KTM Factory ATV Racer for a Day

I remember dreaming of what it might be like to be a factory-backed quad racer. Correction, who am I kidding? I remember wanting to be a factory backed three-wheeled racer – man time flies. Boy, that old dream sure did come and go. Now days my ATV dreams are more geared toward simply getting out of the busy office and hitting the trails with my buddies.

A few weeks ago I got the call from KTM asking if ATV Scene would be interested in racing their new white 525 at the Millfield GNCC. “Absolutely,” I quickly answered. I then told them that I would let them know who our choice rider would be in a few days. I went back and forth on who might be the perfect rider for this incredible opportunity. I even text messaged Tim Farr’s phone. Tim responded with, “I think you should ride”. It stuck with me. Tim was right, this time it was my turn to ride.

While pondering what I just got myself into, it dawned on me; I hadn’t raced a GNCC in twenty years! Unreal, it was the Blackwater 100 in 1986. I finished 20 of 50 in the Amateur 3-wheel Four Stroke class. That’s right the last time I raced a GNCC was on a 200X! After realizing this was in fact the truth I sat there asking myself, “How bad are you going to disappoint KTM and embarrass yourself?”

What’s worse is I haven’t rode but twice all year. The more I thought about it – the more I thought I made a big mistake here. I could really do some damage. I could do far worse than embarrass myself — I could end up wadding up the brand new quad they were about to loan me. This whole thing could be a real disaster in the making. I asked myself again, what did I get myself into? O well, there was no backing out. I told them I was the rider for this thing and that was that.

 

Friday Pre Race Day
We agreed it would be best for everyone if I raced the morning race in one of the age classes. I went with the +30 class. GNCC crews have sign up dialed in very well. There must have been 500 riders signing up, yet the line moved right along. New for 2008 is an affordable transponder. For just ten bucks I rented my transponder, which you can buy for $60 – not bad at all. For less than $100, (including an ATVA yearly membership) I was officially entered in the race, and it was time to head back to KTM trackside headquarters.

One of the reasons KTM set ATV Scene up with this “Factory Racer for a Day” ride was to show off their new white plastic, which is currently available at KTM dealers. I later learned you can get the plastic in black as well. Orange is cool but in my opinion the white and black look a lot better, and match up with the black DWT wheels that come stock on the KTM. Here’s the best part, the complete kit is only $259.99 and includes front and rear OEM plastic. The rear also includes the air box assembly. That’s a lot of plastic for 260 bucks. If a great deal on plastic isn’t enough for you to seriously start thinking KTM as your next quad, read further.

I chilled in the back of the KTM box van like a rock star tinkering with my new gear — all the while trying to wipe the ear-to-ear grin off my face. Meanwhile KTM, Magura and Ohlins crews tended to every small detail on my brand new white 525. I looked out several times in disbelief as I watched them dial in this quad to my exact needs. “John come check this out!”, “Hey John how much do you weigh bro?”, “John, where do you want this?” What a difference from the days I last raced. I remember how I dialed in my ride. It usually involved swinging a sledgehammer as hard as could in an effort to smack an old stock part back into usable form. Now I had three crews tinkering with top-of-the-line brand-new go-fast-goodies all in the name of offering me the ultimate quad. It was just too cool to say the least.

While the Magura boys went over the front and rear brakes (for what seemed like the third time), Shane Hitt, (who has been helping Tim Farr and the FRE KTM pro team of Adam McGill and Taylor Kiser), stopped by for a minute. I decided to have some fun with my buddy and waved him away. I told him I wasn’t signing autographs just yet. :)

Seen here is the only bolt on part used that didn’t come on the machine stock. It’s an Öhlins Steering Damper. I strongly suggest you get one for your ATV as well. Also seen here is the new transponder that the GNCC scoring teams are using. You can rent one for $10 per race or buy it for a reasonable 60 bucks.

Friday Night Party? NOT
As Friday’s pre race day wound down, I had witnessed something out of the ordinary. KTM purposely set aside an area under their 20×10 EZ-Up for rider support. Throughout the day, and Saturday morning as well, KTM’s John Maley rolled out the red carpet for any KTM rider needing trackside assistance.

Several KTM riders stopped by with questions and many left with parts they needed in order to race. I watched the reactions of riders like Chad Livingston, Kevin Patterson and others. They seemed overwhelmed and appreciative with just how much KTM cared about them. It was nice to see a manufacture get so involved with their customer’s race programs.

And what I really thought was cool is this whole program had nothing to do with the FRE KTM pro team – this was all about KTM supporting their amateur riders. I haven’t seen anything like this in the ATV scene and thought it was worth mentioning.

By the time the crew got finished setting up my ride and helping all the KTM riders that came by it was dark and high time we got out of the muddy pits and into a hotel. On the way to the hotel we drove through Ohio University in Athens, — otherwise known as Party Central. We saw a zillion sharp girls out and about. You single guys might want to keep OU in mind the next time you’re traveling through Southern Ohio. Anyway, Friday night’s party scene, girls, beer, NBA playoffs, Cleveland Indians baseball – it didn’t matter, nothing was going to sway me from getting some badly needed sleep. After all, I needed all the rest I could get, I was determined to finish at least mid pack and bring KTM’s brand spanking new 525 back without a scratch.

Teeeeeennnnnn–Seconds!

“Okay it’s go time,” I thought to myself while sitting on the line. I started on the 10th row and only two quads from the extreme outside start-spot. I pretty much couldn’t have been in a worse spot, especially for a mud race. Looking at the hundreds of riders that were lined up ahead of me had me second guessing that mid pack finish I was after. “Oh well, I’ll just ride my best and maybe I can pass a bunch of people with this big bad 525,” I thought to myself.

Prior to riding the quad to tech inspection and to the start-line, I’ve never swung a leg over a KTM 525 but nonetheless there I was about to race one at a national. To add fuel to the fire I’ve never tried a dead engine start, much less practiced with the quad I was about to race. Strange enough, even with all this, for some reason I never got nervous while sitting there. Maybe I was too thrilled with the whole opportunity to get nervous about it.

Here’s something I didn’t think of. When the starter waved the flag the roar of everyone’s engines firing at once was so loud I couldn’t tell if mine fired on the first stab of the start button or not, especially with the 525’s stock exhaust system, which barks at a respectable 94 dB. I kept pushing the button while I slipped the clutch out. Not hearing a thing I just waited for it to go. As soon as the KTM seemed to lunge a bit I hammered down. This probably isn’t how you’re supposed to start a GNCC, but hey it’s how it went down for me. Luckily I still salvaged a decent start by weaving through many riders in my class. Thinking back, I don’t’ know how I did that while being roosted with gobs of blinding mud, I got lucky I guess.

I found myself about halfway through the 33 riders in my class. As we tucked into a single file line through the first woods section I got a chance to scoop the five pounds of roost from my helmet visor and rip a tear-off from my goggles. As we exited the woods section I opened up the throttle and effortlessly passed three riders before we tucked back into another woods section. It was at this moment that I realized I was in for a great day! I had an obvious advantage; the snappy power on my KTM was no match for the competition.

The only difference between the 450 and the 525 is the cylinder. Both engines include a single overhead cam, four valves and snap to life with an 11:1 compression ratio. The 525 is actually 510cc. Only the bore on the cylinder is bigger, but man-oh-man does it make a difference. This thing really ripped!

Bring on the Checkers

In the next few laps it went on like this. If I could see a guy in site and there was room on the left or right I could easily motor past him like he was riding the old 200X three-wheeler that I rode the last time I raced a GNCC.

I was having an absolute blast blitzing past riders. I felt like there was no one I couldn’t wiz by with this bad boy. All that momentum quickly turned on me however. During the second lap I charged too hard through the lower level water crossings and soaked my gloves. The clay-like mud combined with the water made my hands feel like I had dipped them in a vat of Vaseline. Thanks to the extra wide serrated foot pegs with angled outside edges, just like the expensive aftermarket units used by serious racers my feet weren’t slipping off the pegs like my hands were – otherwise I think I would have greased myself right off the machine. For the life of me I couldn’t keep my thumb on the gas and my hands on the bars. Before this point I felt like Adam McGill hammering through the pack. Now I could barely stay on the quad.

I should also mention that seeing where I was going was out of the question since my dumb ass smeared the Vaseline all over my goggles. “Please, please, just one more tear off,” I thought to myself. Who was I kidding? They were gone miles ago. There was no getting around it, I had to surrender my momentum, pull to the side of the track and try to get this Vaseline off my gloves and goggles before I ended up crashing this brand new quad into a tree. It was no use though, I couldn’t solve the problem on my own out on the track, as much as I didn’t want to do it, I needed to limp it to my pit area and hook up with some dry gloves and fresh goggles.

I made it into my pit area where my pit man, KTM’s Specialty Vehicle Manager, Chris Vogtman awaited. “Gloves, gloves,” I yelled as he swapped my goggles. No dice. We had planned for everything but extra gloves. Chris ran and got some paper towels and put them over my grips. “Dude, you’re doing awesome keep it up,” he yelled as I tore off.

With smeard up goggles and extremely slippery gloves I had to pit early. In my excitement for dry hands I forgot to drink some water. With no camel-back and two more laps to go, I knew not taking the extra ten seconds to drink water would play a factor in keeping the nice pace I had going.

Until the third lap, I was having a great run but sure enough a rider ahead of me got hung up in a deep rut. With nowhere to go, I tried a low percentage move to get around but ended up getting stuck myself. Thanks to KTM’s reverse gear, which is engaged with a one finger lever located under the clutch lever, I was able to get unstuck and on my way. I might add KTM’s reverse offers more grunt than any quad I’ve ever rode in reverse. I lost a few minutes, but it could have been much worse without reverse.

Mud collected and weighed down the machine, which makes it hard for me to properly review its typical handling characteristics. However, a few months ago I rode the KTM 450XC on the 30 mile Rumble on the Ridge course in Adena, Ohio. So I can confidently say the KTM handles just as well as the 525 can roost Millfield-mud. Rightfully so, KTM didn’t skimp when it came to suspension. I was enjoying three preload, compression and rebound adjustable premium Öhlins shocks that were dialed in perfectly. Up front: 10.1” of travel, and 10.4 inches in the rear. It’s hard to believe this was stock suspension.

Worth mentioning is KTM’s Chromoly steel A-arms. Like something you would see on a machine in pro row, the stock KTM is fitted with lower arms with a swept design for increased ground clearance. This was especially needed on this muddy day. Even though we left the stock Maxxis Razr 20” tires on, (21x7x10” front and 20x11x9” rear), versus running taller 22” mud tires, I was able to clip along and only got stuck once.

I’m not sure if Shane Hitt was playing a joke on me or what. To his recomondation we swapped out the stock rear brake spring with the beefier one he gave us. He said the stock spring is too soft and wears out the pads if your foot rests on the pedal. Call me a wimp but I didn’t like how much pressure it took to apply the brakes. This was the only thing I didn’t like about the 525. Even with the extra weight of the sticky mud, which I would estimate at a whopping 70 additional pounds, the quad never bottomed or felt uncontrollable. Even with the many Chromoly steel components, the machine weighs in at only 357lbs wet. Its lighter-than-typical-stock-ATV-weight definitely helped me keep a good steady pace.

My lack of riding really caught up with me on lap four. And that drink of water that I left behind on lap two was haunting me. I probably should have avoided the temptation to stop since it would later cost me a few positions, but I could see Chris was dangling fresh goggles in his right hand and a bottle of water in his right that looked as beautiful as the many sharp girls I saw the night before around the OU campus. Needless to say, I sold myself on the package deal and pulled to a stop. I helped talk myself into the stop by thinking of the time we saved by not needing to mess around with adding any fuel since the KTM uses an oversized 3.5 gallon fuel tank. After downing the water and trying to eat the bottle for more, Chris hooked me up with two new paper towels on the grips. I held onto those paper towels for dear life until I got through the water crossing area.

It was while rounding out the last lap that I noticed just how comfortable I was on this machine. I was experiencing first hand KTM’s strong point – cross country racing. Other than three custom Powersport Grafx number plates, the only thing on the quad that didn’t come stock was a much appreciated Öhlins Steering Damper, which can be ordered out of the KTM Hard Parts Catalog. A steering damper should be the first thing you buy. After experiencing what the 525 is capable of I would say it’s about all you’ll need to buy. The KTM is that good right off the showroom floor.

I’ve had three surgeries on my clutch hand, (words of wisdom: don’t over jump the table top at Red Bud Track & Trail in Michigan). Despite my wimpy left hand my thumb and forefinger didn’t swell and ache like they usually do while clutching my way through a track. I could lug the big 525 through many sections of the eight mile course without even touching the clutch. When clutching was needed, the pro-level Magura hydraulic clutch system pulled nice and soft and never faded.

I must say, ergonomics felt perfect. The contoured tank, seat and peg location allowed plenty of room to move around and I felt no sign of sore knees or thighs like I sometimes do after a long ride on other quads. As for rider comfort, if I could pick one thing that I appreciated most on the final lap it would be the soft seat. There’s nothing worse than getting beat up by your own seat. All these comforts really helped me especially on the all-important last lap of battle.

After two hours of mud racing the KTM, I have to mention one last thing, — the brakes. The KTM uses extremely powerful Magura brakes all around. Up front four piston fixed calipers are used on each wheel with 12mm vented discs that float on their mounts. I was able to control the front brakes effortlessly with just one finger with the Magura adjustable lever. A word of warning, the front brakes almost work too good – do not grab a handful of brake like I did on my first KTM ride – which resulted in a really cool looking stoppie. As for the rear brakes, Shane Hitt came by and suggested I use a beefier spring for the foot pedal. He said the stock spring is too easy to push. If the rider’s foot even rests on the pedal the soft spring ends up applying the brakes. He warned I might not have any pads left by the end of the race. This is one modification I wish we didn’t end up changing. I found the spring too stiff and don’t remember a problem with the stock spring on the KTM 450 I rode in the past. Rear braking required way too much effort, but when I did push hard enough the brakes worked well throughout the race.

Top Five in Class — 73rd Overall

I had to lock up the brakes and wait for a rider who got a little cross rutted in the inside line of the last turn before scoring. I could see the white flag, but while I was waiting to get there the leaders lapped us on the outside. It was wild. There must have been ten of us all trying to get to the scoring tent at the same time.

Anyway I never went out on lap five, the two pit stops cost me there. I wasn’t all that worried about it though. I was worn out and happy enough with the top five spot in my class. Having the 525 was a definite advantage. I think it helped me finish better than my mid pack goal. I ended up 73rd of 288.

My Conclusion

Racing in the toughest race in America, the Blackwater 100, on a three wheeler over twenty years ago was a big accomplishment and a great memory myself, my dad and best friend who went with us all share to this day. On that day half the field didn’t finish and no one completed more than a single lap! It was that grueling. At only fifteen years old, I somehow pulled it off and finished. It’s now a memory I cherish forever.

This KTM Factory Racer for a Day opportunity has done much the same for me. Thanks to KTM, I’ll cherish this GNCC memory as much as my Blackwater GNCC one. KTM could have easily offered this opportunity to another website or magazine, instead, somehow ATV Scene got the nod and I’ll never forget it. Thank you KTM! I’ll also never forget Tim Farr’s suggestion of riding it myself. I would have missed out big time! Thanks Tim!

As for the KTM 525XC, I find it amazing that this is actually KTM’s first-ever quad. What I don’t find amazing is the fact that Adam McGill and Taylor Kiser, the only KTM mounted riders in the pro top twenty, are kicking butt this year. After racing the 525 myself, I sincerely think they have an advantage on the competition, especially in open areas where the 525 walks away from the other quads.

Thanks to the stable good handling and flat out speed of the KTM 525, my old has-been self probably passed 100 riders at the Millfield, Ohio GNCC. I don’t think I could have done that on just any quad.

ATVs typically don’t come “Ready to Race” like KTM’s pledge. With incredible attention to detail including; quick and easy maintenance items, pro-level suspension, well-thought-out ergonomics and controls, combined with what I call the smoothest and strongest running engine of anything on the market, I strongly feel that the KTM offers cross country racers a distinct advantage over the competition.

Lastly, shame on me for taking twenty years to remember that GNCC racing is an absolute blast! Thank you Racer Productions for offering ATV racers such an outstanding race series.

For more on KTM’s first ever ATVs, check out our ride review, which includes in depth video.