Not much to say, except they're well made aluminum and have give me absolutely no problems
since I switched to the triple clamp mounts. Have used these on both of my KTM's and my
KX250.
Brembo to Nissin Front Brake Conversion (KTM)
I'm one of those unfortunate people who got stuck with a Brembo front brake that was just plain
lousy. To attempt to fix it, you name it, I did it, but it didn't help. It was getting to the point where I
couldn't ride as agressively for fear of not being able to stop in time. One day a guy on an
internet discussion group mentioned that he had swapped the Brembo master cylinder with a
Nissin unit from a Honda CRF450. I was desperate at that point, so I bought one from Service
Honda. I got the complete master cylinder kit that included the lever (the best parts diagram is
<here>). When I first installed the Nissin, it leaked at the banjo bolt. I was using the Brembo
brake line with the Honda banjo bolt (required), which is a slightly different length. The hole in
the banjo bolt needs to be centered in the end of the brake line, so I added a washer on one
side and put on some teflon tape for good measure. If you really want to try, you can make the
bolt leak by pulling in the lever for 20 minutes or so (with help from a zip-tie). You'll get a drop or
two of brrake fluid squeezed out, but under normal use I can't see that there's any leakage.
Does it work? The answer is yes...but I tried a lot harder to remove every last bubble from the
brake line and master cylinder. I'm not sure that the same effort wouldn't have improved the feel
of the Brembo. I also replaced the seals in the caliper, just to be sure there was no problem
there. It's still not as firm as my KX250, but definitely an improvement.
Fabtech Fork Revalve Kit (KTM)
The 50mm WP's on my '99 EXC spoiled me. They were probably the plushest forks I've every
had the pleasure of owning. KTM's switch to 43mm inverted forks in 2000 made the front end a
lot lighter, but the forks are harsh in the rocks (and everywhere else). Some of the harshest hits
were so intense that my jaw hurt (go figure). I bought the $40 kit on eBay and it was a good
improvement. The kit comes with detailed instructions and a set of shims for the compression
stack. If you can change your fork seals, you can handle the do-it-yourself revalve kit. There
were 3 valve stacks to choose from, and I chose the softest. The improvement wasn't exactly
like hopping on my old '99 EXC, but it was a good modification. My jaw doesn't hurt anymore,
but the forks can still be somewhat harsh. The strangest thing about the revalve is that it made
sand whoops easier to manage. The front end seemed to float over the top of the whoops
better than anything I've experienced. Other types of whoops weren't any different than before,
but it was a lot more fun to ride the sand tracks at Flat River. It was a worthwhile $40
expenditure.
Moose Pipe Guard
One word: STRONG! Six more words: Pain in the ass to install! But well worth the effort
because it's never suffered any damage whatsoever. Thick aluminum construction makes it
hard to get shaped around the pipe, but a large rubber mallet and a lot of pounding will
eventually get it mounted properly (a vice helps; also, I used a floor jack stand to aid in the
pounding/shaping). The guard is relatively light, not too expensive and will probably never
break. Good stuff.
Flatland Radiator Guards (KTM)
I installed these on my '02 MXC. Even though I've never punctured a radiator, they do tend to get
slightly out of shape after a few hard crashes. The Flatland guards have front and side
protection via a brace that runs from one radiator to the other (the brace goes through the
frame). Protection is substantial, but there are a couple of tradeoffs. If you relocate your CDI box
under the tank, the relocator kits won't work because the brace gets in the way. However, there
are other places to mount the CDI under the tank that don't require the relocator kit at all. Also,
the radiators have much less flex with the Flatland guards. Without the guards, when tree
branches grab at the radiator shrouds, the radiators can actually pull out of the rubber mounts
at the frame. However, that's not as likely to happen with the Flatland guards, so when trail junk
grabs at the shrouds, they tend to crack because there's less "give."
Contrary to popular belief (o.k., my belief), the guards will not keep the radiators from getting
slightly out of shape from side impacts. The radiator shrouds still bolt directly into the bottom
part of the radiator, so a side impact will push in the bolt and make the lower part of the radiator
get a bit curvy. The Flatland guards are more like catastrophic protection that keeps you from
getting stranded on the trail. Even so, the guards are some of the strongest made and they
make a good addition to the bike.
Devol Radiator Guards (KX)
I put these on after destroying my right radiator. I had been using Works Connection braces, but
they didn't offer the kind of protection I was looking for (not that any brace would have saved my
radiator). Like many guards, the Works Connection version connected partly to the radiator
itself, didn't offer much side protection and had no frontal protection (they were cheap on eBay,
what can I say). The Devol's are not quite as sturdy as Flatland's but the key difference is they
mount entirely to the frame. It doesn't have the cross brace that the Flatland guard has, but it
does have a rear brace that replaces the smaller stock brace. This brace keeps the radiator
from being pushed backwards if it takes a direct frontal assault. Installation was a bit easier
than the Flatland guards, mostly because I could use a 1/4" drive socket with long extensions to
get at the inside frame bolts. It's still a little tricky, but not bad once I figured out the proper
technique. Took me about 45 minutes to install, but if I did it again, I could probably do it in
about 15 minutes. The fit was very good and quality was excellent (good instructions, too).
Flatland Racing odometer spacer (KTM)
Flatland is a great little company that puts out some very well-made products for KTM, Gas Gas,
and others. Their odometer spacer replaces the odometer drive when you don't need to use it.
As I learned from experience, there are hundreds of ways to break the odometer cable, so the
less opportunities you provide for breakage, the less chance of ruining the cable; thus, the
odometer spacer is usually on my bike. The spacer is billet aluminum and looks very cool. It
does a really good job of sealing the wheel bearing on that side (it's the only wheel bearing that
I never had to replace on the EXC). Overall, the odometer spacer is top-notch and reasonably
priced.
Applied Triple Clamps (KTM - '99 300EXC)
Most people replace their triple clamps to switch to tapered handlebars or because they look
cool. I replaced mine because I bent the stock triple clamps on my '99 EXC. Don't ask me
how...I was unconscious at the time. Applied was having an internet special to help promote
TAG handlebars (see below), so it was a good time to try out their product. The finish and
workmanship were excellent. Installation wasn't too hard, but the bottom clamp required a
press (at least 12 tons) to remove the steering stem. The clamps did not come with
instructions, but it wasn't too hard to figure out. The handlebar mounts had two positions, an
improvement over the stock '99 EXC upper clamp that was a one piece solid casting. One side
benefit of the Applied clamps was that the forks don't twist as much when I crashed, apparently
because of a higher quality surface area. Overall, the product was good and the price was
reasonable.
TAG Tapered Handlebars
I bought a set of T2's several years ago and have owned about 4 sets on 3 different bikes. They
are very similar to Answer's Pro-taper handlerbars in both price and functionality. I can
describe their performance in one word: Strong. After many hard crashes, I still haven't been
able to bend them significantly. I typically cut them down to about 30.5 inches for woods riding.
In combination with the Applied or Emig triple clamps and the Scotts steering damper, the
TAG's have worked very well.
DP brake rotors (front and rear) - KTM
These rotors replaced the incredibly weak stock rotors on my EXC that lasted about 6 months
in the rocks of Missouri. The rear rotor bent so badly (despite the Holeshot rotor guard) that it
broke off a piece of the stock hub. The DP rotors are built stronger and I had no problems with
them. The rear rotor eventually wore past its wear limit, but it took about 200 hours to get there.
The front rotor is still on the bike.
Fredette Racing chain guide - KTM
This is an aluminum guide that worked very well on my EXC for three years. Best part about it is
that MSR makes replacements for the poly chain blocks. And the blocks and be reversed to get
some extra life. Be careful, though - if the lower blocks wear too much, the chain will start
digging into the bolts that hold the blocks in place. A pretty good guide; was never able to bend
it, and I've got another one for use on the MXC when (not if) the stock guide bends..
