KTM's and overheating

[Dave@3F]

I gave my XR650 a rest this weekend and raced my KTM 450. The Hare Scramble was tight and very technical. There was an uphill waterfall section that turned into a 30 plus (if not more) bike parking lot. My KTM overheated as well as many other KTM's(it became the joke of the event). The bike is kickstart, no E button and is horrible to start when it gets that hot. I know KTM makes fan kits and water wetter helps but I am looking to see if anyone has any great KTM insight for the best fix. I am open to advice, thanks Dave

[Kritter]

heavier cap, water wetter and water for coolant and an overflow catch. Modern 4 strokes arent made to idle more then a couple minutes without pissing coolant. If it was a parking lot I assume it was something tough requiring lots of clutch and revving which will over heat a motor fast.

Ahh the fun of racing!

[partybarge_pilot]

Racing, ha. My buddies 525 would overheat at a stop light in traffic. The fan really helped that out.

[ironmtnracing]

While KTMs are know for being easy to overheat, I'd also look to your valves. KTMs have a very poor valve seat angle and they have a tendency to leak past the exhaust valves during combustion which causes exsessive operating temps.

Check out http://www.spokanister.net/ktm_head_rebuild.htm
John

[PBR]

i use engine ice and have had nothing but good luck and no overheating. the key is to flush out the old coolant completely out of the system, then flush with vinegar and then flush with distilled water again and then run just engine ice straight. a fan is also a great addition but i haven't needed one.

[Brutpwr]

My buddies with 4 strokes have had good luck with Evans Coolant. Ty Davis sells it repackaged under their name but it escapes me right now. Zoom Cycle Accessories in Santa Clara has it on the shelf... Does not boil until 375 degrees without a pressure cap! Must get all the water out of your system to be effective!

Jason :)

[partybarge_pilot]

NPG, been discussed here before.
Evans (http://www.evanscooling.com/index2.html)

[RacerX1]

You should also look into purchasing the HT Racing oil coolers that we sell for KTM's. They make a huge difference! The oil cooler increases oil capacity by 53%. Everyone who has purchased one has been very pleased with it's performance in keeping the engine much cooler.

http://www.blaisracingservices.com/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=233

[gaelicdog]

You should also look into purchasing the HT Racing oil coolers that we sell for KTM's. They make a huge difference! The oil cooler increases oil capacity by 53%. Everyone who has purchased one has been very pleased with it's performance in keeping the engine much cooler.

http://www.blaisracingservices.com/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=233


Will these work on the new 530 (R)'s???

[Kritter]

the problem with the special coolants is that if you do need water for some reason...you cant just add water.

[RacerX1]

Will these work on the new 530 (R)'s???I don't believe so but we can contact HT Racing to find out for sure. For now, it fits the older RFS engine.

[fisher1648]

I have heard about folks having problems overheating but my 2003 525 has never had any issues in the slow stuff. There are two other 525s in the mix and they seem fine too. Ensure it's not jetted a bit lean.

[haveataco]

engine ice makes a big difference in all my bikes (crf450x,crf250,cr125)

[FullsizeFun]

I laugh at the people who say KTM = kick til monday. So many people have improperly jetted bikes its rediculous.
I race supermoto on my 525 and my only issue was the first time i rode it with the stock jetting it was hard to start when hot. I jetted it properly for pump gas and it improved a lot, then I ran Race gas and re-jetted for that and it is a Whole Lot better. Never use the choke or the hot start anymore, hot or cold, doesn't matter.
If i crash in the middle of the race and kill the motor, I give it 2 clean out kicks with the compression release in and it starts right up on the first real kick.