2000 Ktm reviews

Bought new July 2000. Have over 6000 miles on this lil'thumper. Vibes? Of course it has vibes, but so what. Fourth gear ,60MPH, just add throttle and BBWWaaa. Light,nimble,great real world handlebar leverage. Sweet brakes sit up high and see what's ahead. Eye to eye with suburban assault vehicle moms. Head turning good looks ,"I tell ya Jimmy,this supermotard things good." Show less

My 2000 640 LC4 has been stripped of all extraneous trappings and has been outfitted with rear shark fin, KTM skid plate, Enduro Engineering brush guards, ICO electronic odo (the stock odo doesn't re-set in tenths), side stand (center stand doesn't get it in dirt). I cut away the rear portion of the countershaft cover to allow access to the sprocket while retaining the steel case protector. The gearing has been dropped to 15/45 which makes it buzz a bit on the street but helps tremendously on slow, tight trails. I ditched the cheesy stock chain guide in favor of a modified Husaberg guide from Enduro Engineering. I ride organized dual-sport alot and find the thing works terrific on fire roads, two tracks, and even does well on tight single track, if you don't try to be a hero. The stock Pirelli D.O.T. knobbies work just fine here in Michigan with pressures set at around 12 -14 p.s.i.. I also added rim locks front and rear to keep the tire from spinning on the rims at low pressures. Fuel mileage is in the 40 - 45 m.p.g. range, even while flogging it hard which gives it more range than the average rider's butt. The electric starter is a real plus, especially for those of us with old, tired legs. There's lighter and cheaper bikes going, but in my somewhat educated opinion (having owned over 35 dirt bikes in my 55 years), you just can't do any better than the big KTM. Show less

I purchased the bike in 2000.5 supermoto form with 17" wheels and 2001 suspension. The bike had a serious electrical grounding problem on the sub-frame that caused a fried ECU and coil. Once I diagnosed the problem for the dealer, he replaced the parts under warranty. He added an extra ground strap from frame to sub-frame and all was well after that. For some reason, KTM puts Pirelli dual purpose (95% street) tires on supermotos. They take forever to warm up and squirm around a lot. Real street tires are definitely in order. Rejetting to a #165 main, derestricting the can, and adding a few more disks to the supertrapp really wakes the bike up. The thing is a blast in tight curvies and does better than it should in fast sweepers. Show less

It's a serious dirt bike that has heaps of grunt and great handling. don't be put off by the weight it handles like it's 20 kilos lighter- of course if they can make it lighter still, excellent. I've got a 250Km ride to town 1/2 on rain damaged dirt roads really just a track, I take my partner and the bike handles big hits with ease, loves soft slippery mud in the river crossings- most other bikes you'd keep your feet ready to dab and keep the beast upright but no such problems with this versatile mount. Watch the pillion rubbers they come off with ease and should be wire tied or bolted on. If you're serious about dirt replace the fork protectors with boots. Show less

This one has the 17-inch wheels with road racing rain tires...great handling after I tuned the suspension to me. Needs to have airbox top removed, exhaust needs more plates installed to really breathe. I love riding the marginal and good dirt roads in the mountains, it handle this type of road with aplomp, ok on big asphalt roads, fabulous on tight corners in rural conditions. Would be a terrific city mount. Show less

Forget about its great looks and concentrate on its Dual-purpose capabilities. This bike loves the open trails though you will need to re-gear sprocket (stock is 16/42) to at least a 15/42. Suspension is awesome. Power is sweet and predictable. Rear breaks extremely touchy. Stay out of the mud with the stock tires. Nice room to take on passenger. Road manners are very nimble. A Blast to ride on dirt or road. You are spending your money wisely on this ultimate machine. Show less

This bike is one of a high cost, high performance, high expectations, and HIGH MAINTENANCE. This review is one from a person who has paid the price for individuality. Initially the cost factor for most of us is eliminated from determining that if we buy the bike due to the hypnotic effect that this beautiful bike has to someone who wants performance. The power of this bike is "OUTSTANDING" for a single......................It's light, nimble and corners with ease.

All of this is great for the well-maintained roads of your typical fantasy town. However, if you live in San Francisco (A.K.A. "The City") or anywhere else in the world for that matter is not a place to ride a 2000 KTM DUKE II. Why? Well due to the many potholes cable car rails and other numerous road hazards, makes this location (San Francisco) quite undesirable due to the poor quality wheels. Yes they are made by BBS, but poorly engineered. The wheels webbing construction only supports the center of the wheels. The rims outer flanges bend quite easily due to lack of reinforcement webbing toward the outer edge of the rim. Following the recommended tire pressures of 29 psi front and 32 psi rear as per manufacture specifications is a sure way to deflate your checkbook.

I'm using 36 psi front and 40 psi rear with my Michelin pilot sports 120/60/17 & 160/60/17 ....................................I should know, I bent two of them, one front and one rear, and not by hitting curbs. The cost of a rear rim was $440.00 U.S. Luckily I found a shop in "THE CITY" (K.C. Engineering (415) 957-1533) that is one of a few places in the states that does an excellent job of straightening your bent rim. They were successful in straightening both of my rims. The owner "Ken" has shown me mag wheels from all over the U.S.A. He can fix them within about .005 of an inch. Getting back to the review, no product reviewer has addressed this wheel problem. If you own a 2000 DUKE II you may have a bent rim. Do yourself and others that you know a favor, pass it along that they might be spending a lot of money on mag wheels. Of course there are two alternatives. One is if your rims are not bent yet is to run higher pressures in your tires to help minimize how bad your rims will get bent, or two, purchase the 17" spoked motard wheels from KTM. For some reason they are less prone to bending. On a personal note, If I had to do it all over again, I probably wouldn't have bought the bike had I heard about the wheel problem. Even though I only have 2200 miles on the bike, I can't sell or trade it due to the major hit in depreciation that I now take on this bike ($2000-$3000). So I have to make the best of it. Good Luck, You might need it! DA DUDE

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This bike is the best bang for the buck. It is lots of fun, starts easy and has none of the problems of the earlier models. A little pricey but consider it has the best components money can buy already installed. The brakes are fantastic and the lean angles are as low as you can go. Good riding position but, no windshield for highway ridding. The bike gets more looks then machines costing twice as much. Cheap insurance too. 1000 miles so far and trouble free. Oil changes do cost about $50.00 bucks. Engine doesn't leak a drop of anything Show less