Giant Loop’s Dustin Cary roostin’ the KTM 500 EXC with MoJavi Saddlebag on trails about 10 minutes ride from the shop.
Yes! We have a 2013 KTM 500 EXC here at Giant Loop – love this great bike! But there are some fitment challenges with the KTM EXCs Husqvarna FEs and other late model dirt bikes with double-thickness rear fenders and under-seat fuel tanks. The fender hooks on the Coyote Saddlebag and MoJavi Saddlebag cannot get a proper “purchase” on the lip of the fender plastic. Here are some alternative mounting options – all tested and proven on many bikes over thousands of miles of demanding riding.
Giant Loop’s Harold Olaf Cecil on an Oregon backcountry solo tour with Coyote Saddlebag on KTM 500 EXC.
Simple, Clean Solution: No drilling or mods required! Remove the fender hooks from the Coyote Saddlebag or MoJavi Saddlebag and replace them with the included mounting strap (length of ballistic webbing packed inside the new bag). If you have a tail rack, just thread the webbing through the rack and back into the saddlebag. Here’s how to do it without a tail rack:
Loosen the bolts in taillight assembly/fender support (black plastic shown below) from the subframe and fender.
Thread the the ballistic webbing strap between the fender and taillight assembly/fender support and retighten bolts to sandwich webbing between the two fender layers.
Once the strap is centered, re-tighten the screws and bolts that secure the taillight assembly. This should tension the strap under the fender, so it doesn’t slide around, providing a solid mounting position.
Then thread the mounting strap through the thumb-lock buckles (where the hooks were before) inside the Coyote Saddlebag or under the center Tool Pouch on the MoJavi Saddlebag.
We use a spare side release buckle to hold the strap ends, when a bag isn’t mounted.
With the MoJavi Saddlebag, the top of the base can be tucked under the rear lip of the seat. When tensioned down, this makes a dead-solid connection. But this positions the bag farther forward, can stress seat connectors, and isn’t an option at all for the Coyote Saddlebag.
Another Solution: If you’re not adverse to drilling some small holes in your fender, the footmans loops make a clean solution. All you really need is one solid anchor point, but we’ve installed two.Install footmans loops in the middle top of the fender (be careful not to drill into wiring!) and use the webbing loop included with the Coyote Saddlebag and MoJavi Saddlebag, instead of the fender hooks.
Stop Scuffs and Scratches!
If you don’t want your new plastics to look like the white side panels in the pic above, Giant Loop now offers heavy-duty Vinyl Protective Film to eliminate scuffing where the bags make contact.