ADV Pulse review of Kurt's KTM 500 EXC Project Bike.
“I just installed a bunch of stuff from BDCW. Damn, their stuff is nice. Everything fit perfectly, the instructions were clear and well written, and the products are well thought out. I don’t have a horse in this race but if you’re considering their stuff, in my opinion it’s a good choice—it’s quality equipment.”
—Greg (Fireball36, ADVRider.com)
“We ordered footpegs, a luggage rack, and a skid plate for our new Mosko-Moto R1200GS from Kurt and Martha at Black Dog Cycle Works. I installed it all the night before the show. Everything went on super easy, good instructions were included in the box. We could learn something from these guys. I’m always impressed with the quality of everything we get from BDCW.”
—Pete Day (Mosko Moto via ADVRider.com)
KTM Heat Guards:
“Have installed your heat guards on my KTM 1050 Adventure, just in time for the New Zealand summer. The difference is astounding! Thanks for a great product.”
—Max Lloyd
KTM Heat Guards:
“I want to thank Black Dog for suggesting the heat shields for my 1290SAR. I got them yesterday. Rode my bike with gym shoes and no heat issue on the feet or ankles. Very cool. Good investment and super easy to install. Looks cool as well and keeps the brush out. The air flows through at the back of the triangle just behind your feet.”
—GrayRat Adventurer (via ADVRider.com)
Honda Africa Twin Crash Bars:
“I installed the complete crash bar and skid plate from BDCW on my 2017 Africa Twin. I would not go off road until I had done this having had the BDCW products save my bike many times on my 2016 KTM 1190 Adventure R.
“Long story short I was trying a back route into Death Valley. Fairly easy and I was fully loaded for a 10-day trip. Wound up with deteriorating trail which became narrow, steep, covered in loose sharp rock, water running down the middle and covered with burro crap. When I got to a steep rock ledge I was unable to continue and decided to turn around.
“I was traveling alone but was confident in my ability to recover a bike if something bad happened. Well it did. I dropped the bike in the loose and it hit the loose rock hard propelling me downhill in the burro crap.
“I stripped the extra weight off and put the bike back upright. Attempted to remount and went over and downhill again. This occurred five times and each time the full impact of the fall and slide was taken by the crash bar system. After I finally got back up, after sliding off the road and into a culvert, I examined the bike for damage.
“The bottom line was after five falls in rough rocky ground resulting in downhill slides the entire damage was taken by the BDCW crash bar system. There was not a scratch on the bike. The only indication of trouble was cosmetic damage to the crash bars. They took a lot of abuse and I truly believe without them I would have damaged both fairings, possibly the tank, and probably would have broken a case. I do not think these bars even moved a millimeter. They are worth every cent and saved me a lot of damage and possibly a long hot walk out. Nothing on the market even comes close to this. Well done BDCW.”
—Dwight Waldo
KTM Side Stand Relocator:
“The biggest consideration for me was also fixing the side stand mounting points: I assume the 1090 is the same as the 1190 in that it’s mounted directly to the cases and so a hard knock on the side stand can crack your cases. For that reason the BDCW plate stood out above all others.”
—BigKuri, via ADVRider
KTM Side Stand Relocator:
“I got the Black Dog because it includes a side-stand relocator which you don't know (yet) you want.”
—PackinDirt, via ADVRider
BMW Racks:
“What I decided on and I am quite happy with is the rack from Black Dog Cycle Works.”
—Zoul (via ADVRider.com | Turning an R9T Scrambler into a capable GS thread)
BDCW del Sur:
“I’m posting from the rooftop deck at Kurt and Martha’s (from Black Dog Cycle Works) home near Mulege, Baja, Mexico, which does not suck! We stopped here for a few days on our way south through Baja to rest, clean up, and catch up on work, blog, etc. I just got a new bike, a 2017 KTM 690 Enduro R. This is my first new ADV bike since I bought my KTM Super Enduro in 2009. Very stoked. I immediately set it up with Black Dog Cycle Works pegs and crash plates, Rally Raid Evo 2 Tanks, Cyclops lights, and a Seat Concepts seat.”
—Sideoff, via ADVRider.com | Mosko Moto Soft Bags Offroad & Dualsport thread
BDCW Heat Guards:
“I also went with the BDCW guards also. They seemed more robust than the plastic guards.”
—FarmerKeith (via ADVRider)
BMW Armored Parts:
“BDCW hooked me up again with a ‘two birds with one stone’ product. I bought their rear brake master cylinder cover. It protects a vulnerable part of 'Gus' as well as providing a nice place to install a Powerlet outlet. I put that on yesterday and pulled off all the extraneous wiring. Nice clean install and I can plug my jacket into it with room to move plus I can charge the battery off of it. It will also be handy to run an air compressor or chargers if need be. I like it. Kurt’s stuff is usually overbuilt and heavy but this piece was surprisingly light. I like it.”
—FarmerKeith, ADVRider.com GSBoxers’ forum
KTM Heat Guards:
“I just installed the heat shields on my KTM 1190 Adventure R. I was a little worried about heat buildup under the seat. When I installed them, I noticed they were flared at the rear, which I believe causes the hot air to be drawn out. They are well crafted and installed with only the passenger peg bolts. I just tested them with my air temp gauge reading 112°F. Amazing!!! On the freeway, almost no heat and much better in stop and go traffic. If you live in a hot climate these are a must. If the seat got any warmer I did not notice. No rattles and easy access to suspension components and key lock.”
—Dwight W. Highland, CA
Honda Africa Twin Upper Bars:
“I did a 30-mph tank slapper on my Africa Twin with your full setup including the Hepco-Becker upper bars. Upper bars bent back to hit plastic along the bar’s top tube, but just cosmetic damage to the bike itself. Engine bars did not budge. Thanks. Now, do you have any recommendations on the proper way to bend the upper bar back into position that I need to consider?”
—William Chambers
KTM Heat Guards:
“I just installed the heat shields on my KTM 1190 Adventure R. I was a little worried about heat buildup under the seat. When I installed them, I noticed they were flared at the rear, which I believe causes the hot air to be drawn out. They are well crafted and installed with only the passenger peg bolts. I just tested them with my air temp gauge reading 112°F. Amazing!!! On the freeway, almost no heat and much better in stop and go traffic. If you live in a hot climate these are a must. If the seat got any warmer I did not notice. No rattles and easy access to suspension components and key lock.”
—Dwight W. Highland, CA
KTM 990 Rigid Lighting and BDCW Mounts:
“The lights are on the bike. It is the best upgrade I made on this bike. Incredible night vision. Now it’s safe to go to my night shift. I’ve sent you pictures of the finished installation. Everything went great... very good fit with the brackets. I made my friend jealous. ;-) Thanks again.”
—Pascal Giguere, Brazil
Ducati Rigid Lighting and BDCW Mounts:
“I promised you guys I would forward along some photos of the Rigid LEDs mounted up on my Ducati Multistrada. The lights are crazy bright and throw a pattern that easily overwhelms my factory headlights, yet does not bother cars too much.”
—Blair Piersall
BDCW Throttle Tamer:
“I just installed the throttle (G2) tamer. All I can say is WOW! A whole new bike! Thrilled! Thank you so much for telling me about this. Very, very, happy. A good deal at twice the price!”
—Zip S., Novato, CA
KTM Super Enduro Rack:
“Thank You Kurt. FYI—the Super Enduro rack is an outstanding engineering masterpiece. Will continue to eye all of your products in future.”
—Gary W., Houston, TX
KTM Misc Armor
“I just want to say THANK YOU for the wonderful products you TEST and sell. I recently ordered your Side Stand Reinforcement Kit, Rear Brake Master Cover and The Billet/Scotts Triple-Crown Damper Kit, all for my KTM 950 SE. The order came through very quickly, the phone advice/service was knowledgeable and professional. However, the products are awesome! The Scotts Damper Triple-Crown Kit is a machined masterpiece. The well laid-out Instructions with clear photos and actual hands-on advice is easy-to-follow. It keeps the factory keylock and all other equipment exactly where they need to be. The motorcycle manufacturers really need to subcontract you guys out for their production bikes.”
—Andrew T., Camarillo, CA
KTM Side Stand Relocation Kit:
“I’ve got Black Dog, the KTM Side Stand Relocation Kit is awesome, now we won’t crack our engine case when we hook it. Get it and don’t look back!!!”
—Short-Johnson (ADVRider)
BMW Hepco-Becker Upper Bars:
“They are the best! I jumped over a set of railroad tracks and the bike bottomed out, the skid plate hit one of the rails. NO PROBLEM at all. Just to clarify, Black Dog Cycle Works does make very stout Lower Engine Bars as well as connector rods that join onto the Hepco-Becker Upper Tank Bars. The BDCW lower engine bars mount DIRECTLY to the frame, without any kind of ‘origami-type’ brackets—they are SOLID and provide great additional support to the Hepco-Becker Upper Bars, which are also the only ones we have seen that mount directly to the frame. For the ultimate protection, we think this is an unbeatable combination when paired with the BDCW Ultimate Skid Plate.”
—BMacW650 (ADVRider)
BMW Helo Pad and Accessories:
"You’re only limited by your imagination how to pack the BDCW Helo Pad. Kurt designed it for and pre-drilled to accept RotopaX, Warn XT17 winch, and darn near anything else designed for the GS/GSA needing mounted on a tail rack.”
—ADVMoto18 (ADVRider)
BDCW Rear Rack:
“I went with the BDCW rear rack. It’s compatible with both seats and allows me to retain the rear grab handles which I find useful. Heavy duty stuff!”
—cjmadura (ADVRider)
BDCW Racks:
“A few weeks ago, I returned from a 2-1/2 month, 11K mile ride from Cartagena, Colombia to Ushuaia, Argentina. These racks bolt solidly to the bike. I am replacing my broken _____ rack with the Black Dog. This is an easy choice.”
—cwvandy (ADVRIDER)
BDCW Armor:
“I have buddies that run Black Dog and they swear by it. ...these guys ride big bikes into crazy shit here in Arizona.”
—DSM8 (ADVRIDER)
BDCW Armor:
“Black Dog, you won’t regret it.”
—jeepjeff (ADVRIDER)