil , which in Africa was worth it weight in gold , I could travel 7500 ks befor I had to look for oil , currently in turkey 😊
Hey Richard, wow that's some adventure you're on! Thank you very much for sharing your experience with the 500, happy to hear it's been serving you well. Wishing you a great trip, ride safe 🙂
Yeah, wow!! What an adventure! Have you ever experienced any of the tank slapper type wobbles at higher speeds?
@@alanprice9938 no ,I cruise between 90 to 105 ks , I've dropped the bike on some heavily rutted tarmac in iraq but it was slow speed and at night, spooked for a while
The bike in van concept is an excellent one. Even better, you can travel much lighter throughout the trip if you can convince your other half to "shadow' your progress everyday via the highway so at night you can sleep in the van and have a good camp base with decent cooking equipment, cold beers and a comfy bed. Plus it can carry comprehensive tools, spare wheels fitted with tyres etc etc. The ultimate dream solution would be an "Earth Roamer" RV if you have ever seen one of those. When I did the TAT in the states I did see one millionaire with an RV so big it had an entire workshop in the back kitted out with spares etc so he could service his bike. Thats living the life!
My friend I really am out of ideas to help you, i think you will have to go through this journey of self discovery yourself :P This "in and out" is very common, and I think all of us suffer a little bit with it: Comfort vs weight, fast vs reliable, 2 bikes vs 1 bike, trailer vs van vs riding to the destination, etc etc... there are no right or wrong answers cause we all have different goals, different friends, different events to go to, different countries with different off-road freedoms, etc etc...
I think you are very smart. You've always made good decisions pretty quick. The van seems like a good idea especially since you like exploring trails and need a light weight bike.
Also take in account that the TET is for travelling and not for racing (i’m not a saint and I like to open it up as wel) but for me, the lighter and more capable the bike, the faster i will ride easy tracks because they become boring and to easy to enjoy at normal speeds. That’s why i ride the 890 to tame me down a bit and to keep normal single track and dirt roads interesting! Also take in account the people you ride with. If you are going to ride with all adventure riders you have to adapt pace and will get bored aswel. Its a personal opinion but definitely a though process i took in account :)
You raise several very important points here. Most of the TETs I've ridden are easy gravel roads, and the FE350 is overkill for that. That's why I think I will head to an offroad/enduro event instead of another TET with this bike. The T7 (like your 890) is a better option for laidback TET exploring. I like how you have an 890 to tame you down - the 890 is probably the craziest bike I've ridden 😅
I jumped from 70kg Sur-Ron bike to 210kg 890AdvR. Its like comparing a quad to a car! But each of them has its own strengths and weakenesses and I love them both
Having watching your videos since your first T7, I think you are on a journey to find something you are not going to find.
Every choice you will make, will have compromises, there is not a do it all bike, amazing in every aspect. You know that.
A bike + van combo also was drawbacks, highly costly, annoying logistics wise and you lose all the freedom to start a track in point A and leave in C. You always need to go back to point A, where the van is parked.
I wish you all the best in your journey but I think you are better off riding the amazing combo of bikes you have and create memories. It's all part of the game.
First of all, thanks a lot for sticking around António, that's awesome to hear! 😁
I think you are correct, I will never find a solution that will be 100% perfect. There's drawbacks and compromises with every approach, but the only way to find out is to try. I'm having a lot of fun by trying, failing and documenting along the way, and it seems like you guys have too. In the meantime, as this is a long term project, I will continue to be grateful for the bikes I have and make memories with them. Thanks a lot for chiming in and have a great day my friend!
my xr400r has an interfal of 1500km. also in racing conditions. while travaling i changed the oil every 10.000km. and it seems that there has not been any increased wear after 40.000km in 5 months
Thanks for sharing, that is valuable information. Your Honda is most likely a bit more reliable than a Husky, but still relevant information 🙂
@@JohannesDalenMC it doesn't run as hot as in a competition. but there are many bikeshops so you could change more often, just bring your filters
Just balance the wheels properly and it'll be fine for what you're doing. A Rekluse with some higher gearing makes a big difference as well, it lets you go much slower on the low end while bringing the revs down on the highway.
Great to see that you are navigating your motorbike development leaning towards more enduro mix. If I would try to figure out the optimal setup to meet your current approach from my perspektive it would be a Husky/KTM 450 with low compression piston to smoothen the behavior of the big bore, go up 2 tooth in the front for nice cruise behavior, add a Rekluse clutch to balance the high gearing at knarly single track. This setup would mean you would run the bike at far from its capacity and long service intervals would be ok but you are right it is also no issue with the 350, air filter still super important to serve due to the soft titanium valves. To completely take away the front rimlock is also ok, at least it works for me, and PHDS handle bar damping system to minimize vibrations and finally powerparts 690/701 mini front window. Just some thoughts. And of cause lower footpegs. Problem is the cost….
yes this. having the wife and kid following with the van, having an awesome roadtrip with icecream and taking dips in the ocean, while you rocking on in the mountins, having a blast, then yu meet up in the evnings eating dinner and having fun :D fun vacation for all :p
thinking the same as you....want to use my 525 both on the enduro tracks and also ride it on gravel roads and trails, using the 890 when its more tarmac and longer rides like going to Oslo for work....if I get a ticket to next skog it would be fun to use the 525 instead of the 890 I used this year... btw thank for the laughs around the forbidden bonfire at. skog ;)
Johannes, sounds like you need to buy 701 back again ;-)
Hehe, not the first to say that my friend, but you are right, a 701 would be ideal for a setup like this. But, in order for me to have a 701 I'd have to sell one of my bikes, the FE I use for enduro, and my T7 I love, so not yet at least 😆
@@JohannesDalenMC example, if you have the cookies, you will eat or keep them, can't do both at the same time
@@JohannesDalenMC Ha! I have a KTM 690R & 890R and have just ordered a Beta 390 RR. I plan to sell the 690 but if I don't (because I spent way too much on it) its no big deal. The only problem I see with 3 bikes, apart from running costs, is to know exactly what and where you plan to ride and know it well. With only one bike, the decision is much easier!
Good mods, make sense. I did a similar test run on mine, though I always have air in the tyres, and didn’t balance the wheels…… but at around 110kmh, I started to get some hints of tank slapper/speed wobble. Wheel balance may reduce that, but it felt more suspension and geometry triggered, so it may be something to be aware of…..
So I've done both... IMO driving a van (truck in my case) with a bike in it for 15 minutes is 100x more boring than riding a bike (ANY bike) on tarmac for a day... so enduro's were never going to work for me (because you have to be a masochist to ride them on tarmac)... BUT once you're at the location (for me it was the Rockies) and riding harder offroad I'd much rather have a 350 or 500 excf than anything big enough to ride the 2000 miles out there on... so it's definitely a tradeoff.
as for the "15 hours"... it doesn't say "15 hours of racing" in the ktm docs (for bikes like the 350 and 500's)... and it DOES say racing for some of it's table when it's relevant so if they meant 15 hours of racing they'd have said 15 hours of racing. IMO it's a rationalization for not following mfgr recommendations... if you want to ignore them then do so but just accept that's you're doing it. Those bikes have very small oil capacities and are running hard... IMO the oil service interval is pretty reasonable given the design.
In my experience... riding one of these bikes (up to and including the 690/701) at 75mph on the interstate is FAR more demanding on the motor than aggressive riding offroad. When I rode the TAT I changed the oil every 2500 miles (6000 mile recommended) - but it was because of those highway miles NOT the offroad riding. If I had taken the 500 I'd have been servicing the bike every day and a half of riding through the entire trip... pretty excessive.
You make some excellent points man. Definitely agree that it’s more taxing for the engine to sit an hour at constant mid-high regimes on the motorway that to work in short bursts of not so high braap braap as you do off-road. Unless of course you’re climbing for miles and miles…
Fair comments 👍
I have a 501 and can relate to most of the points.
Wheel balancers are a must (I have the spoke options and they work great)
The seat is a torture device - I rather stand up any opportunity I have, specially on roads, and this brings to a crucial point - I had to raise the bars to be comfortable riding standing up (189cm height). That was a gamechanger !
To those who consider these enduro bikes dual sport - they're not... not even close imho. 501 is closer to mx bike than any decent dual sport. The only difference is that engine on 501 is much more mellow (rew up/down time wise) compared to a mx bike (tested on MX track). That's basically it. Otherwise these are light and fun bikes to ride and they expect you to be fit to endure on longer rides.
Also comfort is highly dependent on suspension setup - I've found most comfortable ride when going past comfort setting on fork compression (rebound adjusted on the go what felt right.) So I'd advise anyone to play with the settings - they matter and can be easily adjusted while riding.
So what do you consider a dual sport then? 690/701? CRF? DRZ?
@@miro_s CRF/DRZ for sure, also KLX models. not sure about 690/701 as I haven't tired those. The definition varies from person to person, but what I would consider dualsport:
-Street legal
-Road/Offroad capabilities
-Ability to go on longer trips (both in comfort and technical - oil changes ect)
-Suitable for daily driver
501 at stock trim, would punish any novice by riding seated for more than 10 minutes and it doesn't have a regular ignition key, so the last 2 points are not there... but hey: everything can be adapted if anyone wishes so 😅
I personally wouldn’t want to spend much time on the tarmac with a full blown enduro bike. A 501 with a cush drive maybe slightly better as MAD tv have just featured although after they upped the fuel capacity it weighed in around 141kg which is not far from the 690/701. There’s definitely a space on the market for a bike between the enduros and dual sports, I just don’t think it’s big enough for manufacturers to profit from.
Would be cool if KTM/Husky sold the 500/501 in a dual sport trim - cush drive, bigger tank, slightly more comfy seat and suspension to deal with the extra weight. I wouldn't think it was as heavy as 141, did Dave Darcy weigh his yet?
But yeah, I'd avoid the tar at all cost. I would spend some time researching my next destination before leaving, making sure I pick a TET/track that is with as little tar as possible.
@@JohannesDalenMC it was Dave’s bike they weighed. From memory they strengthened the subframe for luggage, installed a cush drive, fitted a larger tank and some other small additions. Came in at over 140kg wet.
Okay thanks. Hmm, 140 kg was more than I'd guess. They still have an incredibly capable lightweight adv on their hands though.
Yes, it is Dave’s bike, at the end of the build was 141kg, which is not muuuuch heavier than the 701. (Tho I suspect you might let go of the cush drive, the rear rack, and the tower he put on, saving maybe 10kg?) However, the difference between excf and 701 is not just the weight. It’s enough to braaap the two bikes next to each other to savour the difference between a race engine and a tractor (not meant pejoratively), and this has got a significant impact riding trails…
@@miro_s yeah agreed, the balancer shaft and general mass in the 701 engine will add centrifugal forces which will make the weight difference feel like a lot more.
It seems your journey of motorcycle adventuring has shown you that you are Dual Sport guy. I am happy to welcome you to our fraternity.
What 'm thinking about is to find car/bike transporter train lines. I've heard something like there is a train from Vienna to the Swiss border. If there would be more such lines across Europe, that could be a viable alternative as well, especially with evening train lines by sleeping in the train.
Even better for your Enduro events is Van the new 68KG Beta 2024 Explorer electric there and ditch the maintenance-heavy / costly Husky ... just a thought.
My two cents is as follows:
Spoke weights help but it still a dirt bike.
15/48 gearing - but I have a 500.
Get a Cush drive.
11 psi everywhere.
Hey Johannes, I’ve got some experience with your current issue. Virtually same bike (just orange, 14/48 gearing), same problems. By and large, the most important thing you have already done, and it’s wheel weights. (Only don’t add them opposite to the valve -do you have rimlocks?- take the wheels off and balance them properly). With them the wheels will stop bobbing up and down, also check that the rims are straight within spec (2mm, I think), and life will be different.
I’m not sure why you think the bike might be less performant off-road, the gearing will be ok, perhaps you’re thinking about the tires? In my experience there isn’t very much road comfort difference between 40/60 (say tck80 or twinenduro) and proper road legal enduro tires (say Michelin tracker or medium), tho the latter will be considerably noisier and will fade very quickly (especially the rear). But there will be a considerable performance difference off-road, especially in the wet/muddy/slippery. So I keep enduro tires on, consider them as consumables as petrol, and change when I need to…
The saddle is a big issue, because I don’t think the so hyped and expensive aftermarket seats are a game changer. Me, I can normally do some 7-8h on TET conditions (but recently I once did 10h and 180mi) before my bum starts to ache very badly, and need to stop or else. I plan to try with cyclist padded shorts to see whether a fluffier seat would make a significant difference. For the moment I just consider it a necessary pain to endure by alternating sitting positions and standing.
I had a KTM 690 adv bike, it was good, but its a tractor.
So i got a 500 exc and build it into a lightweight adv bike. It's perfect to do it all! But offroad focused and just a dream to trail ride. There is also a few who has gone long distance with a 500, RTW Paul and that Braping kiwi guy. It is the ultimate solo offroad adv bike for sure
Many adv riders usally start small and go bigger. I do it the other way, so now the plan is a 350 exc. That I'll bring with me on adventures and do even more adventures on! THIS IS THE WAY 🙌
Replace the 500 with a 350 for light adventure? That’s an interesting concept.
Good luck on this endeavor and I hope you find your balance...
Thanks 😁 I like this part of the adventure, the trial and error, research, modifications, thinking and tinkering.
I hope you do too!
Of course they can. Not good for half the day, day after day on high speed sealed roads but my exc500 happily sits on 110kph for an hour or whatever it takes to get between dirt roads. I geared mine to 15/47 but it will pull 15/42 easily as long as you don't plan on doing tougher single tracks. Cush drive wheel, small screen, modified seat, handlebar end weights, day running lights and the most reliable single cylinder powerful lightweight dirt tourer ever made.
Your 500 sounds like the perfect lightweight adventure bike! I would love to do something like that one day, but that would quickly make my 350 unsuitable for the enduro tracks we have locally. I'm happy with the changes I've done so far, all easily reversible for competition too. Thanks for chiming in!
Nice to see some content with the Husky. I'm excited to see what you'll do with it!
When I had my 450L I also added a tooth in the front to make it a little nicer on the road. The seat concepts was absolutely necessary as well for any amount of road riding. When it came to maintenance I felt comfortable stretching the service intervals out to 1000 miles (1600km), at least after the initial/break in period. As for tires I actually went up from the factory 50/50s to 80/20s with the Motoz Tractionator RallZ. They were only a tad rougher on pavement, but enormously better off road. They'd be my recommendation when you wear out the knobbies on the Husky.
Cool to hear, I'm excited for this project van & dirt bike 🙂
Thanks for the suggestion, I will add the RallZ's to the list of possible tires. I've heard good things about them, but they are on the expensive side here in Norway.
@@JohannesDalenMC dang, what isn't expensive for you up there? The Seat Concepts cost over $200 more if I remember correctly. The Motoz are some of the more affordable options here in the states.
We need to find a way to smuggle you some parts.
I’d think the issue is this…you get the van to where you are going and then the ride has to be a loop because you don’t want ti backtrack or ride the highway back.
Absolutely Paul, I addressed this in a previous video. The planning on trips like these will be a bit different, has to be ridden in a loop as you say.
@@JohannesDalenMC Although now with a van, you could still drive the T7 down so you have the flexibility to use the best bike for job. That van is the answer to everything.
When I hear you troubleshoot the challenges of an enduro bike, I wonder if a crf300 with up specced suspension, would have been a better fit for your needs?
I’m sure it would have been a great bike for the task. My biggest issue with the 300l is it’s size. The FE is just an inch longer, but feels like a much bigger bike ergonomically. Also this FE can double as an enduro bike, which the 300l can’t. I mean it can, but I need all the help I can get (30kg less) 😅
Thanks for the video! Having come from a race/enduro background, I say leave the bike alone. If you have a short stretch of tarmac to cover, just grin and bear it. If you have more than 10 kays of tarmac to cover, put the bike in a van. It’s a thoroughbred, let it remain a thoroughbred. 👍
Good point. Any mod that I do to this bike needs to be quickly reversed, so if my next trip is an enduro event, I would gear it back down. If the trip is a TET with some tarmac I'd gear it back up and have it like it was in this video. Takes some pre trip planning, but that's a part of the fun, right? 😁
You add some road comfort and take away dirt performance. I tried my FE501 as a more road-friendly bike once (less aggressive tyres, taller gearing, etc), but when I got to the dirt I was so disappointed, therefore I changed it all back. I now have a TE300i set up for Enduro and prefer to drive the car right to the trail head and do loops (50 to 100 km). For occasional roads linking trails, the TE300 is fine on the road up to 90 km/h for about 10 km or so. Your 350 would be even better on the road. Good luck finding the right compromise for your situation. Cheers
Exactly, that's why we are experimenting to see where I find a compromise I'm happy with. Next test will be in this current setup on the local enduro track 🙂
@@JohannesDalenMC it’s great you’re testing. Decide for yourself instead of taking other people advice. The 14 front sprocket will probably be fine for most trail situations but you might miss the 13 on the steep hills. I heard Jarvis uses a 12 and Occasionally an 11 front sprocket. Cheers
Hi mate, I 've been on a very similar path to you over the years (klr650, drz 400, ktm 690, africa twin etc.) and I' ve ended up in this conclusion.
If you 're like me that loves the dirt as much as possible, make yourself a favour and sell all your bikes. Buy the van or an enclosed trailer, customise it to have all your gear, fuel, tools, camping gear, clothes, food etc.
Then buy the bike, for me nothing beats a good enduro/dual sport bike. KTM 500s (2012-2016, 2017-current model) and Husky 501, Beta 390/480, Honda CRF450l, SWM 500 and even the old Husaberg 570. And go have fun!
I 've gone with a 2019 Beta 390 RR Race Edition as I only weigh 78 kilos and found a bargain demo with everything already set up for a great price.
Local rides or 2-3 day trips easy on just the bike. If I want to go further with a lot of highway to cover I bought myself a motorcycle carrier, strap it on my 4wd and go wherever I want, ride wherever I want, camp wherever I want.
I personally ride nowhere near a race pace so for me I go 2,500 ks before I change oil/filters on the Beta with no issues at all.
Thanks for your content mate!
Perhaps you should have kept the 701. You don´t need a real Enduro bike on the TET somewhere. You are tall and strong, the 701 fits perfect your needs...
Yeah the 701 would probably be ideal in a van setup. But as I said in the video, I’ll most likely go to enduro/technical offroad events rather than TETs with this bike. The T7 is close to being perfect for TET/gravel exploring, so I will make sure the van can take a heavier bike too.
Yep, 701 perfect for TET, but you don’t consider how much more fun is the 350. And the 701 is not that much more comfortable tbh, just a bit. The only real advantage is the service intervals imho.
I am really appreciating your videos! About to buy my first "TET bike", and I'm considering something similar, e.g. the AJP 310R or 510R. Would you say that the 510R is better for TET than the 310R? And when you said that the FE 350 is easier to handle in an enduro setting did you mean because the FE 501 has too much power for that (for a non-pro rider)? Thanks!
I am a T7 rider considering an FE 501 kind of bike for similar reasons, the catch is I can only have 1 bike, . so I will be following your journey closely
Interesting situation. I had a T7 as my first offroad oriented bike, found it heavy and sold it for a 701, a bike many consider to be the best 50/50 platform. At the time I could only have one bike too. What I found is that because I live far away from the trails, I ended up riding an offroad beast on tarmac. Where do you live and do you have trails nearby?
@@JohannesDalenMC I am in Canada, when I got the t7 the closest trail was over 1hr away, now I moved and have lots of trails between 15 and 40 minutes from my house, that is why I am considering downsizing
I can’t decide between a T7 or 500 excf.
Not many trails available unless I pay for them through a membership. I also want to take a day off of work and go touring but doing that would suck on a 500…so basically I have to decide what type of riding I want to do most.
@@BuckyUSA the t7 is a hard bike to learn off road on. But not impossible, I ride trails with guys on all sizes of dual sport bikes and i have no problem keeping up with them now. This weekend i rode with a friend who has a crf450, he let me try his bike and was great for me to set my expectations straight. Going over logs was a lot easier on his bike, deep sand too, but for the other 98% of the ride I actually preferred the t7, i am so used to this bike now that i had to wait for him on the single track hehehe
Looks like you did some good improvement, I think the gearing off road will be fine it probably still pretty low compared the 701
Cheers
Very happy with the changes. First is slightly taller now, but before it was almost too low - excellent when I stop in an awkward situation on the enduro track, but when moving first is too low, second too high. Takes five minutes to swap though, so can bring the extra in the van and change depending on the track. Thanks for watching :)
@@JohannesDalenMC They should make some type of a 401 enduro with a balance shaft and a 7 speed gearbox 😁
Balansering av däck. jag har kulor man skruvar fast på ekrarna. det är kanon har på min Honda 450L kan köra 300km om dagen med den och dom :) (man kan göra rebound något långsammare det motverkar gunghäst känslan på vägen ;))
Hi. Great video as always. 😊👍 Check how you will react on long term riding test in terms of vibration. It wasn't so pleasant on my SWM 500 rr (ex HQ 501). But I'm sensitive to vibration. Whole day in the saddle was a challenge for me. Had not such a problem with DR 650.
Thank you Alex 🙂
That is a very good point, it will most likely be very buzzy. The only way to find out is to try, right? Stay tuned for upcoming adventures with this Husky.
Johannes you have 2 choices, get better at handling a heavy bike off road or deal with less comfort on road.
Packing the bike into the van is something I always did with my dirt bike, even if it was registered for road use.
After a day belting around the bush the last thing I wanted to do was ride it home, enduro or trail riding gear is not much good when you have a 1 or 2 hour ride just to get somewhere, sweat all day then ride home, especially in winter.
If you want to ride more difficult terrain you dress light, if you want to ride more open flowing stuff dress for more protection from gravel rash and wind chill, sadly it is hard to do both, you either sweat or freeze.
I guess you really just want to go trail riding ? Which is a shit ton of fun, enduro is bloody tough on man and machine so you need to be not only bike and physically fit but mentally tough to get through a tough day of rocks, mud, rivers and the bitch of them all, big hills.
Don’t know how much study of enduro you done but it is basically a test of endurance of rider and machine, I remember doing some enduro sections years ago after a round of the state championships, and OMG it was hard, I even helped out one local club to set out some sections , cutting back bushes and branches and so forth and I could hardly walk though some parts.
Good luck to you mate, I know you Viking types are pretty hardy soles so enduro should be a breeze. 👍👍👍👍
Don't rule out taking a bike like that to the Pyrenees! The TET is less than 1% of what you can actually ride. There are thousands of miles of great trails there where it would be perfect. You just need to buy a map and find them for yourself.
Hi Johannes, thank`s for this Vid with your newest opinions. Great Stuff. I wait for more :-) min venn
Husky501/ktm500 maybe a bit more versatile than a 350
Sure is, but I like my 350 😁
You took a T7 and made it better for touring, now your taking a FE350 and making it better for the road? Just get a transalp and a 300L, deep down you know you want it! Join team red!