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Head Reconditioning
- Thread starter Birdman44
- Start date
Windmill
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garfey
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Asking out of ignorance, and assuming you mean something more than freshing-up valves & etc., what would reworking the head accomplish that those Hi-Buck KTM Engineers couldn't? To paraphrase a line out of a little (old) booklet on hopping up iron-head Sportsters, "Don't whip out your Dremel and pretend you're Jerry Branch . . . unless, of course, you are Jerry Branch."
garfey
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Johnf3
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There is nothing special about that particular KTM head, but I am not local to your region so I do not know the shops that do that in your area. However, there is a guy in Washington State who has built an entire business around re-building KTM RFS heads. His name is Dave Hopkins.
Here is a link. http://www.djhcyclesport.com/ It would be very easy to pack up your head and send it to him. He has done hundreds of them.
These particular heads can be made bullet-proof. The key part is using Kibblewhite Stainless Steel valves, especially on the intake side. The stock intake valves from KTM are soft and I guarantee yours are cupped out sharp enough to shave with. The fact that you got 500 hours out of them indicate a fairly easy life--you probably used your bike for dual sport and in relatively non-dusty conditions.
Even if you do not send the head to Dave, make sure your rebuilder uses Kibblewhite valves and not KTM stock valves.
Here is a link. http://www.djhcyclesport.com/ It would be very easy to pack up your head and send it to him. He has done hundreds of them.
These particular heads can be made bullet-proof. The key part is using Kibblewhite Stainless Steel valves, especially on the intake side. The stock intake valves from KTM are soft and I guarantee yours are cupped out sharp enough to shave with. The fact that you got 500 hours out of them indicate a fairly easy life--you probably used your bike for dual sport and in relatively non-dusty conditions.
Even if you do not send the head to Dave, make sure your rebuilder uses Kibblewhite valves and not KTM stock valves.
Johnf3
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You are welcome. If you have any questions about any other top end parts or procedures, holler. I have owned and maintained a 2001 520 exc that I bought brand new and still have, so I do have some experience with these engines.