After lengthy research and much
deliberation, I chose a 2018 KTM 500 EXC-F
Six Day based on several favourable features.
The tall seat height of a typical enduro bike
is normally one of the biggest obstacles for
shorter riders like me – I’m around 175cm
tall. One of the 500’s appealing features
was the availability of a couple of off-the-
shelf WP internal lowering kits. This allows
the seat height to be dropped while still
retaining the WP suspension performance.
Out of the 50mm and 20mm options
available, I found the 20mm to be spot-on for
both a manageable seat height and ample
suspension travel.
The ability to carry a large capacity of fuel
played a major part in choosing the 500 too.
IMS produces a 17 litre tank and Rebel X
Sports produces a 14.5 litre inner subframe
tank. Combined that equates to 31.5 litres
of fuel. The 17 litres is perfect for the High
Country trips and the 31.5 litres is essential
for an upcoming return trip to Australia
for some of the lengthy desert crossings,
After six months and around
10,000km on the KTM I can share
my thoughts. I think I can sum up
the 500 in one simple word... fun
meaning both bases are covered.
Because the 500 comes with high end
componentry off the showroom floor,
there are very few upgrades required to
get it ready for adventure riding. It really is
simply a case of throwing on a larger fuel
tank, a bash plate, a comfy seat, some RAM
mounts for the GPS and then strapping on
some soft luggage. While there are many
other adventure riding upgrades that can be
added to the KTM, my goal was to make it a
lightweight adventure machine so nothing
unnecessary was added.
So, after six months and around 10,000km
on the KTM I can share my thoughts. I think I
can sum up the 500 in one simple word... fun.
The High Country is most certainly one of my
favourite places to ride and when the KTM is
poked up a High Country Valley, the way it
glides through boulder fields, crosses deep
rocky rivers and effortlessly climbs steep
loose terrain is seriously impressive. It makes
each ride a continual rush of adrenaline.