It’s been nearly a year since the last fork service, so it’s time for a refresh. The TE300 and EXC500 both use the WP 4CS forks, and despite almost universal global hatred of the 4CS, I don’t find them too bad. Although having ridden normal […]
Finally, after months of waiting.. after the departure date of our planned offroad tour of Spain had come, and gone, and still never happened. We should have it done by now, and be home a week already, but we’re still in lockdown. Phase 3 of […]
The 500 EXC doesn’t have particularly bad tank range, and I don’t really suffer from fuel anxiety.. but as smarter guys than me have said, “the only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire”. The reasons for my oversize tank are […]
Adventurising the EXC 500 means making it more capable of navigating and covering some major distances. In order to travel light, I probably won’t be bringing a computer, so plan on either using a phone or tablet to navigate using OSMand. I’ve installed the Apps […]
My TE300’s OEM starter finally gave up the ghost after 4 years, and I decided to try out one of these cheap ebay starters. £60 is a lot less than £229 so it’s worth a try. The installation was smooth, all the holes lined up, […]
After the valve clearance test, I wanted to test the compressibility of the motor. A standard compression tester can do this, but I think a cylinder leakdown test is more accurate. In order to do this test the bike has to be at operating temperature, […]
Seeing as the motor on this used (new-to-me) bike has 150 hours on her, and the KTM service schedule recommends a piston at 135hrs, it’s kinda overdue a piston. Before we actually get to installing the new piston though, we’ll do some checking on the […]
Some people say that if you have €100 to spend on your bike, then spend €99 of it on suspension. I’m not sure I agree with the 99:1 ratio, but definitely 50:50 .. your suspension is the most important part of your bike IMO. Like […]
The last few spins in Clare, Limerick and Tipperary have all been interrupted and delayed by fallen trees. It’s not normally a big deal, we just get past them and keep going .. but when there’s a group of 5 or 6 riders it delays […]
The 2016 500 EXC should be sprung as standard with 4.6 springs in the forks and a 7.2 on the shock. Having bough it used, it came with 5.0 springs in the front. These are far too heavy for me, and are being changed. I […]
It seems everyone you talk to is running different tyres and pressures, and everyone has an opinion on what works best. What they really should be saying though, is what works best for them. A tyre that works well in dry sand might not do […]
Ever had a wheel bearing failure? You get that metal on metal knocking from the back wheel, and it kinda ruins your day, right.. Seeing as I’ve had a number of ruined days, these days I consider wheel bearings as a consumable, a service item, […]
Ok, you’ve probably heard it before, but keeping your Air Filter clean and oiled is massively important. It’s the one part, that neglected or used incorrectly, will have a huge impact on cylinder wear. We ride dirt bikes, in the dirt. There’s dust and mud and […]
Changing your oil and filters regularly is important if you want to keep your bike in top condition. It’s a simple process that everyone should easily be able to do themselves, but there are a few things to note on any bike before you start. […]
Stripped down to the bare metal and a ground up rebuild for this 20 year old Honda Cub 90. Every nut and bolt.