Ran a Kove down Baja back in December. I had just gotten it and didn’t have a lot of time for a shakedown. Overall if made for a really nice lite ADV bike. I did have one problem though. The exhaust header runs very close to the right side tank. I was in the Matomie wash struggling with some low speed crawling through the sand and rock. The tank developed a lot of pressure, which pushed the material closer to the header, which made the plastic soft. It eventually touched the header, burning a hole in the tank. It puked out most of my fuel before I could get some epoxy on to patch it. I ended up running out of fuel 30 miles from the highway. I was out of water and mostly out of food. Even worse, my jacket had fallen off the bike back in the canyon with my Garming inreach. I spent three days carving chunks out of seguero cactus to stay hydrated. I eventually hike back into the wash to locate my jacket. Finally found it and hit the SOS button. Wishing 5ish hours, the San Felipe fire department came rolling up the wash in sxs’s. They had water, and beer! Had to ride the out in the dark, which was pretty gnarly. Fortunately, the Kove has excellent headlights. After getting settled, I reached out to Gary and explained what happened. He pulled a tank from one of the shop bikes and pretty much overnighted it to my house in Seattle. It was waiting when I got back. So far, after a few little tweaks, the bike has been rock solid. I have roughly 5k on it now.
Wow! Now that's an adventure!!! Scary in moment but great story afterwards! This bike hasn't had any of those issues. But I have a second one come in and Will check out the new one before we take it out, thanks for heads up!
Have not seen many in Baja currently. It looks great!! I hope to see people use everything!! CF Moto has large corporate office in Monterrey NL and have seen CF bikes in central and southern Mexico but not much up north..Kove has sort of sputtered on social media propaganda about hyping the brand!! I hope they push harder to sell more bikes
Thanks Dr Mike! Glad to get your in-depth perception. Sign me up for whatever upgrades you make for this bike. This bikes going to go to Baja several times this coming year! Love what ya do! :)
Ohh I'll be reviewing it, on instagram atleast, maybe UA-cam. I didn't "NEED" it with stock exhaust, although the stock exhaust tuned can be considerably improved with Taco Tuning... it with the full aftermarket titanium exhaust, the bike NEEDS a custom tune, it runs poorly without. Very excited to get it back with new tune :) will let yall know my thoughts :)
Psyched for some evaluative Kove content and after your Baja run would particularly appreciate your thoughts as a lite adv platform vs your 500 EXC & 450RL builds for the same mission. Also interested in where and how it makes power (generally described as mid-range and up) and if you are able to bring that down post-tune, how it compares to the KTM & Honda, etc. Awesome - have a blast!
I like how Kove keeps the fuel in multiple spots, its really not that inconvenient to fill fuel into multiple tanks, however..... I would suspect that if you had the money and time replacing all the plastic components with aluminum would make it nearly bullet proof. I really think these bikes have to be taken more seriously now a few years after release, I understand the hesitancy in the last few years, but at this point the machine is fairly proven.
Bought a used 2011 TE 310 Husky with a JD Jetting fuel mod, Eh. I installed a PowerCommander that controlled the ignition and Fuel and upgraded the 4 nozzle injector to a 12. That PC5 worked like magic. I had to get a seat with more grip. As for Dynojet, I struggled tuning it. Their tech remotely connected through my computer to my bike and set it up quite nicely. Can’t say enough good things about their service and the economically affordability of the power commander
Looks like quite a simple regulator. My OilHead had a system that looked like it came off of car. Apparently an Audi fuel pump was the same spec.. I think BMW changed the 800 fuel pump to remove the mechanical regulator. I prefer the mechanical regulator.
I've had a Kove Rally 450 since February and I do like the bike a lot but am frustrated with the fuel delivery system. I am not the only one with these complaints. Just slide into the adv rider Kove owners thread. The fuel level is consistently wrong on long rides. It seems that the fuel is not getting to that left tank in the speed it needs too. When you stop and let the bike sit for some time then the fuel level with increase with time. This is after following all of GPX's suggestions (remove carbon canister, fuel caps that breathe better, and heat tape on inside of right tank near the header). For example, I filled up all three tanks, which is 8 gallons, then went for a ride. Around 75 miles in my fuel level read at 1/2 tank, which is hilarious as after 75 miles the fuel level should barely have dipped. After a nice break from riding the level returned to mostly fuel. Rinse and repeat throughout the rest of the ride. It's absolutely infuriating. Especially when the bike is telling me I'm low on fuel and I clearly should have plenty. I don't know if the gravity fed system works as it should. This is the first video I have found that talks about the fuel delivery system so I wanted to point out this issue. The only other thing I can think of that I have not tried is the fuel level sensor itself? Perhaps when the engine gets hot it causes the sensor to act up? This is pure speculation but I really would love to solve this issue as I do like the bike.
Same here. Fuel gauge is just a suggestion. Full tanks and it registers either full or 2 bars down. After 50 or so miles it can show at just over half full. Shutoff, wait, restart and it seems to register properly again for a bit. Have futzed with different fuel setups. Replaced all hoses, metal connectors, rear shutoff, one way, two way bleeders. Have had two right front tank geysers after taking the cap off. Finally ended up with Acerbis small gas caps with the transparent purple lines down to skid and under rear rack. Rear shutoff open per Joe. Can see fuel bubbling in the first 1cm of the lines on slow climbs at elevation (2500-3000m) and once a small amount dripping out at the skid plate. Seems to be working fine now. No more geysers but fuel gauge is still on partial sabbatical.
@@meder07 Thankfully I have not had the geysers ever. I did eventually replace the fuel level sensor but still the issue persists. I was going to go the route of replacing all lines and fittings as you have done but it seems that that may be fruitless. I thought maybe there is some crap that is causing the fuel to not flow between the tanks as fast as it should when riding. With mine, i have to let it sit overnight for the fuel gauge to decide to be accurate. Its insanely frustrating.
Maybe this will help others looking for answers but I spoke with the Engineers at Coober and they say the issue with the fuel level being so off is caused by the software in the Canbus display as the fuel level is a direct signal to it. So until there is some possible firmware upgrade to the display that would fix this issue, it will always be a pain point.
@@cyanidejedInteresting, and good detective work. In response to the fuel gauge vacation I'm offering up amazing spray can anodized billet wooden dowels with official laundry pen fuel markings at the low low ADV price of $59.98 USD. Included is some masking tape to tape it to your seat for storage. For the rear tank, you're on your own.
I'll do a free kove demo ride day in phoenix this fall/winter with my 2 450 rally bikes when. I get back home. Stay updated on instagram....this Taco Moto tuned bike and my stock bike
Great video i love your content.. that bike there has a zhongshen nc450 in it right?i have a nc300 and dynojet said they didnt have a piggyback tuner that will work. Cant be much diffence in the nc450 and nc300 right? Do you have any advice mr taco..?thanks man . My bike is a trailmaster tm38e. I have clocked over 120 hrs on it not an issue so far .just seems to be running to lean.i did the setting and turned it off epa mode are something by holding the throttle wide open and turning the key off. The deceleration pops are way better but the throttle seems more jumpy.i have gotten used to it but would like to be able to make adjustments however possible. And thanks .if u cant help me with this then thanks for the channel dude
Ran a Kove down Baja back in December. I had just gotten it and didn’t have a lot of time for a shakedown. Overall if made for a really nice lite ADV bike. I did have one problem though. The exhaust header runs very close to the right side tank. I was in the Matomie wash struggling with some low speed crawling through the sand and rock. The tank developed a lot of pressure, which pushed the material closer to the header, which made the plastic soft. It eventually touched the header, burning a hole in the tank. It puked out most of my fuel before I could get some epoxy on to patch it. I ended up running out of fuel 30 miles from the highway. I was out of water and mostly out of food. Even worse, my jacket had fallen off the bike back in the canyon with my Garming inreach. I spent three days carving chunks out of seguero cactus to stay hydrated. I eventually hike back into the wash to locate my jacket. Finally found it and hit the SOS button. Wishing 5ish hours, the San Felipe fire department came rolling up the wash in sxs’s. They had water, and beer! Had to ride the out in the dark, which was pretty gnarly. Fortunately, the Kove has excellent headlights. After getting settled, I reached out to Gary and explained what happened. He pulled a tank from one of the shop bikes and pretty much overnighted it to my house in Seattle. It was waiting when I got back. So far, after a few little tweaks, the bike has been rock solid. I have roughly 5k on it now.
@@chrismcfarland738 yikes, crucial info you just passed along. 👍
Wow! Now that's an adventure!!! Scary in moment but great story afterwards! This bike hasn't had any of those issues. But I have a second one come in and Will check out the new one before we take it out, thanks for heads up!
was that with stock pipe and cat still in the midpipe?
Tall yarn
....
Have not seen many in Baja currently. It looks great!! I hope to see people use everything!! CF Moto has large corporate office in Monterrey NL and have seen CF bikes in central and southern Mexico but not much up north..Kove has sort of sputtered on social media propaganda about hyping the brand!! I hope they push harder to sell more bikes
What a great video.. WoW! The Kove fuel system, in detail, in under 15 min. Just awesome... Thank you!
Thanks Dr Mike! Glad to get your in-depth perception. Sign me up for whatever upgrades you make for this bike. This bikes going to go to Baja several times this coming year!
Love what ya do! :)
Oh hell yeah. Just picked up a Rally Factory Race. I'll be watching for your Power Commander impressions and tune...🤘🏻
Ohh I'll be reviewing it, on instagram atleast, maybe UA-cam. I didn't "NEED" it with stock exhaust, although the stock exhaust tuned can be considerably improved with Taco Tuning... it with the full aftermarket titanium exhaust, the bike NEEDS a custom tune, it runs poorly without. Very excited to get it back with new tune :) will let yall know my thoughts :)
More Kove content please. Really looking forward to your opinion on the bike
Love your fearless curiosity! I've learned so much about ktm's and the other bikes you pull apart like this. thankyou!
That air filter is massive! Looks like a solid long distance off-road travel bike.
Looking forward to all your insights on the Kove!
Psyched for some evaluative Kove content and after your Baja run would particularly appreciate your thoughts as a lite adv platform vs your 500 EXC & 450RL builds for the same mission. Also interested in where and how it makes power (generally described as mid-range and up) and if you are able to bring that down post-tune, how it compares to the KTM & Honda, etc. Awesome - have a blast!
Wooooooooot! I get my hands on one next month. You going to be doing custom wraps? Yes? Yes?!!
rad bike, proving to be a good buy too
Cool, interesting bike, looking forward to what you guys come up with on this Kove. Looks like a good start to a light weight dual sport/ ADV Bike.
I like how Kove keeps the fuel in multiple spots, its really not that inconvenient to fill fuel into multiple tanks, however..... I would suspect that if you had the money and time replacing all the plastic components with aluminum would make it nearly bullet proof. I really think these bikes have to be taken more seriously now a few years after release, I understand the hesitancy in the last few years, but at this point the machine is fairly proven.
Looks like a good time!
Bought a used 2011 TE 310 Husky with a JD Jetting fuel mod, Eh.
I installed a PowerCommander that controlled the ignition and Fuel and upgraded the 4 nozzle injector to a 12.
That PC5 worked like magic. I had to get a seat with more grip.
As for Dynojet, I struggled tuning it.
Their tech remotely connected through my computer to my bike and set it up quite nicely.
Can’t say enough good things about their service and the economically affordability of the power commander
Looks like quite a simple regulator. My OilHead had a system that looked like it came off of car. Apparently an Audi fuel pump was the same spec.. I think BMW changed the 800 fuel pump to remove the mechanical regulator. I prefer the mechanical regulator.
I've had a Kove Rally 450 since February and I do like the bike a lot but am frustrated with the fuel delivery system. I am not the only one with these complaints. Just slide into the adv rider Kove owners thread. The fuel level is consistently wrong on long rides. It seems that the fuel is not getting to that left tank in the speed it needs too. When you stop and let the bike sit for some time then the fuel level with increase with time. This is after following all of GPX's suggestions (remove carbon canister, fuel caps that breathe better, and heat tape on inside of right tank near the header).
For example, I filled up all three tanks, which is 8 gallons, then went for a ride. Around 75 miles in my fuel level read at 1/2 tank, which is hilarious as after 75 miles the fuel level should barely have dipped. After a nice break from riding the level returned to mostly fuel. Rinse and repeat throughout the rest of the ride. It's absolutely infuriating. Especially when the bike is telling me I'm low on fuel and I clearly should have plenty. I don't know if the gravity fed system works as it should.
This is the first video I have found that talks about the fuel delivery system so I wanted to point out this issue. The only other thing I can think of that I have not tried is the fuel level sensor itself? Perhaps when the engine gets hot it causes the sensor to act up? This is pure speculation but I really would love to solve this issue as I do like the bike.
Same here. Fuel gauge is just a suggestion. Full tanks and it registers either full or 2 bars down. After 50 or so miles it can show at just over half full. Shutoff, wait, restart and it seems to register properly again for a bit.
Have futzed with different fuel setups. Replaced all hoses, metal connectors, rear shutoff, one way, two way bleeders.
Have had two right front tank geysers after taking the cap off. Finally ended up with Acerbis small gas caps with the transparent purple lines down to skid and under rear rack. Rear shutoff open per Joe. Can see fuel bubbling in the first 1cm of the lines on slow climbs at elevation (2500-3000m) and once a small amount dripping out at the skid plate.
Seems to be working fine now. No more geysers but fuel gauge is still on partial sabbatical.
@@meder07 Thankfully I have not had the geysers ever. I did eventually replace the fuel level sensor but still the issue persists. I was going to go the route of replacing all lines and fittings as you have done but it seems that that may be fruitless. I thought maybe there is some crap that is causing the fuel to not flow between the tanks as fast as it should when riding. With mine, i have to let it sit overnight for the fuel gauge to decide to be accurate. Its insanely frustrating.
Maybe this will help others looking for answers but I spoke with the Engineers at Coober and they say the issue with the fuel level being so off is caused by the software in the Canbus display as the fuel level is a direct signal to it. So until there is some possible firmware upgrade to the display that would fix this issue, it will always be a pain point.
@@cyanidejedInteresting, and good detective work.
In response to the fuel gauge vacation I'm offering up amazing spray can anodized billet wooden dowels with official laundry pen fuel markings at the low low ADV price of $59.98 USD. Included is some masking tape to tape it to your seat for storage. For the rear tank, you're on your own.
Thanks guys great video
Really good info! That bike needs a tail tidy.
Does the fuel burn off evenly from all the tanks as you ride?
What was the outcome of using the DynoJet?
Where does the line start for a test ride? I can be at the shop in 8 minutes!😂😂😂
I'll do a free kove demo ride day in phoenix this fall/winter with my 2 450 rally bikes when. I get back home. Stay updated on instagram....this Taco Moto tuned bike and my stock bike
Great video i love your content.. that bike there has a zhongshen nc450 in it right?i have a nc300 and dynojet said they didnt have a piggyback tuner that will work. Cant be much diffence in the nc450 and nc300 right? Do you have any advice mr taco..?thanks man . My bike is a trailmaster tm38e. I have clocked over 120 hrs on it not an issue so far .just seems to be running to lean.i did the setting and turned it off epa mode are something by holding the throttle wide open and turning the key off. The deceleration pops are way better but the throttle seems more jumpy.i have gotten used to it but would like to be able to make adjustments however possible. And thanks .if u cant help me with this then thanks for the channel dude
Great video !
What tires are on the bike ?
Motoz tractionator desert ht with nitro mousses front and rear
raly