A two-stroke track day machine costing a cool $140,000, a KTM EXC250 with a 1970s vibe, and news of the first twin-cylinder to attempt the Red Bull Romaniacs event—a heavily modified BMW R nineT from Touratech.
KTM EXC250 by Vintage Addiction Crew This KTM EXC250 comes to us courtesy of Barcelona’s Vintage Addiction Crew and man, has it ever nailed the mix of old and new.
The old is front and center, with retro styling punctuated expertly by a chunky seat and 70s era side panels. The tank and number plate once called a 1970 KTM GS6 home, which helps the vintage vibe. The new, of course, is what lies beneath. You may have noticed those radiator guards sitting up front; well the GS6 was a two-stroke, and this bike obviously isn’t. This bike is a 2004 model EXC.
That didn’t mean things would be easy. Quite the contrary, in fact: the engine had been ridden hard and put up wet a few too many times, so it needed a full strip down and rebuild. While they were at it, the VA crew bumped displacement to 350cc and a hand-crafted exhaust unit was welded together. To ride right on the new 19-inch hoops, the suspension also needed some re-jigging —so a professional set, both front and rear, was configured by the race shop GCR. [More]
Suter MMX 500 I’m willing to wager there’s barely a handful of readers who wouldn’t love the chance to try taming a two-stroke around the track. And if you’re considerably well-heeled, we’ve found the bike for you.
Limited to just 99 production examples, the Suter MMX 500 may be the ultimate can-of-bees powered weapon that $139,500 can buy. With 195 horsepower on tap and a scant 280 pounds (wet) to move around, I wouldn’t recommend picking one up for junior’s sixteenth birthday. But for seasoned racers seeking the ultimate thrill, this is the machine to get. And thanks to a new partnership with Arch Motorcycle Company, it’s now available to North American nutters.
The 576cc V-four powering this beast features Mectronic fuel injection and lies beneath a full set of carbon fiber fairings. Suspenders are top shelf Öhlins units, with FGR300 forks and a TTX36 shock in the rear. Stock wheels are aluminum OZ items, but you can shave some extra weight from the bike (and your bank account) by upgrading to magnesium units … or even carbon fiber.
There’s no doubt that the MMX 500 is an exciting machine. And the news of this partnership also has me wondering if Arch has other synergies in mind, further down the road…watch this space. [More]
Yamaha XT 600 by North Wheels Motorcycle Club The North Wheels Motorcycle Club sounds like our kind of group: an open and welcoming community for riders, wrenchers and enthusiasts alike. They’re based in the Basque country, around San Sebastián in Spain, and their latest creation to ignite the hills is this Yamaha XT 600 Scrambler.
First things first, yes, that Kawasaki tank can be a touch misleading—but it embraces the open and accepting communal spirit of the club. And even if those hippy dippy notions don’t sell it for you, it certainly doesn’t look out of place. In fact nothing does. That’s because the builder behind this XT, Rubén González Leonardo, worked closely with the club members at Zezen Motors to make sure the fit, finish and proportions would be spot on. If Wes were writing this, I do believe he’d call it kiff.
To start, the Yammi’s motor has been completely rebuilt. All of the wiring has been redone too, and now filters through a Motogadget m.unit to keep things clean and effective. A 14-amp lithium-ion battery hides beneath the handcrafted leather saddle and showcases the work committed to the new subframe. The custom high-mount exhaust gives this scrambler the requisite visuals, and although the fender is missing in the glory shots, Rubén won’t ride without it. [More]
BMW R nineT by Touratech If you happen to own a big ADV bike, or rub elbows with riders at your local Starbucks, the chances are good that you’ve heard of Touratech. The German accessories giant specializes in the farkles that protect and ease a rider’s trek into the unknown. And every now and then, they turn their attentions to a full-blown build.
This time, a BMW R nineT has gone up on the bench to receive the full enduro treatment. Touratech is pretty keen on racing—it provides invaluable data for new product development and is a hell of a lot of fun—so this R nineT is headed to Sibiu. It’ll compete in possibly the toughest race in the world, the Red Bull Romaniacs.
Builders Cliff Vizer and Patrick Graf had their work cut out for them, since the R nineT isn’t exactly a rock hopper. To make sure the bike (and its rider Gerhard Foster) survive battle against 500 other riders across 600 km of the Carpathian’s craziest terrain, the modifications are extensive. Looking more like a modern HP2, especially head on, the R9X rides on all-new long travel Touratech suspension. The rear end has been completely re-worked, topped by a new seat and flanked by a new set of side covers. This year is the first time a twin cylinder machine will attempt the Romaniacs course, and considering Chris Birch is piloting a KTM 1190 as well, Touratech (and BMW) will have some interesting comparables. The insanity begins on July 25th. [More]
BMW R 1200 R by Ironwood Custom Motorcycles Amsterdam-based IWC is quickly becoming the beacon for R-series Beemer builds. Head man Arjan van den Boom has consistently dazzled us with the little touches he adds to make IWC’s work stand out. This time around it’s a newer R 1200 R that went under the grinder and, as usual, the result is pretty damned special.
The touches on ‘The Scumbag’ start with the bodywork and end with the badges. But before we get into those, some of the other niceties Arjan has fitted need addressing first.
Up front, the Telelever suspension has been scrapped in favor of a lighter and leaner unit from a Suzuki GSX-R1000. To make the new USD unit work though, the frame needed some re-thinking to connect the triples properly, so a new custom mount was grafted. Out back the Paralever shock remains but the stock subframe has been binned and a new custom unit fitted up, now topped by a diamond-stitched, ‘brat style’ seat.
The bodywork though, is the standout. Clear-coated brushed aluminum abounds, courtesy of The Custom Factory, completing the rough n’ ready style. The roundels have been replaced by brass badges with a Buddha logo—to personalize the build for its rider, Buddha to Buddha’s Dennis Rugebregt.