Browsing Category

How To

BLEED YOUR CLUTCH: MR. KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I have a 2012 KTM 500EXC and love it! But, I’m having issues with the clutch. I keep losing the handle. It’s like there is air in the line. It eventually comes back somewhat. I’ve kept the master cylinder filled,…
Read More...

WRAP-AROUND VS. FLAG HANDGUARDS: MR KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All, Why is it that none of the world’s elite Hard Enduro riders run full-wrap handguards? It seems to me that they’re constantly launching their machines up and down incredibly awful terrain, and this would protect…
Read More...

HOT RUNNING TRIALS BIKE: MR. KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All, My 2022 Beta Evo 250 trials bike is having fan woes. It kicks on and runs fairly normal until about 30 minutes into riding. The fan starts surging and pulsing, then goes back to normal. The fan spins freely and…
Read More...

TRACTION TIPS WITH DUNLOP’S BRIAN FLECK

This month in "Tires 102," we sat down with Brian Fleck from Dunlop Tires. Brian has been at the core of Dunlop’s tire development for motocross and off-road race teams for over 35 years. He’s been an integral cog at the high-end racing…
Read More...

RIVET YOUR MASTER LINK! MR KNOW-IT-ALL

What is your opinion on riveted master links versus the generic alligator clip style? I was wondering this when the new chain I bought had two master links inside—one standard and the other a rivet model. Mark M via…
Read More...

RACE SAG FOR YOUR FORK: MR KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I’ve heard how important sag is and found a lot of information on rear sag, but, surprisingly, little on fork sag. Could you please trickle down some of your vast knowledge on this subject? As an example, I have a…
Read More...

DEALING WITH ROCKS AND ROOTS: MR. KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I bought a used YZ250 (coming off of an ’04 XR250) and ride off-road. Our area is rocky and rooty, and my old XR may have been slow but was super smooth on the trail. This YZ barks hard, but the suspension feels like…
Read More...

HOW FAST ARE THEY? MR. KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All, What is the actual top speed of a modern 450 motocross bike? I’ve read on websites and YouTube comments claiming a KTM 450SXF is capable of 123 mph in stock form. I can’t see that being possible, as these bikes are…
Read More...

KTM TPI STARTING RACKET: MR KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I have a 2020 KTM 250XC-W TPI, and while I adore this weapon, it’s making a noise when I hit the starter button that is, frankly, quite alarming. I have replaced the clutch pack and the Bendix with no effect. Could…
Read More...

CHAIN BREAKER: MR KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I recently suffered a broken chain when I was miles from my truck. Do you have any advice here? Getting back in was terrible, because I didn’t have anything to fix it with, and no one in my group had a tow strap. My…
Read More...

LOOSE SPROCKET BOLTS: MR. KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I’ve been an off-road enduro guy for many moons and have recently purchased a nice used KTM 400. It makes good power for me. The brakes are strong, and the suspension is just fine for my riding. My question concerns…
Read More...

BULLDOG SHAMING: MR KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I’m an older off-road rider, have been riding since CZs populated the planet and have a steady diet of riding nearly every weekend of the year. Lately, our group has evolved with some new, younger riders entering…
Read More...

KX65 COLD START: MR. KNOW-IT-ALL

COLD AS AN ICE CREAM CONE Dear Mr. Know-It-All, Hello from the cold, wet north of the 49th parallel. Long-time subscribers up here, three generations, and still have a pile of Dirt Bike mags from the ’70s from my old man, and my son is…
Read More...

NOISE VS. POWER: MR. KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I’m an old Hare Scrambles rider from back when Scott Summers raced that 300-pound beast and won in a world where lightweight two-strokes kicked tail in the woods. To this day, I have good riding buddies who love…
Read More...

BETA FUEL RANGE: MR. KNOW-IT-ALL

Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I’ve been a faithful reader of Dirt Bike Magazine since time immemorial when chaletons with last names like Krause and Talbot sullied your pages with their claims to “know it all.” Up until this time, I have…
Read More...

COLD HANDS: MR. KNOW-IT-ALL

FROSTY DIGITS Dear Mr. Know-It-All, Hello, I’m a 63-year-old who has been riding dirt bikes since the late ’60s. Here’s my question: I have a nice, not-quite-two-year-old KTM that flat makes me smile every time I look at it. I’m getting…
Read More...

DOT TIRES: MR. KNOW-IT-ALL

DOT OR NOT? Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I’m an off-roader who has made the transition to dual-sport bikes, mainly because I can explore and put together more territory with a plated bike. I have a KTM 350EXC, which I find quite wonderful. My…
Read More...