Quick Ride: 2012 KTM 500 EXC Dual Sport

The dual-sport category has to be without doubt one of the most exciting in motorcycling right now, especially if dirt runs through your veins. Many of the European manufacturers, such as KTM, Husqvarna and Beta, are now pumping out some pretty cool dual-sport machinery, and we recently got the chance to throw a leg over one of the them, the 2012 KTM 500 EXC.

Dual sporting isn't what it used to be - it's much, much better, thanks to bikes like the new 2012 KTM 500 EXC.

The 500 EXC replaces both the 450 and 530 EXCs of 2011 and is joined in KTM's dual sport line by the all-new 350 EXC, giving you two intriguing DS models from KTM to choose from. But, no doubt, the 500 will wet the whistle of most hard-core dual sporters.

The 500 EXC is pure dirt. In fact, it really is a full-race 500 XC-W with mirrors and blinkers. It shares the exact same 510.4cc, SOHC and fuel-injected motor as the XC-W, not to mention chassis, frame, suspension, plastic, fuel tank and exhaust pipe. The main differences are the aforementioned blinkers and mirrors, plus a rear license-plate fender hanger and larger taillight, and a charcoal canister to absorb all those nasty environmentally unfriendly fumes that all street-legal piston-powered machines must squelch. The bike's ECU is also tuned slightly different to comply with emissions, and it's also tamper proof, only your authorized dealer can work on it. The EXC is also geared much taller than the XC-W. Otherwise, the 500 EXC is a barely street-legal and roughly six pound heavier version of the 500 XC-W.

We rode the EXC almost exactly how you'd ride it right after rolling it off the showroom floor. The only thing we changed was gearing, swapping the 45-tooth rear sprocket for a 48T, and the 15-tooth countershaft sprocket for a 14T. (You do not have to replace the chain, you just rotate the rear axle chain blocks and you're good to go.) Your natural instinct is to remove all those emissions mumbo-jumbo as soon as you bring it home, but that's the last thing you want to do with this bike, as it is truly designed to perform with at that stuff intact. You don't even want to unhook the fuel cap's vent tube. Even that will affect motor performance in a bad way. The bike's ECU was programmed a certain way with each emission devise all in working order, and even the slightest tinkering could throw the ECU out of whack, and since it's ECU is tamper proof, you'll have to load it up and take it back to your dealer to get in running correctly again. This sounds terrible, but it's not, really, since the 500 EXC runs...shall we say it...perfect just like it is.

With the 500 EXC, you could remove the blinker and mirrors and sign up for a local enduro. Ah heck, leave them on and really freak out your competitors.

Just touch the starter switch and the KTM fires to life. We never had to use the cold-start knob, which is a good thing, since it is located deep within the bike behind the left side of the drop-down fuel tank. It's difficult to get at with your fingers, especially with gloves on. Once running, the motor warms up quickly and you're ready to go.