Maintenance

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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Dear Mr. Know-It-All, My 2023 KTM 300XC-W has about 120 hours on it and has been flawless … until yesterday. The bike was running as if it was fouling a plug. It would not clean out, like a bad case of laryngitis. I changed the plug, put…
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Hello, fellow off-road thrill-seekers! You're here because you own an electric dirt bike, and you want to ensure it remains in top-notch condition for years to come. Electric dirt bikes , while sharing the same adventurous spirit as…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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NEEDLE-NOSE FINGERS Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I love my 2022 Husky TE150i, but the no-tools-required air-filter access is a gimmick. Unless your fingers are the profile of needle-nose pliers or a flat-blade screwdriver,  you need tools to pop…
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CYLINDER DRAMA Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I am doing a top end on my 2006 KTM 300 XC-W and have some concern. While the Nikasil appears to be in good shape, there is an awkward line at the top of my cylinder. Is this where the rings are…
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Dear Mr. Know-It-All, Quick question for you. What is in your humble yet stubborn opinion the most overlooked maintenance item on a dirt bike? Jimmy D via [email protected] Well, Jimmy D, over the decades I have had the…
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CHEWIN’ ON THE GUMMY Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I’m a woods rider, and like every guy with my passion, I want to be like Graham Jarvis when the terrain gets rocky and ugly. My question is this: will a gummy or sticky rear tire make a…
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STICK A PEG IN IT Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I have a ’21 KTM 300 TPI and have a question. First, the footpegs feel too high. Maybe it’s my 6-foot-4 height, but I’m struggling to sit and stay forward on the bike. What’s your recommendation?…
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USED AND ABUSED Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I have an older KTM dual-sport wagon that I ride every weekend. I think I have over 800 hours on it, and she’s been quite the mule. My question concerns my chainguide, which broke recently and…
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RUBBED RAW Dear Mr. Know-It-All, I am wondering, what’s the best thing to wear under knee braces? What do the pro off-road guys do to keep from rubbing their legs raw in long races? I have tried the tall socks. EVS and Fly have held up…
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