KTM 500 XCF w/ 2020 RIOT LE and General Questions

[intheheartofit]

Ok I got this bike and setup last year and now getting first rides of the season in and I have some general questions! Thermo-bob, PST blanket, C3 handguards, pipe guard, air-pro. Bought it from previous owner with the dual sport power bundle and MX tech lucky kit.

1. Why can't I wheelie the RIOT?! I've tried my clickers every way and doesn't seem to make a difference though soft on front and hard on back seemed to make for less trenching. Read a lot of posts here and I bought an upgraded spring as recommended. Going to put it on soon, but wanted to feel the full wheelie action of the RIOT first, but haven't felt much yet! Preload on both shocks is 8.5.

2. Added 20 PSI to my front forks with air-pro, bike felt taller after I went from 15 to 20, but wasn't sure what difference it made in my riding. What would one expect to feel or have less of/more of? Do I bother playing around with compression and dampening in the front forks if I have the airpro?

3. At the ended of the ride today changed from map 1 to map 2 and seemed like the bike gained so much more power. Anyone know how much I can expect my fuel efficiency to go down in map 2? Did about 35 miles on a tank of gas today with map 1.

4. Should I change over to 450 gearing for my 500? Rode my buddies 450 with a 2017 Camso (kit rides nice, but breaks all the time!) and seemed different, but not sure worth going to that. Thoughts?

5. What pants last snowbiking that keep your bum dry? My butt was soaked today!

Thanks for any replies just getting into bikes and snowbiking and looking to optimize!

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

Ok I got this bike and setup last year and now getting first rides of the season in and I have some general questions! Thermo-bob, PST blanket, C3 handguards, pipe guard, air-pro. Bought it from previous owner with the dual sport power bundle and MX tech lucky kit.

1. Why can't I wheelie the RIOT?! I've tried my clickers every way and doesn't seem to make a difference though soft on front and hard on back seemed to make for less trenching. Read a lot of posts here and I bought an upgraded spring as recommended. Going to put it on soon, but wanted to feel the full wheelie action of the RIOT first, but haven't felt much yet! Preload on both shocks is 8.5.

2. Added 20 PSI to my front forks with air-pro, bike felt taller after I went from 15 to 20, but wasn't sure what difference it made in my riding. What would one expect to feel or have less of/more of? Do I bother playing around with compression and dampening in the front forks if I have the airpro?

3. At the ended of the ride today changed from map 1 to map 2 and seemed like the bike gained so much more power. Anyone know how much I can expect my fuel efficiency to go down in map 2? Did about 35 miles on a tank of gas today with map 1.

4. Should I change over to 450 gearing for my 500? Rode my buddies 450 with a 2017 Camso (kit rides nice, but breaks all the time!) and seemed different, but not sure worth going to that. Thoughts?

5. What pants last snowbiking that keep your bum dry? My butt was soaked today!

Thanks for any replies just getting into bikes and snowbiking and looking to optimize!

Looks like you need some snow.

Nothing will wheelie spinning on frozen ground.

Klim havoc bibs keep my butt dry.

 

[dooman92]

Yeah, second on the klim havocs. first bibs to give two seasons of dry rear. I like the 500 gears better. Do you have your kit as far forward as it will go? I'm not familiar with riot but, an inch forward on my ktm/yeti kits made a big difference in ski lift (wheelie). So much ski lift on my 120 kit I had to increase air in rear shock.

 

[teal_210]

1: The riot will start to come alive once there is a base to the snow with some traction. That 2.5" track doesn't get much traction in the early season snow, so the kit doesn't lift the ski.

3: It won't be a measurable difference in fuel economy between maps.

 

[intheheartofit]

Ok thanks, I rode it end of season last year with a good base and then with a good base and a ton of powder and didn't wheelie then either just trenched!, but wasn't as familiar with the kit enough either. Right now we have a good base of a foot and got another foot and bit of snow over the base. If anything there's too much powder. Pretty much perfect snowbike conditions here in Northern Ontario right now, just not quite enough snow for carving a sled nice. The base right now is good enough I put my foot in the track and I sink at least 8 inches.

I'll look into those bibs, thanks, pricey though so might be a next year purchase as put a bunch into the bike and sled this year.

 

[G-Force]

I've used the 509 snow bike bibs for aa few years with real nice success.
Re: the lack of wheeling, have you adjusted the strut length? Angle on the dangle of the kit changes things immensely

 

[intheheartofit]

I've used the 509 snow bike bibs for aa few years with real nice success.
Re: the lack of wheeling, have you adjusted the strut length? Angle on the dangle of the kit changes things immensely

Yes, I did the strut adjustment by measurement and also what was recommended on here with the front track coming down just a little before the rear. Ended up on my setup was pretty much dead on the measurement. Also tried it on a ride way off with the rear coming down first just to see if there was a difference and there wasn't.

 

[eric82930]

Crank up the preload on the center spring and turn down the rear spring. If you don't have fuel on the tunnel you might try adding fuel weight farther back on the tunnel and you can keep the main tank neary empty and have it suck through the air vent from the rear can. The guys you see in videos on riots are super aggressive and you need traction and great force to lift that heavy bastard front end.