I've heard these need a lot of maintenance. Any ideas of how much? It will be ridden on the street and dirt about 7-12k/year and may do some longer rides in motard trim. (7-800km days)
I had an '05, and yes they require frequent maintenance. I used to change the oil every 2-3 rides, depending on how long and hard it was ridden. Every 2-3 oil changes I would replace the oil filters (there are 2) and clean the screens (2 screens as well). They require fully synthetic oil as well. After 3 rides I would also check the valve clearance. The nice thing about the KTM is that the valves use threaded adjusters as opposed to a shim and bucket design so you don't need to remove the cams to adjust the clearance. The downside is that they require adjustment more often.
This is not to say that KTMs require more maintenance then the competition. All the RFS (racing four stroke) bikes are maintenance intensive. It's just the nature of the beast. That being said the KTM engines aren't as prone to grenading as the Honda and Suzuki of the same vintage (Yamahas are fairly robust as well). If you are planning on buying the bike try to find out how many hours are on the bike and when the last rebuild was performed. If raced, the engine should see an overhaul (valves, springs, piston, rings, etc) every 1-2 years. If used for occasional trail riding less so. The manual lists service intervals for all components for both racing and recreational riding.
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