Long post, please be patient! I figured that I wasn't the only one debating about buying an 03' 450 or just putting the 450 kit in my 02'. So, I thought I would post my experience here. I had a pro-circuit T4 pipe on my 400 and really liked the small boost it gave the KTM down low and it seemed to allow it to rev a little higher. I got tired of the noise however, and went back to the factory exhaust. I liked the noise level of the factory exhaust, but really missed that low end boost. I have also had my suspension revalved/resprung and numerous other modifications to my 400 so I wasn't too thrilled at the thought of doing it all over again on a 03. Thus, the 450 kit.
To start out, I bought the 95mm piston, jetting kit, and gasket set from Gary Hazel at www.thumper-racing.net. I believe the total cost with shipping was around $245. I went with the 95mm piston over the 94mm on Gary's advice. I ride in enduros and this is the set up he recommended. I bought a cylinder that was already bored and re-plated from James Hunt at www.cycleimprovements.com in Canada. I did this because I didn't want my bike to be down for three weeks waiting for my cylinder to be shipped around and redone. I paid around $250 for the cylinder shipped. It took about 5 days to get the cylinder from Canada (I'm in Texas). I also had to pay a core charge of approximatley $150.00 that will be refunded once I ship my cylinder back. James indicated that they are not ordering any more of the piston kits, but he should be able to still have this cylinder for future kits. I considered using a stock KTM 520 cylinder, but they were about $130 more and on backorder when I last checked with Mike Kruger at www.cyclezonektm.com. Mike is the man for parts by the way! Had to get a plug in for Kruger.
Ok, now on to the kit installation. A good friend of mine, Jim Rohn, installed the kit for me while I assisted. We spent a total of about 6 or 7 hours in three evenings putting the kit in. It went in fairly smooth with only a few "tough" spots. I over torqued a couple of bolts, as usual it seems, and Kruger helped me out there. If you have specific questions about the installation please post them and I'll do my best to answer them.
The bike fired right up with the kit installed. Where it once seemed to have a bog when you first got on the throttle, it now just ripped. The jetting kit for my exhaust and altitude consisted of a 180/50 with the stock needle. I rode the bike for about 45 miles just around dirt roads to break in the new piston. Even just "putting" around I could tell a difference in power. The bike pulled hard in every gear. I had been running a 13/52 gearing combo with my 400 (much too low according to my friends, but I really liked it), but it was way too low with the 450 kit installed. I changed the oil and the rear sprocket to a 13/50 gearing and took the bike out for some hard riding. It was simply amazing. I LOVE the power this kit gave my bike. With the factory exhaust it pulls strong and hard in every gear. I could lift the front tire in 4th gear with no problem at all. It had a lot more torque coming out of sandy corners and really pulled strong. And best of all, it was still smooth and did not have a "harsh" hit that I feel the YZ426 has. Well, that's about it, I'm VERY glad I decided to keep my 02' 400 and just put the kit in. I would highly recommend this to anyone.
John
02' KTM 450
To start out, I bought the 95mm piston, jetting kit, and gasket set from Gary Hazel at www.thumper-racing.net. I believe the total cost with shipping was around $245. I went with the 95mm piston over the 94mm on Gary's advice. I ride in enduros and this is the set up he recommended. I bought a cylinder that was already bored and re-plated from James Hunt at www.cycleimprovements.com in Canada. I did this because I didn't want my bike to be down for three weeks waiting for my cylinder to be shipped around and redone. I paid around $250 for the cylinder shipped. It took about 5 days to get the cylinder from Canada (I'm in Texas). I also had to pay a core charge of approximatley $150.00 that will be refunded once I ship my cylinder back. James indicated that they are not ordering any more of the piston kits, but he should be able to still have this cylinder for future kits. I considered using a stock KTM 520 cylinder, but they were about $130 more and on backorder when I last checked with Mike Kruger at www.cyclezonektm.com. Mike is the man for parts by the way! Had to get a plug in for Kruger.
Ok, now on to the kit installation. A good friend of mine, Jim Rohn, installed the kit for me while I assisted. We spent a total of about 6 or 7 hours in three evenings putting the kit in. It went in fairly smooth with only a few "tough" spots. I over torqued a couple of bolts, as usual it seems, and Kruger helped me out there. If you have specific questions about the installation please post them and I'll do my best to answer them.
The bike fired right up with the kit installed. Where it once seemed to have a bog when you first got on the throttle, it now just ripped. The jetting kit for my exhaust and altitude consisted of a 180/50 with the stock needle. I rode the bike for about 45 miles just around dirt roads to break in the new piston. Even just "putting" around I could tell a difference in power. The bike pulled hard in every gear. I had been running a 13/52 gearing combo with my 400 (much too low according to my friends, but I really liked it), but it was way too low with the 450 kit installed. I changed the oil and the rear sprocket to a 13/50 gearing and took the bike out for some hard riding. It was simply amazing. I LOVE the power this kit gave my bike. With the factory exhaust it pulls strong and hard in every gear. I could lift the front tire in 4th gear with no problem at all. It had a lot more torque coming out of sandy corners and really pulled strong. And best of all, it was still smooth and did not have a "harsh" hit that I feel the YZ426 has. Well, that's about it, I'm VERY glad I decided to keep my 02' 400 and just put the kit in. I would highly recommend this to anyone.
John
02' KTM 450
