Once in a while cranking my new to me 525 the motor will sound like it kicked back against compression. Well today it did it, and when it started I had oil coming from somewhere. It looks like the decompression lever put a hole in the head cover and is sticking out.

I have only had it a few weeks and it runs great. It lugs slow, or pulls like no fourstroke I have ever ridden.

So what happened? I can't find much info on holes in the head cover of KTM 525's.

 

Spring may have broken causing the lever to do this.Compression release is part of the cam assembly.

 

That's my guess, but i am not seeing where anyone else had the lever actually put a hole in the head cover. I see that the cover is machined to the head, so I guess I am looking at a new head. Just paid $2200 a few weeks ago for it. I put new tires all the way around, tie rod ends, and a few other odds and ends.

I am really regretting this.

 

I know it doesn't matter but this is the first one I've seen do this also and we sold a few 525 Outlaws. Plus this is the same engine that's in the Ktm 525 dirt bikes we were a dealer for.Sold and serviced many of these and never had one do this in all the years we sold them.Just a freakish failure of the decompression device. I know what you're thinking: why did it have to happen to me and I don't really have any answers for you that would help when something like this happens.All engines can have problems but I think something like this happening is one in 500 or even one in a thousand.Plus some of this may have been on the previous owners shoulders in how he serviced and treated the machine.

 

I have read of the lever breaking in a few KTM's but not causing a hole.

I see a new head is almost $600. Do you know if that is an assembled head or bare?

 

Not sure if the head comes complete with valves and springs or not. I'd first check for any good used Outlaw or Ktm 525 head assembly that could save you some money.

 

I have parts on the way. After taking it apart, overall I would say I got lucky. I have spun it over by hand, and somehow the cam chain looks good. Some have said that they have gotten away with mixing the head and rockerbox. Travis from Thumperracing is giving me a rockerbox for the cost of shipping. So I am going that route first.

It looks like the lever breaking has been coming for a while. The spring is still there.

 

Yes I've heard of mixing the rocker box with a different head. Heads,rocker boxes were machined and marked as a set. We couldn't order just part of it but salvage companies and racing shops could. Hope it works out for you.