Adventure Bike Rider Forum

Looking at a 2017 701 enduro on ebay. Sure some of you may have seen it, 4k on the clock and going for an attractive price.
Couple of things I'd welcome thoughts on.

1. Exhaust header looks pretty corroded which I find quite surprising on a 3 year old bike.
2. Fork seals required replacing at a recent service, again surprised on a 3 year old, low mileage bike.
3. Front brake needed service and fluid at the same time as it was pretty much shot.

Apprently, previous owner was a TRF member so it's been used off road which I'm not worried about but the 3 points that I'm concerned about suggest the bike has been ridden hard and/ or hasn't been well maintained.
The current owner has been open about these issues and rectified 2&3 however the header is still a bit concerning.
All these added up and also make me think that there may be more wear and tear that isn't visible in the photos.
It wouldn't be too much of an issue if the bike was just down the road but it's 250 miles away so can't just pop and see it.
So thoughts?

I would have thought the headers would be stainless but maybe someone else can confirm... ? Often they get baked on mud that looks like rust, its pretty hard to remove unless you sit there for hours with a soft wire brush.

Fork seals will depend on the riding location and how it was cleaned after....I generally find KTM based products pretty good on seals but I don’t know what’s fitted to the 701...... I had a similar 690 Enduro and there were never changed on that.

To be honest I normally try and view a bike as you get a much better feel for it.......

Looks like baked on mud to me not corrosion. Harpic will fetch that off in 5 minutes.

Yea headers are stainless.

With WP forks, it's worth depressurising the fork and also cleaning the dust boots and seals regularly.

Many folk change the seals because they are weeping, and they don't know the tricks to make them stop!

Header is stainless but dirt gets baked on and it looks shite unless you scrub it off.
Fork seals can need changing due to dirt getting in the seals, I'd consider it a plus point that they've been changed and not just a quick "fix"with a seal cleaner, that's not to say a seal cleaner isn't worth using but seals reach a point where they just need replacing.
Front brake I'm not sure, all manufacturers recommend changing brake fluid every 2 years, I do and the old fluid does come out dirty, maybe the abs units are harder on brake fluid.
The main thing with bikes that are used off road is regular maintenance, and it sounds like the bike has had this done as needed (I've not looked at the listing)
Unless you're some riding god you can't thrash a 701 off road, they are just too powerful, the motor is very smooth and has nice bottom end power that allows you to get grip (fuel weight helps in the rear tank too) where you might not normally be able to.

Main things to look at are the clutch slave and the cam chain tensioner, they can be noisy on startup but should go relatively quiet, KTM motors are not sawing machines and have a bit more mechanical noise than a Japanese bike.

Steve

I've got a 2016 for sale.
It's going on tonight.
Pm me if your interested
Steve

I wish !!!

I have started saving .. I got the ear plugs already

garyboy wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 6:21 pm I wish !!!

I have started saving .. I got the ear plugs already

Do you a good deal Gary

I'm sure you would, Steve .. and you are one of the few people i would trust

but being a poor pensioner (sound of violins?) it is out of my reach atm