Performance Modifications Stock this bike is no slouch. In fact straight out of the crate it would leave my DRZ-434 in a drag race. A few simple modifications and made it even stronger. The first performance modification was the removal of the interior restrictor on the exhaust system performed by the dealer. With this restrictor in place the engine was forced to exhale through a 5/8" hole. Also while I was at it I stripped off the emissions canister, so it wouldn't dump fuel into the engine in the event of a tipover. The second modification was a swap to lower gearing. The dealer recommended a swap to a 13 tooth front sprocket which I purchased. After a short ride it was apparent that the stock 15/45 gearing was extremely tall. I found myself waiting until 80 mph to shift into 6th gear and the bike would only pull it to 90mph. Swapping in the 13 tooth gave me a first gear that I could crawl with and a 6th gear that could cruise at 70mph without breaking a sweat. These were the gear ratios that I always dreamed about when I had the DRZ.
The fourth performance modification was the addition of an adjustable fuel screw and James Dean Jet kit. In retrospect these modifications were likely not necessary for my altitude (4,400ft) as the stock jetting worked well, however they did strengthen up the throttle response a bit. The final performance modification was the addition of a toggle switch to allow me to switch between the two maps on the KTM's dual map ignition. I ended up using the stock kill switch and wiring it in. The "traction" map gave the 530 a slightly softer power response which seems to reduce the roost and dust on loose surfaces. That's it- no exhausts, cams, big bore kits, different carbs, etc. and I have a bike that would leave the old Dizzer for dead. |
The third performance modification was completely unforeseen. The stock exhaust has a sound diffuser in the end cap. I had planned to leave it in as it made the bike whisper quiet. Drag races against my friend's KTM-525 revealed that my bike was slightly stronger pulling approximately 1-2 lengths in a quarter mile drag race. The 530 didn't want to run the sound diffuser though it seems as it repeatedly attempted to shake it loose. After one 75 mi ride I noticed the bike was slightly louder and noted that the diffuser had parted ways. As I waited for a replacement, I ran another drag race against my friend's 525 and was amazed as I could now pull 8-10 lengths on his machine.