Post by JonW on Feb 3, 2022 2:41:52 GMT 1
Apparently this was reported in PSB in the UK, but I never saw mention of it, so apologies if you already knew...
I guess on the back of other bikes being created around the world (think langan I guess) this is one has been created in/for Aus.
The website is a bit of a 'mare to navigate but you should give it a look just so you know whats going on in our 2 stroke scene.
Its got a brand new KTM 300 EFI 2 stroke engine in it and Im sure its styling would appeal to many, although its not for me... I think of 2 strokes as things that zoom round like loons, not cafe racer style things, but i get that the hipster (are they still around?!) market is where the cash is.
Price... well halve the AUD for GBP. Its basically A$40k... around £20k.
Im not sure what i think about that as a brand new KTM 300 TPI (which they buy and cut up? or do they just buy the engine and the bits that run it?) costs almost half what they are selling these for. Add in a custom frame, tank, paint, wheels etc etc etc and then some legalisation (had to crash one at least i guess for the govt approvals?), R&D time and effort and of course some profit/pay. I doubt they will be rich anytime soon... not least as they probably wont sell that many at that price.
One reason I wondered if they did buy the whole KTM and then use bits of it is the use of WP suspension and other bits and bobs that looked OEM KTM. The forks look like they are the off roaders that have been shortened internally etc.
One thing that is interesting to me is that the KTM dirt range isnt where I would start for a road bike engine. I'm not up on the modern 2T KTMs, and I expect my concerns are moot as they are based on the fact I had a EXC250 20 years back. It was superb... off road. On the road it vibrated quite a lot and was really quite peaky and under geared for road speeds. Ok, most of that is a tune thing but it had 50bhp and knobbly tyres and was a handful with the offroad suspension and steering setup, especially in the wet. I considered putting motard wheels on it as 'it would be fun', but only for half an hour at a time with that hard seat and the vibes and the peakyness. Instead I motarded my 620SC which was glorious. The other issue I wonder about was that the KTM gearboxes in bikes of this type had thin higher gears (saving weight?). This was a problem in the early 4T KTMs like the 450 and 530 as people used them on the road at high speeds and that caused issues due to heat. I expect KTM fixed that or at least fed these gears with oil jets or something to combat this.
FWIW a Langan is £27k, same buyers? ...and a Kawasaki H2 is approx 3/4 of this price but different market tho of course. I was just trying to see what else $40k buys... not many bikes at that money, most would leave you with something in your wallet to pay for fuel and insurance for a few years etc.
Interestingly a forum member on the 2SDU forum here in Aus has ordered one so we should have an idea what its all about shortly.
saltmotorcycles.com.au/
Some press:
motorbikewriter.com/aussie-salt-rekindles-stroker-era/
I guess on the back of other bikes being created around the world (think langan I guess) this is one has been created in/for Aus.
The website is a bit of a 'mare to navigate but you should give it a look just so you know whats going on in our 2 stroke scene.
Its got a brand new KTM 300 EFI 2 stroke engine in it and Im sure its styling would appeal to many, although its not for me... I think of 2 strokes as things that zoom round like loons, not cafe racer style things, but i get that the hipster (are they still around?!) market is where the cash is.
Price... well halve the AUD for GBP. Its basically A$40k... around £20k.
Im not sure what i think about that as a brand new KTM 300 TPI (which they buy and cut up? or do they just buy the engine and the bits that run it?) costs almost half what they are selling these for. Add in a custom frame, tank, paint, wheels etc etc etc and then some legalisation (had to crash one at least i guess for the govt approvals?), R&D time and effort and of course some profit/pay. I doubt they will be rich anytime soon... not least as they probably wont sell that many at that price.
One reason I wondered if they did buy the whole KTM and then use bits of it is the use of WP suspension and other bits and bobs that looked OEM KTM. The forks look like they are the off roaders that have been shortened internally etc.
One thing that is interesting to me is that the KTM dirt range isnt where I would start for a road bike engine. I'm not up on the modern 2T KTMs, and I expect my concerns are moot as they are based on the fact I had a EXC250 20 years back. It was superb... off road. On the road it vibrated quite a lot and was really quite peaky and under geared for road speeds. Ok, most of that is a tune thing but it had 50bhp and knobbly tyres and was a handful with the offroad suspension and steering setup, especially in the wet. I considered putting motard wheels on it as 'it would be fun', but only for half an hour at a time with that hard seat and the vibes and the peakyness. Instead I motarded my 620SC which was glorious. The other issue I wonder about was that the KTM gearboxes in bikes of this type had thin higher gears (saving weight?). This was a problem in the early 4T KTMs like the 450 and 530 as people used them on the road at high speeds and that caused issues due to heat. I expect KTM fixed that or at least fed these gears with oil jets or something to combat this.
FWIW a Langan is £27k, same buyers? ...and a Kawasaki H2 is approx 3/4 of this price but different market tho of course. I was just trying to see what else $40k buys... not many bikes at that money, most would leave you with something in your wallet to pay for fuel and insurance for a few years etc.
Interestingly a forum member on the 2SDU forum here in Aus has ordered one so we should have an idea what its all about shortly.
saltmotorcycles.com.au/
Some press:
motorbikewriter.com/aussie-salt-rekindles-stroker-era/
