i am considering a new 525exc 03 or 04 any imput on the good or bad of it would be greatly appreciated. Does 03 or 04 make a difference?Are they a good reliable bike ect.
There are a bunch of guys in the local club who have gone over to Orange bikes from XR's, WRF's, two strokes etc.
All are very happy with their 520's, 525's etc. The only comment I have heard is that the first 525 (03 I think) hasn't got the "snap" or the 02 model. Something in the jetting apparently.
They are a little more mantenance than your XR or DRZ, but I haven't heard of any major reliability problems.
The best thing you can do however, is to talk to people who already have one, see if you can ride it etc.
Checkout www.ktmtalk.com for heaps of information on the orange beasts.
Seriously consider a WR450, I have spent some time with both and WR is the clear winner for me it,s got way more punch when set up properly although the KTM has a wide spread of a more mellow type of power.depends on whether u ride aggressivly or not.Get a ride on both and then decide.
My KTM dealer provided a test drive on the '04 525 EXC. I also test drove a '04 WR 450 with racing setup. I bought the KTM and haven't had any regrets. The WR was 12,500AUD and the KTM was 13,200AUD. The KTM is faster, more powerful, handles better, and required no further customization. I added bark busters and a plastic bash plate. I felt that even with the racing package, the WR would need a lot of work to compare to the KTM.
Go Orange
There are a bunch of guys in the local club who have gone over to Orange bikes from XR's, WRF's, two strokes etc.
All are very happy with their 520's, 525's etc. The only comment I have heard is that the first 525 (03 I think) hasn't got the "snap" or the 02 model. Something in the jetting apparently.
They are a little more mantenance than your XR or DRZ, but I haven't heard of any major reliability problems.
The best thing you can do however, is to talk to people who already have one, see if you can ride it etc.
Checkout www.ktmtalk.com for heaps of information on the orange beasts.
Seriously consider a WR450, I
Seriously consider a WR450, I have spent some time with both and WR is the clear winner for me it,s got way more punch when set up properly although the KTM has a wide spread of a more mellow type of power.depends on whether u ride aggressivly or not.Get a ride on both and then decide.
Go with orange
My KTM dealer provided a test drive on the '04 525 EXC. I also test drove a '04 WR 450 with racing setup. I bought the KTM and haven't had any regrets. The WR was 12,500AUD and the KTM was 13,200AUD. The KTM is faster, more powerful, handles better, and required no further customization. I added bark busters and a plastic bash plate. I felt that even with the racing package, the WR would need a lot of work to compare to the KTM.