Welcome to the Adventure Motorcycle Traveller Reviews. Here’s a 78,000-mile review of the KTM 500 EXC Six Days by round-the-world motorcycle traveller Haren Khatau.
Contents
By Haren Khatau
Motorcycle traveller - All Terrain Overlanders
Quick info
- Bike: KTM 500 EXC Six Days
- Year: 2013 model year, manufactured in 2012
- Price: Motorcycles are expensive in Singapore. I purchased it as a fully tricked out supermoto setup with 230hrs/ 13,000km on the clock. It was 8 years old when I purchased it for 8,000 USD
- Miles covered: I put another 200hrs/11,000km on the bike before changing out the odometer, and have now put 760hrs/44,000km more on the clock on the overland trip, bringing the total I have ridden this bike to 960hours/55,000km
- 2026 update: Now on 78,000 miles and 2000 hours.
- Years owned: since 2020
KTM 500 EXC specs
- Engine: Single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 510.4 cc, Fuel Injection (FI)
- Power: 50 bhp (Australian market model)
- Torque: 34 ft-lbs
- Kerb weight: 113kg (before upgrades). I have added 25kg in upgrades and 40kg of luggage, bringing the entire setup, fully fuelled to around 185kg
- Seat height: 970mm
- Tank capacity: 20 litre Acerbis tank
- Tyres: 21 and 18
- Front suspension: WP USD 48 mm fully adjustable fork (‘downgraded’ from 4CS to Standard Open Cartridge)
- Rear suspension: WP PDS (Progressive Damping System) monoshock (with K-Tech 8.5N rear spring upgraded to match weight of luggage)
2026 update
78,000 mile / 125,000km update
Just like that, my 500 has touched 2,000 hours and it’s about time I put things into perspective again.
First up: finally, the entire engine had to be torn down.
Second: then, it had to be torn down again. But not as badly as the first time. But more on that in a bit.
We ended off 2024 in Bulgaria, with 15 countries in the bag and very happy having made it across Asia. Winter set it, so we washed up the bikes and stored them during the cold season, and returned in March 2025 to resume our trip, covering Europe and ending off in Africa.
At the 90,000km mark, as we approached Rovaniemi, Finland, a weird sound started 200km prior, and by the time we pulled into town it was a horrible clackety clack. Opened the top end, and the cam chain tensioner, both which were fine. When I dropped the oil, it looked like glitter. Rovaniemi, we have a problem.
The connecting rod bearing, which was a linear roller bearing on the 2013 model which had been updated to a plain bearing 2014 onwards, had given up.
A bottom end job together with the piston and cylinder was required and was done in record time by an awesome mechanic we found there. The first oil changed still showed some shavings, but after that the oil came out perfect.
We carried on from there to the UK, but gradually the oil burn on the bike got to a ridiculous 1l between 2000km oil changes. So 13,000km and 4 months on the road later we opened her up again in Germany.
Sadly, it seemed like the leftover bits from the first oil change had scratched the piston and cylinder, leaving some deep gauges on both, causing the oil burn. So we replaced the cylinder, piston and cleaned up the top end as well.
The bike is now running great, albeit with a small oil burn in the morning, which I suspect is from a leaky valve seal, which I didn’t change when I refreshed the top end. I might do that together with a top end job before setting off for South Africa in mid 2026, but for now, the bike starts and runs excellent, as we’ve been blasting it across the deserts of Morocco. Current total odometer and hours:125,000km, 2036hours.
Prep
Why this bike?
I purchased this bike at the height of Covid – it was a good time to buy bikes in Singapore, where bikes are usually very expensive. I didn’t intend to ride around-the-world on it back then – I had a DRZ 400, I liked how it felt but wanted to try a 4 stroke KTM (I had an old KTM 200 EXC previously).
Before Covid I had toured the whole of India on a Tiger 800 XCX. It was a fantastic bike – absolutely reliable, comfortable and made the 24,000km of India I rode a breeze – but it was heavy, and I always felt nervous bringing to more isolated destinations. With hard cases fitted it was wide and cumbersome when I went off-road or anywhere narrow and after spending the whole of Covid doing more enduro style riding, I knew I wanted something light and easy to repair, and yet fun to ride! I’d seen and felt what a 500 could do both on tight technical enduro trail as well as open ground, and also seen one get fully submerged when my friend dropped it into a lake – and how it could start up right afterwards!
As things started to open up and the idea of lightweight touring got more realistic and practical, I started to consider the 500 as a touring bike. After all, if it’s good enough to win 19 consecutive Dakar Rallies, it’s got to be good enough for a few thousand relaxed kilometres on an overland trip!
I modified the ‘Mighty 500’ from a supermoto back into an dual sport, and then fitted the big tank and a Dakar style rally fairing. But I felt that the rally fairing created too much buffeting although I really liked the look – so I downscaled to the MST Enduro Mask instead, and it works well.
As Nerine (my partner) and I started to finalise things for our big ride around the world together, we locked it in – I went with the 500 and she went with the Honda CRF300L. A few months before the departure, I went for a 800km ride into Malaysia from Singapore and it was great – until the engine exploded!
Amongst all the planning for the trip, I had forgotten an oil change and the top end was due as well, so all the oil had burnt off and the top end had seized (the exhaust rocker shaft, to be exact). Luckily, my buddy Sherman of MotoGens got the bike up and running with a secondhand top end off of his own bike and in no time, the final prep to the bike could begin.
I’ve listed out all the mods done to this bike, but if you ask me what the essential mods are to take a stock 500 to a tourer, they would be:
- Acerbis 20L tank – we have never had to carry spare fuel. This tank, with a consumption varying between 20-25km/l, gives a fantastic range of 400-500km.
- Mako 360 vibration dampeners and Barkbusters Bar End weights and proper wrap around handguards – keeps the rest of the bike off the ground in a crash, and removes any ‘buzzing’ feeling from the bars!
- Sidestand: the bushing of the stock stand cant handlethe weight of the bike with luggage and extra fuel. Mine gave out on Day 1 of the trip. I got the Swiftkicker Sidestand with the Beefy Bushing, and it had held up great. The extending leg makes the bike able to be parked almost anywhere too!
- Taco Moto uograded fuel pump, because the stock is known to give out.
- Upgraded seat to suit your liking.
“Chiraag” is the Indian name for the Striped Hyena, a badass animal that roams the deserts of India where I learnt how to ride and still enjoy riding very much. I named my bike after the Hyena to raise awareness of its plight as an endangered species.
Modifications
- Wheels: Cush drive hubs laced to DID Rims
- Handlebar damper: Mako 360 vibration dampeners – red dampers
- Fuel tank: Acerbis 20L fuel tank with filter sock and locking cap
- Fuel tank pump: Tacomoto 3000 hour fuel pump and reusable filter
- Oil filter: PC RACING reusable filter
- Rally Kit: MST Concepts Enduro Mask Rally Kit
- Sidestand: Swiftkicker Sidestand (upgrading the stock sidestand bushing to a Beefy Bushing is a must – mine broke on day one of the trip!)
- Seat: Seat Concepts
- Drive: DID chain on Dirt Tricks Sprockets and Sprocket Washer, 14-48 gearing
- Phone mounts: Hondo Garage dampener fitted to RAM mount
- Phone Charger: Chigee TR100 fast charger
- Mirrors: Double Take Adventure
- Front Brake: KTM 320mm adaptor and Galfer floating disc
- Instruments: Trail Tech Vapor
- Radiator Guards: Billetproof Designs
- Foot pegs: Fastway EXT, the extension of which works as mini pillion pegs in a pinch!
- Tyres: Mitas E07+ Enduro Trail
- Miscellaneous: ODI Grips, Acerbis Fork Sleeves, Zeta Handguards with Barkbusters Barend Weights, Throttle Boss throttle rest.
Luggage
Luggage: Giant Loop Fandango Tank Bag and Coyote and Tillamook Saddle Bags.
The Coyote saddlebag is secured to the bike by a Pronghorn strap, and the Tillamook dry bag is placed on top – I got this idea from veteran KTM 500 rider ‘Braaping Kiwi’ Aaron Steinmann’s setup, as it allows more space than the regular Coyote. With the side pods of the Coyote filled and the Tillamook full up, I have about 70 litres of space at the back and 8 litres in the tank bag. Most important, the luggage doesn’t extend past my handlebars, so I can squeeze through any spaces my handlebars can get through.
Unlike many overlanders, we don’t carry camping gear, but if things are rejigged it would be possible to squeeze in an ultralight camp gear too. We opted to carry more spares and tools, and that has helped tremendously in keeping our bikes moving forward even through the craziest of routes and countries where finding competent mechanics and parts has been difficult. Finding places to stay, since we can’t camp, is an adventure in itself for us. Feel free to ping me if you’d like to hear more about my pack list, tool list or spare parts list.
READ MORE: Motorcycle Luggage Guides
Travel
Reliability
Honestly, it’s been a lot more reliable than I imagined. Reliable enough for me to ride to the heart of rural Afghanistan to the legendary Minaret of Jam, and back out!
Even though the engine imploded just before we began the trip, the bike has been soldiering on ever since. Most of the troubles I’ve had have been annoying little problems related to rubber parts – as you can imagine, after 12 years many of the O rings, hoses and other rubber seals have started to harden up. I had problems with my clutch master cylinder diaphragm, fuel hose, and injector O ring, but that’s been it. Things I should have replaced before the trip, but nothing that couldn’t be repaired myself.
Being designed for enduro racing, the bike is extremely easy to work on – in 2 screws I can have the seat and tank off and ready to reach most of the engine and wiring harness – the EXC is truly a mechanic’s bike.
At the 600hours/30,000km mark, my bike started to burn oil, so I went ahead and changed the oil scraper ring of the piston and that solved the issue at a shop in Ulaan Baatar. That’s the biggest service/repair done so far. Oh yes – the valves are still within spec after all this distance on the trip!
Big caveat here – being a 12 year old bike, I obviously did a ton of preventive maintenance before leaving, so make sure you do the same if you’re taking an older bike out. All bearings, seals, and rubber / silicone parts should be changed out. I put in a new alternator and wiring harness just to be safe, and of course, serviced my suspension. And I had a new piston and ring set installed too.
Servicing
Everyone asks what the oil change intervals are, especially since the KTM manual tells you to change oil every 15hours.
In my opinion, you have to do what makes sense. Nerine’s CRF300L manual suggests an oil change every 12,000km. That’s the other end of the spectrum, we don’t wait that long and I know a friend who followed that on his new Honda and realised the engine had burnt off a good amount of engine oil. KTM, on the other hand, errs on the side of extreme caution and keeping your bike ‘ready to race’.
Personally, I change oil every 35 hours. That would usually equate to every 1700-2500km of riding, depending on where we are. I get the oil change done in about 30 minutes at any workshop. I carry a spare oil change with me, which consists of a sealed 1 litre package, and a 500ml reusable aluminium oil can that I fill up with the remainder of the oil change that doubles as a bit of spare in case I need to top off the oil level. This works out perfectly as the KTM takes about 1.25L per change. I have a PC racing reusable oil filter installed, so I just pop it out, rinse it with brake cleaner or petrol, dry it off then pop it back in. Done!
There have been rare occasions where I haven’t been able to find good oil – I have had to use 40W scooter oil once, but for short periods, it works. Wherever possible, stick with 10W-50 fully synthetic oil.
I keep a couple of air filters oiled and compressed in a ziplock bag and change them every other oil change or when I’ve been through some bad, dusty sections. I keep 3, as they usually start to degrade after 4 washes or so.
READ MORE: Workshop Guides
Maintenance and parts
Spares were surprisingly easy to source – KTM EXC bikes have a lot of backward compatibility, and so there was excellent parts support in Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia, better than Honda in fact.
With enduro fast becoming a popular sport and KTM being on top and flooding the market with their models, it was easy to find parts and seasoned mechanics wherever enduro riding was popular.
Long distance comfort
Even with all the upgrades, its definitely not as comfortable as an adventure bike or the CRF300L. It tends to vibrate a lot, especially at higher revs. But that’s par for the course for us – Nerine and I usually cruise slowly on the motorways, at about 90 to 110km/h (4800-5500rpm seems to be the sweet spot for the motor) depending on the wind.
Even if the bikes could go faster comfortably, the wind blast is horrible for extended periods of time, and it would take a massive windshield to cope with that. So we’re just forced to take it easy, smell the flowers, and remind ourselves that it isn’t a race anyway!
Good and Bad
What's good?
So much fun to ride when the roads are sub-par, easy to move through traffic, and the sound and power to weight ratio make it a blast to ride on paved twisties too! In 5 minutes I can take off the luggage and have a 120kg performance dirtbike that is ready to hit a motocross track or join some locals for a trail day, as we have done a number of times.
The bike is easy to repair and service, has a kick starter and parts are not too hard to find. And did I mention that dropping it is nothing you have to be scared of? Fully loaded, my setup weighs less than a Tenere 700 dry!
What's not?
Comfort on long highway jaunts. There’s been a few – like crossing the Taklamakan Desert in China and the Kazakh Steppe that have just been hours in the saddle with a sore butt, especially if you’re not moving around on the seat much, which makes riding B road actually less tiring per hour than highway. But the human body is adaptable – we found that we could get used to spending long days in the saddle if we need to. We’ve done a handful of 600km days and an 800km day too. Just take frequent breaks, use a Throttle Boss so you can wiggle those fingers on the right hand, and put a good playlist on the Cardo!
Another thing is that KTMs can be delicate – everything is made of aluminium to save weight, and I have had some important screw holes destroyed by heavy handed mechanics the once or twice I’ve let others work on my bike. As much as you can, try to work on your bike yourself. And don’t overdo those darn oil filter cap bolts!
Improvements?
We started in Southeast Asia, where it’s easy to find good and cheap accommodation. As we move towards Europe, we’re likely to rejig our gear to carry camping kit too, and that’s where the limitations of the 500 begin as we try to find more space to fit a little bit more luggage.
The lights on the MST Kit are a little dim for nighttime riding, so I need to figure out how to get more powerful lights onto the front end as well, for the odd nighttime ride.
The Seat Concepts seat helps alot, but it’s not perfect and I wish I had an opportunity to try on a few different styles of touring seat to see what would work best for me. I think that would help a lot for the long haul rides.
Verdict
The KTM 500 EXC isn’t the bike for everyone, and perhaps not the bike for every adventure. If you are planning to cross Eurasia in three months, stick to a Tenere 700 or bigger ADV. But it is the bike for those who are taking their time around the world or looking for a weekend getaway bike, enjoy tinkering on their rides, and like to unleash their inner hoon.
It’s also a great bike if you are travelling alone and you know you want to venture into every little trail that you see – you can pick it up all day and chug it through the harshest stuff without worrying about it too much – just feed her oil on the regular and she’ll keep tractoring on – and if something does go wrong, just shove her in the back of the passing district bus and fix it yourself at the next village! After all, doesn’t the adventure begin when the bike breaks down?
About the author
Haren Khatau is currently riding his KTM 500 EXC around the world with Nerine, his partner and avid biker on her CRF300L. They’ve covered 125,000km so far, Starting from Singapore in January 2024, through Tibet, China, the Stans, Mongolia, Russia, Afghanistan and Iran. They spent their 2025 season in Europe, travelling to the Arctic Circle via the Trans European Trail and are currently riding Spain to Cape Town.
Follow their awesome adventures on Instagram and Facebook at All Terrain Overlanders and feel free to reach out if you have any questions or just want to catch up with them for a drink on the way.
Facebook: All Terrain Overlanders
Insta: @allterrainoverlanders
Insta: @harenkhatau
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Are you interested in the KTM 500 EXC? Do you have any questions, tips or suggestions? Let us know in the comments below.
Thanks for the review I am building a KTM 500 for travel as well.
Hi Stephen!
Sounds exciting – I’ll be happy to advise, and where can I follow your build?
Best regards
Haren
Would love to travel on a bike like this! To be honest I didn’t think it was actually possible with all the oil changes and maintenance until I read your article. Great work and happy travels
Hi Dirt Rider,
It’s absolutely possible, and if you need any advice feel free to reach out or ping me on socials.
Best regards
Haren
Absolutely possible like Haren said. Braaping Kiwi aka Aaron Steinmann rode RTW with it. Also “RTW Paul” from US is riding it RTW. And Rometaidla (polish guy) took 450exc all the way from Estonia (I think) down through TET to African Cape Town!
I first tried a Seat Concepts XL Comfort on my ’15 500 but found it to be pretty hard and not very comfortable after a couple hours. Replaced it with a Fisher seat, which has been excellent thanks to the foam which strikes the perfect balance between being too hard and too soft.
Btw, did you find the cush hub makes any noticeable difference in smoothness etc? I’ve read mixed opinions, with a lot of people saying if you’re running dirt tires the cush hub isn’t needed because they don’t have the road grip of a sticky street tire.
Hi Jim!
That’s an interesting concept I’ve never heard of before – but I think a lot of it has to do with power and transmission wear and tear.
Aaron Steinmann wasn’t running a Cush drive and didn’t experience any issue with transmission wear and tear. The CRF300L also doesn’t come stock with a Cush hub. Nerine’s CRF300L doesn’t have one, and her chain and sprocket still wear way slower than mine. Many smaller road going bikes don’t have one.
Alas, I think the main difference is the smoother feel to the bike overall, and perhaps when you’re riding a bike thumper, ever bit counts. Is it worth the cost? That’s for you to decide. I got my rims cheap, so I went ahead with it.
Best regards
Haren
Hi Haren,
Thanks for the feedback. If that worked for Aaron for over 140,000 km, it should be good for my far less modest mileage as I’ve already got 2 standard wheel sets.
Btw, a really easy to way to reduce handlebar vibration is to add Barkbuster’s bar-end weights. They made a huge difference on my 500. I also added Pivotpegz and they also damped a lot of the vibration coming through the pegs.
Ride safe!
Jim
Cheers,
Jim
Hi Jim!
Indeed! Just a note that Aaron eventually did also install a Cush drive hub, but initially he didn’t.
Ah yes! I have the bar end weights from Barkbusters fitted too. They are excellent. I didn’t like the pivot pegs though, I had them on my enduro setup 350 EXC and they were great for that, but I found that they ‘buzz’ more than street pegs. Interesting!
Hi Haren,
these machines have kind of a cush drive in the clutch assembly afaik. So if riding 50/50 on enduro tyres I think the bike will survive a long time. It’s not like running it in sumo mode lol. But the inside cush drive needs periodic maintenance too for sure.
Martin
Hi Martin,
You are absolutely right. So technically, I have 2 Cush drives in my bike now!
Rest assured, the bike can go on a round the world trip without the Cush drive hub too.
Best regards
Haren
I ran a cush hub on a ktm 525 exc from time to time. I felt a big difference. I used a rear wheel from a 640 Lc4. It was a direct fit..