Its been a long 3 months wait but my new 2009 KTM 450SX is finally in my shed

I've started on the seat and have some idea's on how im going to do the bar work, will be using the CLAKE for rear brake and clutch on one lever and will use the kliktronic from my YZ. Hoping to have the bike ready in the next month or so... oh and i've been doing lots of fitness training so hopefully i'll be able to hang on hahaha.... Anyways cant wait to finally ride it, i'll post up some pics when its done.

wow, im jealous of your shed mate.

I'm happier on four wheels but the bike looks so cool.

I'd love to see pics when you have converted her.

Cool nice bike, i want to get a 250 but dont know where to take it to get adapted and whats the best for handeling
Before my accident i had a cr250 and my best bike so far what a rush but since my accident i just been on a quad not as good any ideas on what bike to go for and where to get it adapted?...plz

wow cool, love to see some pics when you've finished adapting it.
brilliant shed too i'm also jelous looks more like a small warehouse, cool

Hi Neil,

As for bike i started with a YZ125 as it was light and i could kick start it by hand, not sure how you will go kick starting a 250 by hand, its nice to have the independence of not having to ask someone to start the bike for you every time you stop up against a tree. I think the KTM 450 is ideal as it has an electric start and it still a light motocross bike. If you are more into trails perhaps an enduro 250 (WR/CRFX) may be the go but i like to hit the MX track so the SX was best for me. Another problem with a 2 stroke MX bike is there is no electrics to run the gear shifter.

Theres some details and pics of the mods on my YZ125 here
http://www.apparelyzed.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5896

Im lucky enough to have a good friend who is great with a welder and all things metal though any bar bending and metal fab shop should be able to make the bar work for you. The gear shifter, rear brake and seat (aside from upholstery) are easy enough to do your self as long as you have a little mechanical know how.

Good luck! Its seems daunting at first but once you get riding and build some confidence theres nothing like it.

Marcel

That is beautiful... I am so happy for you!

awesome bike man!! glAD to see you went to good ol 4 stroke haha...remember one thing pinn it

thks for the info m8, so do u think i should go for a 125 first off?
i aint rid a bike since my accident so i may go down that road, i just love the look of the cr and crf bikes love the frame work and only ever had a honda bike never had yam should i stick to honda or try a diff 1

Marcel, your new ride looks sweet... i can send you some pictures of how we mounted the nurf bars on Ricky's 2008 KTM 450sxf, it came out pretty clean looking. we took the stock foot pegs off and bolted the bars into those same mounts and then we had to weld a mount to the frame (1 under each radiator) and bolted the bar on. 4 mounting points total. Ricky loves his, there is video of hm riding it on his site under the video section. www.rickyjames824.com

post some pictures when you have it finished, good luck and have fun, it's going to be a lot faster than that 125.......

Rick

Nice looking bike!!

I've been wanting to get back on a street bike since my accident over a year ago. I've been thinking lately that an atv or dirtbike might be the way to go. Any suggestions or opinions would be appreciated from anyone.

My main setback so far has been the extreme pain that I am still experiencing from my sci. No drugs have fazed the pain and another surgery is possible, but right now the cons outweigh the pros. How do the bumps and jarring action effect your back when you ride, any problems?

Thanks and ride hard!!

Thanks Rick i already have a few photos of Rickys 450SX but if you have any new ones a few more angles would be great. I am hoping to get away with not welding to the frame if at all possible.

Do you have any pics of construction of the seat before upholstery? I got stuck into getting the seat done yesterday but im not really happy with where the mount holes (kart seat to bike seat) ended up. Its very restrictive because of how little room there is between the tank and seat for bolts.

I cracked on the weekend, hopped on the bike with no mods, put it in 1st just to have a feel Quite a different animal to the 125, i can tell its going to be an awesome ride.

I ridden ATV's for quite some time before getting back on to the 2 wheeler and the bumps and jars are a lot smoother on 2 wheels. I find i can jump a lot bigger on the YZ without jarring. My back was also quite sore for a few years after injury, im not sure if i just got used to it or if it went away. I do get sore after a long days riding not just my back but arms, hands fingers... you find muscles get sore that you didnt even know worked! Its well worth it though and it keeps you fit and motivated, a couple of days and its all good again ready for another ride.

I got a 125 because it was a light bike and a cheep way to test the waters, but its really up to you..... What sort of riding are you going to be doing? MX tracks? Trail riding? Dunes? If you go for an MX bike without an electrical system make sure there is a lighting stator kit available for the model bike you are looking at. Perhaps strap you self to a mates bike put it in 2nd gear and have a go, see if you like it. I rode my mates KX125 like this quite a few times to get a feel for what i was after.

Hey Guys

Im loving all this adaptive MX talk. I used to have bikes before my accident. What sort of price does all of the adaptions come in at? I do alot of monoskiing but I would love to get back into riding in my spare time.

Cheers

Scotty

Hey scotty,

Finally got to ride the bike last w-e and i couldnt wipe the smile from my face. The 09 450SX is an awesome bike, so smooth and to my surprise plush, so comfortable and awesome power... no comparison to the old 125. Hoping to take it on the dunes this w-e, cant wait.

Ill post up some pics soon.

Anyways in answer to your Q...

Talking in $AU it goes something like this
Electric shifter $1500
Clake (clutch/rear Brake in one lever) $1300
Kart seat $240 + $200 upholstery
Alluminium for bar work $40 ( i had all bending welding Anodizing done as favors from freinds so add some $$$ there)

If you budget around $4000 you should be good.

Marcel,

Some how I missed your question about the seat bolts. Yeah theres not much room between the seat and tank up towards the front. I used a round headed carrige bolt run from the under side of the seat up through the cart seat with the nut up top. That allowed the round head of the bolt to be against the tank where it hopefully won't wear a hole in the tank. Ricky has run his for a while that way with no problems yet. Actually after he rode a while I noticed the clearance increased at that point due to the seat bottom actualy bowing up a bit due to the leverage caused by the cart seat. I also gound all the nuts pretty flat and glued some thin rubber over them to avoid any additional pressure on Ricky's hind end though all the foam padding.

How's that clake brake system working? seems pretty expensive, I think a Rekluse clutch and rear brake set up would be cheaper but maybe with shipping to Aus. it works out about the same.

Be gentle twisting that throttle that's a lot of bike especially after coming off a 125.........

Have fun,
Rick

Hi Rick,

Yeah the seat mounted up ok but i am going to make a new one as its a bit flimsy, installing the bolts from the other side is a good idea. Im actually thinking of making a new mount with rails so the kart seat can be moved back and forward a bit and ditching the original seat all together. It will look a bit strange but it it works well who cares and some adjustment would be great. even incorporating some sort of short suspension into the seat would be good but its all just thoughts for now.

The CLAKE is great, it takes a bit more getting used to but has the advantage of being able to stab the clutch. I have had a few stacks due to stalling but im sure i'll get used to it after a few more rides.

Marcel

Nice bike