New bike for me - 2000 KTM 380 SX

[ford832]

The forks leaked so bad on mine from new,despite careful alignment of the wheel,that I was almost ready to sell it not long after I got it due to frustration.The first time I pulled down the dust wipers,I realized I could see daylight down past them.My cure was to take the spring off the dust wipers and replace them with the springs of a 2.2 Chrysler cam seal.They were smaller in diameter and held slight tension against the fork tubes and stopped dirt from passing up to the seals.I was also religious about wiping the tubes down with brake clean after a ride and spraying the tube down with silicone spray before the next ride.Every few rides,I'd pop the dust wiper down and spray silicone up in there as well.Stay clear of grease in this area.I never had another problem.
Another interesting note,if you have any play in your rear brake pedal,it is easily fixed.The japs use a bushing but KTM uses two small bearings pressed one on top of the other.Take the brake pedal off,pop off the snap ring and tap them out from the other side.For a couple bucks you're all good again.I always loved the little touches like that on the KTM's.
Cool vid btw.How about a vid of a big ass power wheelie coming down the hill you climbed.That would be sweeeeeetttttt,and show the power of those things as well 

[citabjockey]

That hill has some pretty big whoops at the bottom and I am out of practice on long travel bikes, been riding vintage stuff with 4 inch travel the past few years. So if may be awile before I banzai down that particular hill....

Thanks for the tips on the seals and the brake pivot. How tough is it to do the seals myself? Fork parts explosion pics look kinda scary.

[psychward26]

NICE BIKE!!!

[Dirt Addict]

the #7 slide makes a difference. I didn't use a flywheel weight. It didn't need it. Log in to ktmtalk.com. Go to the ''oldies'' section. search 380 jetting. lots of 380 enthusiasts there.
The 43mm forks can be made to work very well for offroad. A nice upgrade is a later year shock, up to 06.
the squish mod is supposed to make jetting easier and less sensitive to changes. i just messed around with the a/s from ride to ride and it worked well.

btw, I have an 06 shock for sale. I also have a 2k3 ignition with a heavier flywheel and higher output ignition. The sx came with a 2k1 ignition. With the 2k3 you can run lights, grip heaters.... and you don't need a fww. 

[citabjockey]

JD Jet kit is on order now. We shall see how it does. Ready to pull the trigger on a slide should it be necessary. KTMTalk does have lots of information but there are multiple opinions -- big surprise!

Again, how bad is it to deal with a fork seal swap myself? Are any of the special tools a "must have"? I have a shop that will do it for me for $100 in labor so I guess I have that much to spend on tools  should I decide the chances of messing things up is reasonably low...

 

[ford832]

It's not hard but you should have at least a seal driver,often times an impact wrench is necessary to get the lower apart.If you're unsure of yourself,it may be better to pay someone to do it.Most shops will do that job.A seal and fluid change is pretty reasonable(get the rear nitrogen ck'd at the same time)-basically time + parts.Suspension revalves and set up from susp places are $$$.

[citabjockey]

Rode it a bit more today. Even with the lousy jetting I am starting to really like this motor. Pleanty of beans but not uncontrollable like a 500. You actually can give it full throttle every now and then, I went down two clicks on the forks compression and rebound and it is getting closer to the cushy feel of the rear end. Still spewing oil of course.  Having a rear tire with knobs helps some...   

Will see if I can pry some time to remove the forks next week.

[Dirt Addict]

If you find someone that wil show you how to do it once, you should be able to do a fork seal job pretty easily. There are some little tricks with the ktm's but once you know them, it's easy.

[ruskee]

Rocky mnt has a good video for fork seals

[2STROKEREVOLUTION]

Rode it a bit more today. Even with the lousy jetting I am starting to really like this motor. Pleanty of beans but not uncontrollable like a 500. You actually can give it full throttle every now and then, I went down two clicks on the forks compression and rebound and it is getting closer to the cushy feel of the rear end. Still spewing oil of course.  Having a rear tire with knobs helps some...   

Will see if I can pry some time to remove the forks next week.

Just wait until the jetting is good, you will LOVE the motor. I will suggest, which I think I told you on KTMTalk, is the head mod. Not just a squish change, but a full mod. That is a squish change AND a reshape. Instantly my jetting was good(and I don't have JD) and it gives you more torque.
JD fixes jetting. Head mod fixes jetting and gives more torque. Not much of a price difference either.

Forks on one of mine leak, even with new seals. Changing was fairly easy. You do need a seal driver and a impact wrench(to get the bottom apart). Or they probably have a special tool.

[2STROKEREVOLUTION]

I also really want to try a new shock and new forks on my 380SX. Shock is a bolt on up to 2007, forks need lower triple clamp. When I have money...

[Premixed]

there are tons of offroad suspension specialists that could revalve/ rebuild that suspension to your liking. box it up, ship it off. they'll want to know where you ride and how much you weigh/skill level ect. 

[2STROKEREVOLUTION]

there are tons of offroad suspension specialists that could revalve/ rebuild that suspension to your liking. box it up, ship it off. they'll want to know where you ride and how much you weigh/skill level ect. 

That would help, but from what I have heard, it will never match the newer suspension. The newer shocks are better and in 2003 they switched to the 48mm forks from the 43mm. The only downside is it would cost more money to go that route. But you get what you pay for.

[citabjockey]

I bought a decade old bike to keep the home mortgage at a reasonable level. Buying all new legs, well it seems a bit excessive. Should have started with a 2008+ bike if I wanted to do this -- but then, I wanted a 380.  That said this bike is so head and shoulders above anything have ever owned I think its all a moot point. I just want the weeping to stop. For now anyway...

there are tons of offroad suspension specialists that could revalve/ rebuild that suspension to your liking. box it up, ship it off. they'll want to know where you ride and how much you weigh/skill level ect. 

That would help, but from what I have heard, it will never match the newer suspension. The newer shocks are better and in 2003 they switched to the 48mm forks from the 43mm. The only downside is it would cost more money to go that route. But you get what you pay for.

[Premixed]

i dont think a revalve/rebuild is as expensive as you think, and that would def stop the fork leak.  im not talking a factory connection rebuild.