KENNY PARRY’S ONE-OF-A-KIND EXC

Kenny Parry has been a true friend of Dirt Bike since the ’80s. A brilliant racer who focused on taming the fast world of high-speed desert racing, KP was a player in the brutal District 37 Hare and Hound series and always a contender at the nationals. Kenny’s racing passion got cut short with a monumental crash, which left him shattered and broken, requiring plenty of surgeries and time to help heal the wounds. But the scars left him broken; his right side fragmented by a shattered pelvis, an exploded knee and permanent damage to his foot. Kenny went on to manage Team Green, and then ran the Ty Davis effort when they were Yamaha-mounted. Today, KP is focused on work (his family plumbing business), riding bicycles (KP averages 500 miles a week) and has recently gotten the bug again to ride dirt bikes.
KP plopped down the coin for a brand-new KTM 500EXC, and, like a serious dirt bike aficionado, he went straight to the drawing board in order to raise the bar on the performance side of things. But, he also has special needs, dictated by a right foot that has no articulation. This means that he couldn’t operate the rear brake, which had been a can of worms for years—until the Rekluse clutch came into play. The Core EXP clutch and its automatic function lets KP move the rear brake to the clutch side of the handlebars where he uses a standard-issue front-brake unit to slow the rear wheel. So here’s a little insight into a former racer and some of the tweaks he has had to integrate into his machine in order to ride.
NO FLEX IN THE RIGHT KICKER
Kenny chose the KTM 500EXC when his son-in-law wanted to buy a bike and start trail riding. Since the mid-’80s, because of sponsorships, KP never had to put out cold hard cash to buy a bike. So with a lot of reassurance from industry friends, he decided on the 2015 KTM 500EXC. He also found himself at a great shop, TO Powersports, where he worked out a deal that made it possible that his wife would still speak to him.
Because of the inability to flex his right foot and use the rear brake pedal, the most crucial mod comes in the Rekluse Core EXP clutch. It gives the machine a fully automatic clutch, and allowed KP to remove the clutch lever completely and use that real estate for the rear brake lever. The Core EXP comes with a new lighter pressure plate, inner hub and new drive plates. Simply stated, as the rpm increase, the disk wedges slide, expand and the clutch engages. The auto clutch automatically feeds out the engagement of the clutch using centrifugal force. This allows one to start and stop without touching the clutch lever. The automatic feed is fully adjustable to suit the rider’s needs, meaning that you can dial in deceleration or engine braking.
Next he lengthened the right footpeg into a platform so that the right foot stays in place. He welds three footpegs to the stocker, forward of the OE position. It looks weird, but KP says it’s a necessary evil for his altered state.
Once the Rekluse clutch was installed, Kenny could actually go out and test the machine. His immediate thoughts went to performance. The bike is geared to the moon, so he switched from the 15-45 gearing to 14-50. An RK O-ring chain was fit in the process. The power was nice—choked but efficient. KP bolted on an FMF Q Hex muffler that targets good power at a reasonable decibel level. The machine (with the freer-flowing FMF unit) tended to pop and would “lean” flame-out, not a good thing when you don’t have a clutch and rely on the ability to short-shift and lug. He reset the TPS with Best Dual Sport Bikes’ TPS tester, and immediately the power became meatier, with no lean pop on decel and flame-outs virtually disappeared.
Kenny opted to go the “tucked-in tight route” with the turn signals and rear license-plate holder, choosing SAR Racing’s dual-sport products. The license-plate holder is smaller and tucked in much higher than the stocker, which dangles and catches the rear tire on a full bottom-out. The rear turn signals usually last one or two rides before they get torn off, and the SAR units bolt directly to the fender. They are small and resist getting belted into the cheap seats.
Because KP and Ty Davis are tight, it figures that his machine is adorned with Zip-Ty Racing products. Kenny is a big believer in Zip-Ty products simply because he is the ultimate tester, riding every spare second, slamming-dancing our planet looking for gnarly stuff. Here’s a quick hit of the products that KP opted for.

Samco hoses: A world leader in performance silicone hoses, supplying Formula 1, NASCAR and World Super Bike teams. $123.95
EarthX batteries: EarthX lithium batteries’ cranking power will not drop off, and it will crank your engine longer. Inside every one of their batteries is a microprocessor Battery Management System (BMS) that monitors the charge level of each cell and balances the change when needed, protecting the cells from overcharge or discharge. $169
Double Take mirrors: The ball joints will give way in a crash and thus protect you, your bike, the lever perches and the mirrors. $25
Zip-Ty Racing footpeg extensions: Allows you to ride in comfort with adventure boots and allows for better traction on flat roads by having more leverage on the footpeg. $85.95
Zip-Ty Racing front-axle pull handle: Durable, composite pull handle. Makes removing the front axle a quick deal. $21.95
Zip-Ty Racing XF2 waterless racing coolant: Zip-Ty Racing’s XF2 coolant is red in color and nearly doubles the heat transfer of other waterless coolants. $29.95
Zip-Ty Racing license-plate mount: A sturdy new stainless mount that is lightweight. $39.99
Golden Fat Tyre: With the wide footprint, this tire works in sand and hardpack. Its lightweight, flexible, wide carcass with reinforced shoulder knobs guarantees large contact surface and good shock absorption against minor impacts on uneven terrain. FIM-approved front racing tire. DOT approved. $119
Zip-Ty Racing chain-adjusting block chain: An adjuster block with indicator notches, these just make it easy to adjust the chain and ease of wheel changes and adjustments. $98.95
A’ME clamp-on full-waffle grips: The A’ME MX clamp-on full-waffle grips feature a wider grip, glue-less design that lasts twice as long and will not twist on the handlebar or throttle. “No safety wire necessary.” $24.95
Seat Concepts: The reason why Ty uses Seat Concepts’ MX/Dual-Sport/Adventure seat kits is because they look nice, work well and incorporate a wider seating area for the adventure rider. Each seat model is designed to increase comfort without compromising rideability. $159.99
Zip-Ty Racing wheel spacers: The Zip-Ty Racing wheel spacers stay put during wheel installation, are lighter than stock, and they have a special coating to protect the seals while keeping that sexy factory look. $34.95
Zip-Ty Racing Shark Fin: The Shark Fin protects your rear rotor and is made out of aircraft aluminum. $130
Zip-Ty Racing front axle nut: Made out of aircraft-grade aluminum alloy, lighter with that factory look, and 1/4-inch drive on all axle nuts. $24.95
Zip-Ty Racing fuel filter: Allows you to use the standard filter with a 15 micron filter behind to catch any debris. $69
Zip-Ty Racing universal skid plate brackets: Aircraft aluminum, easy to install, 1/4-inch magnets help with the install, fits most skid plates, light weight and strong. $49.95
Zip-Ty Racing magnetic oil filter cover: A nice look with a magnet to pick up any debris that maybe floating around, comes in different colors. $69.95
Zip-Ty Racing Pathfinder LED headlight: The headlight is used to light up night rides. See your way through with bright, long-lasting LED lights. $80.00
P.C. Racing oil fiter: The stainless steel reusable oil filters catch items down to 35 microns much better than most all other filters. $29.95
Torco SR-5 oil: Torco’s SR-5 5-40 synthetic racing oil keeps his bike running longer and has race-proven critical protection. $12.50

MY FIRST RIDE
In Kenny Parry’s words: “To say that I was blown away is a humbling understatement. I couldn’t believe after my first blast through the rocks and whoops that I was actually riding a bike that I could cruise on to my local 7-Eleven, and then take on some of the toughest terrain imaginable. The bike is awesome. A big thanks to Rekluse, Ty Davis and Team Dirt Bike for helping me put this together.” o
Rekluse Core EXP clutch: $899, www.rekluse.com
FMF Racing: Q Hex SA muffler: $359.99, www.fmfracing.com
Zip Ty Racing: www.ziptyracing.com