wolf skaap
Race Dog
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2013
- Messages
- 1,353
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Nederhorst den berg
- Bike
- Yamaha XT 660 Z
To those that are unfamiliar with the type of riding that we do, we primarily do long distance rides on 450-sized enduro bikes.
Most people believe that using a highly-strung racing four stroke for long distance (DS) rides is a bad idea. That it might explode any moment. That its seat is too hard. That it can't cruise at a decent speed. That it will need an oil change on day 2 of a 4 day ride. That its stock tank doesn't allow much range.
To a certain degree, I like to see myself as that guy that puts all these stigmas to the test.
I've used the following bikes for long distance riding over the last couple years. They were all bought second hand and as far as I could tell, did not suffer any major abuse from their previous owners:
Some bikes used oil over the course of multi-day rides, some didn't.
The KTM 525's proved to have bullet proof motors. 6 gears and e-start made them sweet for DS. The Jap bikes are just better built though. They feel more refined and their motors are smoother at high rpm's. Except for the 525, the Jap bikes are more resilient to long distance, constant throttle riding; they will rarely need an oil top-up.
The other KTM's seem to suffer from blow by (oil escapes past the oil scraper ring on the piston) You have to run non-synthetic oils which have primarily bigger molecules, which in turn, doesn't slip past the piston's oil ring that easily. Bad part is that oil cant make it into the smaller cavities where synthetic oils would (less wear protection)
Jap bikes will run on top of the line synthetic oils and will retain it. The YZ has an extra ring on the piston to ensure that :deal:
Anyway, herewith my YZ450 DS bike:
Its motor was totally rebuilt by Yamaha's race bike mechanic, 19 hours prior to me buying it.
Being a second hand bike, the 1st thing I did was change oil, clean air filter and check valve clearance:
And I've added some bling parts here and there:
Fitted the bike with a new sticker kit, back wheel and it looked pro!
O yes, forgot to mention that it has a WR gearbox which is taller than the CRFx's. 5th sits basically between CRF's 5th and the 525's 6th.
Was cool that I got it with a power tuner. I tried many different maps and ended up using the most aggressive I could find :biggrin:
I nagged YamahaSa to supply the natis release document and when I finally had it registered on my name, it was registered as fully roadworthy!
This had me fit DRC's lighting kit, which includes everything, except a head light. Thats OK 'cause I'm running a 1000 lumens spot, strapped to the handlebars.
The kit:
Pretty effortless installation. The YZ has over 110watts of pure, rectified 12v power :biggrin:
I simply ran my own +12v wire from the plug exiting the rectifier and added a fuse to it. I powered the entire system from this wire, including my smart phone's charger.
The YZ's power supply is so kickass, I can kickstart it to life with the spotlight switched on. It will power the spotlight and charge the smart phone, no problem.
In stark contrast stands the meager KTM power supplies. They have a meek 30watt DC circuit, enough to do squat.
The switchgear:
Tail light/number plate unit basically just bolts onto the rear fender:
The tail light's wire:
Well that's pretty much the setup.
We completed our 1st ~1000km DS ride and the bike was great. It managed more than 20km/L. It truly feels and handles like a 250f; it's front feels extremely light, given the centralized mass and the fact that I'm running tubliss in the front wheel.
Prepped for the trip:
Seeing as we do no maintenance during trips, I was curious to see what the airfilter would look like after a 1000km of mostly dirt.
The YZ's filter sits up top, removed from the usual area where the standard filter cage sucks the dirt that's produced by the front wheel:
And the result:
Pretty amazing!
I've done many thousands of DS rides on 450-sized bikes and we have suffered no major incidents.
The biggest factor to consider is oil usage and lighting. I've witnessed some bikes consume more than 50% of their entire motor oil during these trips, so it is imperative to check it often and research the bikes before attempting these long distance excursions.
Yz's pros thus far:
Piston has 3 rings; Consumes no oil over extended distances.
Lots of DC regulated power on tap
Cons:
You have to play around with sprocket sizes; 5th can be too short if you are not careful.
Kickstarting is kak on day 3
Needs a sidestand (WR's can be fitted)
Well thats it for now. Hopefully it will shed some light on DS riding a 450.
Oh and the reason for going through all this effort is because it allows us to go to extreme places and view areas rarely seen by human beings:
Most people believe that using a highly-strung racing four stroke for long distance (DS) rides is a bad idea. That it might explode any moment. That its seat is too hard. That it can't cruise at a decent speed. That it will need an oil change on day 2 of a 4 day ride. That its stock tank doesn't allow much range.
To a certain degree, I like to see myself as that guy that puts all these stigmas to the test.
I've used the following bikes for long distance riding over the last couple years. They were all bought second hand and as far as I could tell, did not suffer any major abuse from their previous owners:
- 2006 KTM 525 with 130 hours on the motor when I got it
- 2009 KTM 450. Ex-KtmSA race bike. 50 hours
- 2007 Husaberg 550 with 33 hours
- 2007 CRF450x probably about 50 hours
- 2007 KTM 525 with 76 hours
- 2010 YZ450 with 19 hours
Some bikes used oil over the course of multi-day rides, some didn't.
The KTM 525's proved to have bullet proof motors. 6 gears and e-start made them sweet for DS. The Jap bikes are just better built though. They feel more refined and their motors are smoother at high rpm's. Except for the 525, the Jap bikes are more resilient to long distance, constant throttle riding; they will rarely need an oil top-up.
The other KTM's seem to suffer from blow by (oil escapes past the oil scraper ring on the piston) You have to run non-synthetic oils which have primarily bigger molecules, which in turn, doesn't slip past the piston's oil ring that easily. Bad part is that oil cant make it into the smaller cavities where synthetic oils would (less wear protection)
Jap bikes will run on top of the line synthetic oils and will retain it. The YZ has an extra ring on the piston to ensure that :deal:
Anyway, herewith my YZ450 DS bike:
Its motor was totally rebuilt by Yamaha's race bike mechanic, 19 hours prior to me buying it.
Being a second hand bike, the 1st thing I did was change oil, clean air filter and check valve clearance:
And I've added some bling parts here and there:
Fitted the bike with a new sticker kit, back wheel and it looked pro!
O yes, forgot to mention that it has a WR gearbox which is taller than the CRFx's. 5th sits basically between CRF's 5th and the 525's 6th.
Was cool that I got it with a power tuner. I tried many different maps and ended up using the most aggressive I could find :biggrin:
I nagged YamahaSa to supply the natis release document and when I finally had it registered on my name, it was registered as fully roadworthy!
This had me fit DRC's lighting kit, which includes everything, except a head light. Thats OK 'cause I'm running a 1000 lumens spot, strapped to the handlebars.
The kit:
Pretty effortless installation. The YZ has over 110watts of pure, rectified 12v power :biggrin:
I simply ran my own +12v wire from the plug exiting the rectifier and added a fuse to it. I powered the entire system from this wire, including my smart phone's charger.
The YZ's power supply is so kickass, I can kickstart it to life with the spotlight switched on. It will power the spotlight and charge the smart phone, no problem.
In stark contrast stands the meager KTM power supplies. They have a meek 30watt DC circuit, enough to do squat.
The switchgear:
Tail light/number plate unit basically just bolts onto the rear fender:
The tail light's wire:
Well that's pretty much the setup.
We completed our 1st ~1000km DS ride and the bike was great. It managed more than 20km/L. It truly feels and handles like a 250f; it's front feels extremely light, given the centralized mass and the fact that I'm running tubliss in the front wheel.
Prepped for the trip:
Seeing as we do no maintenance during trips, I was curious to see what the airfilter would look like after a 1000km of mostly dirt.
The YZ's filter sits up top, removed from the usual area where the standard filter cage sucks the dirt that's produced by the front wheel:
And the result:
Pretty amazing!
I've done many thousands of DS rides on 450-sized bikes and we have suffered no major incidents.
The biggest factor to consider is oil usage and lighting. I've witnessed some bikes consume more than 50% of their entire motor oil during these trips, so it is imperative to check it often and research the bikes before attempting these long distance excursions.
Yz's pros thus far:
Piston has 3 rings; Consumes no oil over extended distances.
Lots of DC regulated power on tap
Cons:
You have to play around with sprocket sizes; 5th can be too short if you are not careful.
Kickstarting is kak on day 3
Needs a sidestand (WR's can be fitted)
Well thats it for now. Hopefully it will shed some light on DS riding a 450.
Oh and the reason for going through all this effort is because it allows us to go to extreme places and view areas rarely seen by human beings:
