KTM 400 EXC for London to CT?
 

Hello all, I'm new to this site and am planning my first big bike trip, which will be London to Cape Town. I ride a Triumph Tiger 800 XC here but given i'll be travelling solo its a bit much to be heaving around on my own (esp as I am a girl)! Had some offroad experience in Mongolia on a KTM400 EXC and loved it, perfect amount of power and reasonable to pick up, so weighing up how feasible that might be for such a big trip? Know there has been some overheating issues with this bike but understand certain hoses work better on it. Does anyone have any strong views on this bike choice, modifications required etc or any better suggestions? Would like to go no heavier than 150kg preferably. Thanks v much, Claire

PS I should say i'm 5ft 8 so the height thing isn't too much of a problem

Claire
Is the KTM 400 EXC not an enduro bike? Personally I would not even consider one of these for a trip for a number of reasons; race engine, amount of maintainence and comfort for starters, how much luggage can the subframe take? If I was you I would 'google' KTM 400 EXC and read what people say about it, I had a quick look and maintainance alone put me off, also consider spares availability and can 'bush mechanics' fix it when required?
All the best and :welcome: to the HUBB.

I can think of bikes that are less suitable - but not many.

For a travel bike you need something with a long service interval which rules out bike with a competition engine. have a look at the DRZ400S or even a WR250R both are reasonable off road and have softer engines which require less frequent oil changes etc.

If weight wasn't an issue I would have said that 800XC would be a great bike for the trip.

I have a EXC400 and it's a very nice bike, but it's build for racing and as other says it's not suitable for overlanding.

A lot of enduro-drivers will say it's reliable, but that's compared to other enduro-bikes and it has to be served correctly (oilchange inc filters every 16h, checking valves every 16h etc).
The engine should be completely rebuild after 90 hours, you can stretch that a lot but you will probably have 400 hours when you reach CT.
It's an easy bike to work on, but it requires attention and parts.

You will also have other issues like range (2-3 hours), luggage (virtually no subframe), etc.

hello all, thanks very much for all your replies, think thats the 400EXC well and truly relegated to the "terrible ideas" pile! Good to know, and the DRZ sounds like a good option so I'll look into that one as it seems to offer a good compromise of weight, power and reliability...I think! Thanks, Claire

I think you will find the DRZ is well proven, but there are others!

OK thanks, I really appreciate the help, seems like a stack of bikes to choose from out there - any thoughts on something like the KTM 640 Adventure? Still not too heavy at 158kg but with 54bhp is a good amount of power (and looks good too!). Haven't test ridden it yet.
Many thanks, Claire

The KTM 640 Adv starts to get old, it has some issues but it's a nice bike to ride and it has pretty god range. Personally I had chosen it instead of a 400cc for any trip.

Find one and take it for a ride, then make a major service yourself so you know the bike before you leave!

hey thanks for that, thing is you are right in so far as there don't seem to be many KTM 640 Advs available to buy, and likewise all the DRZ400s seem to be on avr about 10yrs old - I've looked on MCN, Ebay for dealer listed sales and on the ADV website, and they are both scarce and in general old, and not available new from anywhere. Is there another obvious resource to find newer stock anyone can suggest or alternatively are there new versions or equivalents of either bike I should look at (even if only to test ride)? I'm not totally averse to an old bike thats really well made and just needs a bit of work, but seems like a bit trip is a lot to ask of a 10yr old bike....I'm open to being persuaded though! Thanks

Suggest look at Yamaha XT660Z Tenere.
Solid, reliable, piece of piss to service
60+ mpg with 250-300 MILE tank range
Does what it says on the tin straight out of the box; can't fault mine - love it.
Can pick up a good 'un for around 4k.

WR250 has modern technology
 

Have a read of this thread, especially the links in there:-
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...wr-250-a-62751