KTM EXC-F 350 Extended service intervals

In this segment I discuss what happened to my 2023 350 EXC-F when using extended service intervals during a 6,225 mile ride along the TransAmerica Trail.
#KTM EXC-F 350
#transamericatrail
#ktmoilchange

[@franktowles4413]

Having followed your journey I would believe the difference being you operated your machine without abusing it.

[@mabecka]

KTM Recommendations are for Enduro racing and training. Trail riding is much kinder to everything in the engine! You'll be just fine.

[@jimbo4203]

Exactly , we would change the oil on the 350 sxf once a month and get it serviced once a year if needed 😊

[@RealHooksy]

I met a guy from Austria in the Flinders Ranges South Australia) a couple of weeks ago who’s at the end of a round the world ride on a Honda crf450L and he has 70,000km on it. The recommended service intervals are 1000km and he only changes his oil about every 7000km! He’s still on the original piston. It’s still running fine. Obviously he doesn’t race it but he still rides it like it’s supposed to be. It is a Honda though, not a ktm😂 I told him to sell it to a Honda museum when he gets home.

[@mitchwiebell2785]

Great to see you guys again! Thank you for the update! Looking forward to more about gear, how it worked/didn't work and what you'd do different next time. Hope all is well.

[@ridingluna]

Thanks for the info. Now, there is a very important factor on all this KTM info and also personal experience. And that is, How and Where do you ride ..... that is what make all the difference in when you may have to do your service intervals.

[@TACOMOTOCO]

We are getting 50-70 hour changes on our bikes w the taco moto static magnetic filter and a high spec PAO ester based oil like Motul 7100 or maxima pro plus

[@user-nn7xr9hb1e]

Will you have these for the 2016 KTM 500?

[@karicallegra8194]

Hopefully more get in stock soon!!

[@alanwalls3117]

Love mine!

[@danielhicks5031]

@@alanwalls3117 what kind of bikes. your telling me you go at least 50 hours before changing oil on smaller cc dual sports

[@alanwalls3117]

@@danielhicks5031 I’m using in my EXCF 450.

[@JS-lv5pn]

The KTM surprised me and Honda I expected it to be fine, but that goes to show the 350 can get the job done.

[@scottgoodwins]

I don’t think this will have a immediate effect on your engine but it might shorten its life. Getting an oil sample test done would help gauge how it’s going from trip to trip

[@christhompson8599]

Great video guys glad to see all is well and hope to see some new riding adventures from the wheeled gezzers

[@jameswalstrom2433]

Thanks brother... I have 2011 Beta 520... I have found similar findings... Enjoy the Ride...

[@charlesq6148]

Indeed.. my 501 has had extended changes from 10 hours.. I vary the service by the use. When I ride it hard I change it early, 12 to 1500 on lighter use. Still going strong ...

[@MrEtnorb]

2018 500 with 110 hrs and 7000 km. Bike is trailered to rides and oil changes usually 1700-2500 km. Checked valves 6000 km ago so time for another check.

[@gcostanza2115]

I wonder how long these engines can go without a rebuild, the manual says 70 hours for competition and 135 for trail/lighter use. If you've done 207 hours without a rebuild, that's very reassuring . The cost of a rebuild is a big expense, so if these engines will do 200 hours plus without a rebuild, that's great news for those of us on a tight budget!

[@rezkidgamingyt4725]

The recommendations that are in the manual are for when you’re racing or practising for a race you’re usually always in those higher. RPMs bouncing off the rev limit engine is usually taking a lot harder abuse you’re just riding your bike normal 30 to 60 km an hour sitting in the middle of the Reve you should be able to go three times the amount of the recommendations to racing. I have a Yamaha WR 250 F 2023 and as well I’m not hard on my bike. I keep it in the mid lower RPM range, I’m never bouncing off the or even up past 14,000 RPM. My bike goes to 16,000 RPM. My first inspection I did everything was inspect I wasn’t expecting it not to be that was about 50 hours now I’m at 150 and due for an inspection on the valves, I’ll probably do them in the next week or two got a couple of rides coming up that I want to go with my buddies again I’m expecting the valves to be good. Kind of worried about the timing chain will deal with that when it comes.

[@martypowell4395]

Thanks for the follow up!

[@outsideguy3633]

Interesting. Would love to hear about Jack’s observations on the CRF. Mods, performance, handling, comfort, things you’d do differently, etc.

[@TalAmir]

Ktm 500 excf 2021.i use it for trail riding. Oil changes every 3000-5000 km, depending on the terrain and abuse. Currently at 34k km and 600+ hours with no issues what so ever.

[@TheIdlesurfer]

That's good to know. I changed my 24 FE501 at 25 hours after trail and one longish road ride. The oil looked okay, I know visual isn't much of a guide but it flowed well. If I remember, I'm going to drop my 50 hour oil change through a mesh coffee filter to see if it has any swarf or bits of clutch plate in it.

[@user-nw2et5fx1m]

Thank you for this.

[@bigals.ktms.9937]

Interesting you did that , we know all about how far you can get touring on ktms here in Australia, we use full synthetic oil , do like 2500kms touring drain the oil get it tested by an independent company catapilla, and the oil came back still with very high marks after 2500kms, but thats touring.

[@johndunn9819]

i can't tell you how happy i am to hear your results... i'm a, not fast, 64 yr old with a sxf450 factory edition with 100 hrs, 2, back tires, 5 oil changes, air filter and nothing else. i never use the rev-limiter. to say i don't push it is an understatement. i think i'll be ok. thanks

[@WheeledGeezer]

We are in the same age club. I love the KTM. Much less weight than the other alternatives, great handling, good power, and a reliable steed. It is a super flickable trail bike. I had planned to purchase the Honda 300L or Rally until I learned the 350 EXC-F was nearly 100 pounds lighter than the 300 Rally and had more power. It’s a win for my 64 year old bones. So glad I explored the TAT on this nimble ride. Keep pouring the miles on!

[@johndunn9819]

@@WheeledGeezer well, I've riden 3 XR650Rs into the ground and finally threw a leg over that KTM and man, it's nice to be on a modern bike. Thanks again, I'm going to push it a little further. thanks again for your "research".

[@lodomcam]

I have about 300 hours on my '15 FE350s. I change the oil every 20 to 25 hours and have checked the valve clearance 4 times. At 9 years old it has good compression, always starts, no smoking, and the valves are in spec. I have only used Motorex just because I don't put a lot of hours on it. I'm thinking the lower stressed, dual sport versions of this motor can handle stretching the intervals a little but I'm in no way recommending it.

[@airadaimagery692]

Very interesting. Especially considering stories I’ve heard from others. It sounds like you got yourself one solid KTM. But I wonder if results would had been any different with a different operator. What I mean is, I’m wondering if the valves would had been out of adjustment if you would had pushed the bike harder, not just further, with the same amount of service... This machine was designed to withstand a certain amount of abuse, so therefore I’m wondering if that’s what the engineers based their service intervals on? Either way, I’m happy to hear your outcome. That’s fantastic!

[@ogasi1798]

often my 500 hits +1kmiles per oil change - it is a 19 and is now 9kmiles old and is fine - valves do not need doing nor anything else

[@dustinhoover3157]

Thank you for sharing!

[@dr.x4050]

I'm a noob, but I read these stories often. It seems the recommended intervals involves racing-for legal reasons. Not casual trail or road riding.

[@user-cv9my1jq2r]

Good to see you guys. I am curious about the Honda. I just bought one. 300L. W abs. Also I have a Royal enfield himalayan. It might be for sale. Still breaking in the Honda.

[@reg26]

By far THE BEST TAT series I have ever watched. Thank You!!! I would love to know more about jack's bike as I have the Rally version and am planning on doing the same trip. Also would love to know what riding pants jack was wearing as they looked very comfortable.

[@johnstanley8792]

Glad you have liked the series. We really did this so our family can watch and didn’t expect much beyond that. Yes I am completing a video on the bike and upgraded. The pants I wore were FXR with leather and the all red ones were MSR brand. Both great and comfortable. The MSR were very affordable. The only thing I suggest is neither pair had pockets and this feature would have made them perfect. Recommend either.

[@grant31781]

I checked my 21 500 valves at 120 hours. They have not moved since I checked them at 34 hours. I do oil changes about every 35 hours. Keep the air filter clean and don't run it like a race bike and it does not need any more maintenance than any other dual sport. I also average 55 mpg running a vortex ecu. I rode a 19 350 a couple of times back to back with my 500.I really like they way the 350s run. 500/350s are awesome bikes. There are some running long over 2000 miles oil changes interval on the Honda 450RLs with no issues and racking up high trouble free miles.

[@BushmanCanuck]

Was 34hrs your first valve check?

[@grant31781]

Yes ​@@BushmanCanuck

[@take5th]

Glad to hear that. I presume you cleaned the air filter as needed.

[@biophillie]

change the oil every couple thousand miles, when is convenient and the tanks off the bike and your towards the valves check them, otherwise quit sweating the small stuff. these bikes are built so much better than bikes of the past, they are made to handle incredible abuse. I have a friend that has a CRF 450 L he has 16,000 miles when I last checked, he changes the oil about every 2000 miles, not sure if he has checked the valves yet or not. He's never had any unusual problems with the bike. Last I heard it ran better than when it was new. He also does oil analysis via Blackstone labs every now and then and nothing unusual has popped up in the oil analysis. Personally, I believe these short service intervals are to cover the factories tail in the event of warranty work, considering many of these bikes are in competition and being run maxed out for extended periods of time. By the way my friend is an adventure writer/regular commuter as he rides his bike to work whenever he can 12 miles each direction when possible. All this talk about meeting manufactured requirements for oil change is overkill unless you are in competition at the track. just talked with an engine builder that builds bikes for Baja about a week ago. He talked about the durability of these motors, specifically we talked about my 450 L, he knew of someone that has 29,000 miles online, he commutes almost every day to work, he sold the bike to someone else that has I forget, something like 250 hours on it, and that has been full on competition racing. He talks about being ready to rebuild the motor, but doesn't see a reason why yet, as it is running fine. That was good enough for me. This conversation started because I called him about rebuilding mine because I have a cracked engine case and wanted to know if it was worth rebuilding or not. he convinced me. Also, the JB weld covered with Loctite urethane PL glue has been holding without any leaks so not touching it until necessary (I should have it welded). These things are pretty tough man that's the bottom line.

[@fattie2550]

ISA. My 2024 model says 15 hour oil change and 45 hours for valves.

[@texlee1640]

1200-1500 miles per OCI is not an issue if the bike is being used for trail riding and dual sport use which is what the large majority of owners use them for. Those much shorter factory/manual recommendations are for hard MX use. You got ahold of a dealer looking for a sucker they could trick into a larger service bill out of fear. It has been well documented on the forums for many years that these 4-strokes can handle far more than what the manual is recommending.

[@thehoelzels6316]

I feel that the service interval hours compared to total miles driven is probably not the best. Unless you are going excessively fast (high rpm) distance is a factor of your final drive. You can drive at 4500rpm in 4th gear and also in 6th gear. Your distance will be far greater in 6th gear with the same engine wear. Toco Moto and a lot of other long term owners are just doubling the hours to 60-70 for adventure style riding.

[@donproper3632]

Most honda's yamaha suzuki's and kawasaki's break in at about five hundred hours

[@underthedrone2735]

Oil changes at 465 mile intervals is crazy! Is the oil capacity 1/4 of one quart or something crazy like that?

[@Weltbummler23]

Pretty standard for enduros

[@paulcamino5034]

KTM 350exc are premium high compression off road race bikes that can be tagged, there not cheap, it not what guys doing the TAT will choose, guys normally choose a Japanese dual sport for this type of adventure, they're a better tool for the job to rack up many miles and carry heavy weights on the subframe like a crf300l rally, there lower, more comfortable, smoother running, better highway speeds and half the price and it is not uncommon to see 70,000mi on them, you will not have to change the oil or check the valves, it like buying a Ferrari, driving 55mph cross the country you can do it but do you really want to waste a machine like that on that adventure,

[@TerrenceLP]

They're designing these engines to fall apart even though we have some of the best metallurgy and oils on the planet ever it's a joke by old bikes❤

[@chriscord7060]

What rear luggage rack do you have?

[@WheeledGeezer]

This one from Taco Moto tacomoto.co/products/pro-moto-billet-rear-rack?_pos=2&_sid=88275cab2&_ss=r&variant=31490045739111

[@chrisian20091974]

Did you guys upgrade the CRF300L suspension

[@johnstanley8792]

I did and please stay tuned as I have a video coming with the upgrades and what I would do differently on my next trip.

[@outsideguy3633]

@@johnstanley8792super interested in seeing that! Btw, another MN guy here. Your videos inspired me to get 300 Rally. Would also love to hear about your gear. Boots, body armor, pants etc. I’m sure other 60+ yr old riders would appreciate that too. Thx for documenting your trip on YT.

[@johnstanley8792]

@@outsideguy3633 always enjoy a chat about bikes. Where in mn are you located.

[@shaun8256]

I'd suggest getting a Honda or Suzuki, maybe a Kawasaki, Ktm, Husqvarna, and BMW, are too finicky. I've seen guys take a Honda and Suzuki all the way through one year or more of riding.

[@post_historic]

Shifting quality goes to hell after like... 8 hours.

[@WheeledGeezer]

Clutch performance was something I paid specific attention to because a change in behavior could suggest I was extending too far. I never noticed any change. The clutch performed as-new throughout the entire ride.

[@post_historic]

@@WheeledGeezer good to know! I've never toured on a dirtbike. Makes sense that going easy on the clutch would keep debris in the oil to a minimum, extending life.

[@MagnumMuscle1000]

9 minutes for two minutes of information.