Freshly Squeezed: A zesty KTM 525 EXC street tracker by Mule Motorcycles

Richard Pollock has been building motorcycles since before Bike EXIF existed. With such a tenure comes a measure of consistency; the man behind the Mule Motorcycles moniker never disappoints.

Although Mule is best known for his impeccable Harley flat trackers, he does just as well with other marques too. His latest project is a 2005 KTM 525 EXC with an erratic backstory and one heck of an attitude.

“It started out as a ‘well used’ trail bike that was street plated,” Mule explains. “I bought it two years ago, with the intention of turning it into my personal motocrosser. Then I got a call from a customer that I had previously built a Harley XR1000 for; he wanted a street supermoto build.”

“I built the bike with tons of new parts—it took at least a year and a half. Once I delivered the bike, he decided he wasn’t all that happy with the supermoto seat height for everyday blastin’ around—so he shipped it back for street tracker redo.”

In stock trim, the KTM 525 EXC is a fire-breathing monster with a laughably low curb weight and enough torque to pull your arms from their sockets. But when Mule first got his hands on this particular one, it was, in his words, “a worn-out rag.” An obsessively comprehensive rebuild was on the cards.

The motor was stripped and put back together with a 566 cc cylinder and piston from Built Motors, oversized head and base gaskets, and a KTM 866 crankshaft (as used in the KTM 790 Duke and 1390 Super Duke R EVO). It was also treated to a five-angle valve job and some minor porting.

Mule also upgraded the carb to a 41 mm Keihin FCR, with a new intake boot to match the larger carb, and a two-piece K&N filter. Next, he fabricated a new two-into-one stainless steel exhaust header, terminating in a refurbished muffler from a newer KTM enduro.

Other new items include the valves, valve adjustment screws, guides, guide seals, cam chain, cam chain adjuster, clutch plates, rocker arms, clutch plates, and more. Every last gasket, seal, o-ring, and bearing was replaced. The 525 also sports new oversized radiators and hoses, and fresh titanium-colored Cerakote on the stator and clutch covers.

Mule binned all of the KTM 525 EXC’s bodywork, before ordering a full set of replacement plastics and a new fuel tank to dress the bike with. The seat is from the KTM Powerparts catalog. The whole kit looks stock-ish, with bold Mule graphics to remind you that it’s not.

Hiding under the new bodywork is a scratch-built wiring loom, complete with a high-output stator, an adjustable voltage regulator, a new coil, and a new plug cap. The battery’s a lightweight Lithium-ion number, helping to shave more weight off the already light EXC.

Up in the cockpit, you’ll find new KTM handlebars, fitted with Renthal grips, a new throttle, a Brembo brake master cylinder, and pared-down switches. A digital dash from Trail Tech sits front and center, just above a Bates-style headlight with LED internals. Tiny LED turn signals and an OEM-style LED taillight complete the set.

Subtler upgrades include braided stainless steel brake lines from Crown Performance, an updated clutch cable, and a thermostatic fan kit. With no plastics to hide the bits that normally lurk near the headlight, Mule took a left-field approach to mounting the ignition barrel and horn.

The KTM’s main frame went unmolested, but the subframe was ditched in favor of an aluminum unit. Everything was stripped and powder-coated, and then put back together with new bearings. A chromoly side stand from Mule’s catalog keeps the bike upright when parked.

The original forks and rear shock are still in play, but they’ve been overhauled and lowered. The billet yokes are from a later model KTM, but the aluminum bracket that holds the headlight, front fender, and brake hose guide is a handmade part. Little bespoke parts and shiny KTM factory bits are peppered all over this 525.

Finally, Mule rebuilt the KTM 525 EXC’s wheels to match his client’s request for a street-ready flat tracker. The hubs and 19” rims are from Warp 9, with Buchanan spokes sitting between them. From the Dunlop DT tires to the rebuilt brake calipers, brake pads, front rotor, chain, sprockets, and chain adjuster bolts, there’s not an inch of this KTM that isn’t factory-fresh.

Mule’s KTM 525 EXC street tracker is a prime example of form following function—and another feather in the cap of one of the scene’s best custom motorcycle builders.

Mule Motorcycles | Instagram | Images by Bart Cepek

from Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/EFg2jDc

Think Different: A modified Ariel Leader from England

UK-based photographer Del Hickey has a talent for uncovering unique machines, built by highly skilled individuals that would otherwise fly under the radar. This time, he’s dug up a real zinger—a modified Ariel Leader from a small village in Gloucestershire, England.

It’s the work of Ivan Counsell—a retired engineer and designer with little internet presence beyond his personal Facebook profile. Asked what he’s up to these days, he simply replies that he spends his time “making things different.” And this custom Ariel Leader sure is different.

The project was born when Ivan acquired the donor bike from a friend of his at a price that was too good to refuse. “It was in totally standard form and covered in dust,” he tells us. “Needless to say, it was neither pretty nor clean.”

Released in 1958, the Ariel Leader was a 249 cc two-stroke twin with a pressed steel monocoque chassis and a fully enclosed body. It carried fuel under its seat, with a faux fuel tank, mounted in the traditional spot, acting as a frunk. As you’d imagine, taking one apart is an arduous task.

“I can honestly say it has never taken me so long to strip a bike down in my entire life. How many nuts and bolts of different sizes can a motorcycle manufacturer possibly fit to one bike? Anyway, after hours of grazed knuckles, swearing, and much to-ing and fro-ing—gathering many sizes of British sockets and spanners—the tin wonder was finally dismantled.”

“Wondering what on earth I was to do with a mountain of tin and plastic, I advertised everything I had spare on eBay. A chap drove up from the South Coast to Gloucestershire and filled his Ford Fiesta to the brim with unwanted Ariel parts.”

“Much to my amazement, he covered the cost of the Ariel’s purchase and even left me with a few hundred quid to spend on it! Happy days! To date, I’m still in pocket—something that never happens to me.”

“It didn’t take long before I decided what to do with the Ariel. I remembered seeing George Brown’s Ariel Arrow sprint bike in the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham and thought, actually, that’s not too bad. So I started work, marking out where I would lighten the pressed steel frame.”

Going ham with the hole saw, Ivan gave the Leader’s monocoque an array of ‘speed holes’ before turning his attention to the enclosed front forks. Once he’d piled up all the bits of metal peppered across his workshop, he dug into the Ariel’s motor; “A simple affair, as two-strokes go.”

Ivan had a pair of Suzuki GT250 X7 pistons lying around, which were a perfect match for the Leader’s bore and stroke. So he modified the Ariel con rods to accept Suzuki wrist pins and installed the GT250 X7 pistons. The barrels were modified slightly, and the heads were swapped for Ariel Arrow items with a 10:1 compression ratio and a squish band.

Ivan also bored out the crankcase’s single inlet port, fabricated a new intake manifold to accommodate a 32 mm flat-slide carb, and added a foam air filter. The crankshaft was sent off for a rebuild, while a friend machined the external flywheel down to help the engine spool up quicker.

Ivan tried building his own electronic ignition for the Ariel Leader next—but wasn’t happy with any of his attempts. In the end, he built one using the backplate from a Triumph T120 points assembly, a six-volt battery, new condensers, and a new ignition coil.

“There was a reason I didn’t go overboard on tuning the engine too much,” Ivan explains. “I knew that when I rebuilt it, there would be more horsepower than the Ariel Golden Arrow. But the brakes are absolute rubbish, so a bike capable of over 80 mph would be bloody dangerous on today’s roads—or any road, in fact. I’ll address that problem at a later date.”

Although Ivan binned the Ariel Leader’s all-encompassing bodywork, a number of OEM parts survived the cull. The bike still has its original wheels, suspension, foot pegs, and rear fender, but everything has either been refurbished, repaired, or massaged.

The standard exhausts needed more than just a little tweaking though. “They’re longer than a double-decker bus,” says Ivan, “so I cut eight inches out of them. I also removed the inner baffle and, as luck would have it, inside the rear aluminum cone is a small tube. I pulled it out and reversed it so it protruded out the back of the cone, giving it a sort of expansion chamber look.”

“The exhaust note is quite pleasant and not too loud. I’ve made expansion chambers in the past, but this cheap option saved a lot of time. And the word ‘cheap’ suits this build very well, as I never intended to part with too much hard-earned cash on a motorcycle made with large amounts of pressed steel.”

To save even more money, Ivan started filtering through the countless motorcycle seats he had hanging in his shed for a suitable perch. “I routed around and found what I believe to be a Lambretta racing seat, so I grabbed it and placed it on the bike. I made up a hinged bracket to access the battery and used two sprung clips to keep it from flipping up.”

Ivan paints his bikes himself, usually opting for different shades of green. In a bid to shake things up, he picked ‘Sky Blue’—a color typically used by the British military on their engines, that Ivan notes has a suspicious green hue to it.

Although this is the first time we’ve seen a custom bike from Ivan, it’s not his first (nor his last) project. “I’m now trying to shy away from Brit bikes, as I’ve had them since 1971 when I was 11 years old. I have a 1972 Harley Shovelhead that interests me more, so that will get the treatment later this year.”

“I have a passion for all bikes, but I’m afraid early Japanese stuff still does it for me. The engines are easy to strip and rebuild, and the gearboxes are lovely to use. I’ve worked on hundreds and hundreds of them since I was 15 and owned around 150 of them—including other makes, it totals over 200 bikes.”

“I’m always planning what to build next. Unfortunately, important stuff like working on the house gets a back seat—much to the annoyance of ‘her indoors’.”

Images by, and with our enduring thanks to, Del Hickey

from Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/vABb8LF

Hotshot: A slammed Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 café racer

Firefighter-turned-custom bike builder Chris Scholtka has a knack for building slick, and somewhat hot-rodded, café racers. This Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 café racer epitomizes his style well—but it was almost built using a very different donor bike.

“It started two years ago when an old friend called me,” Chris tells us. “She had received a big birthday gift from her family—a Honda CX650—and wanted to have it customized by me. We had a plan, but sadly the bike was stolen and we had to start from zero.”

Chris operates under the moniker Motocrew from his workshop in Cottbus, Germany. And considering the slick custom bikes he typically creates, he was secretly relieved that the CX650 and its gawky frame were no longer part of the project. So he got together with his friend to brainstorm potential replacements.

“She wanted an old school-looking café racer and a reliable everyday bike. Because she didn’t have a garage in her hometown, Berlin, and didn’t have the knowledge to get a carburetor bike ready for riding season, it had to be a newer fuel-injected bike.”

Triumph’s modern classics quickly rose to the top of the list—until Chris spotted a Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 on eBay. “The RE shape is so clean, and building on it is simply fun. Everything is simple and reliable, and the aftermarket is better than I thought.”

“She set the color scheme on day one—as much black as possible. But a ‘lil Motocrew design should be worked into it too, of course.”

Chris started up front, where he replaced the Continental GT 650’s headlight with an ultra-modern LED unit from Koso. It’s mounted on a custom-made bracket that bolts to the bottom yoke. Flanking the headlight are neat fork shrouds that Chris 3D-printed to buff up the front end, visually.

Since the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 comes with clip-on bars out of the box, its top yoke is already devoid of riser mounts. That made Chris’ job easier. With new, more aggressive clip-ons in place, he simply shaved the original ignition barrel mount to accommodate a Motogadget speedo, which came from Crooked Motorcycles as part of a plug-and-play kit.

Rather than relocate the ignition, Chris binned it in favor of a keyless setup. The NFC ignition, plus the bar-end turn signals and glassless mirrors, all came from Motogadget.

Moving to the bodywork, Chris opted to retain the Continental GT 650’s OEM fuel tank—which isn’t surprising, considering how good it looks. The gas cap was swapped out for a flush-mounted pop-up item.

Despite sporting a solo seat and tail bump in stock form, the Enfield didn’t quite have the compact proportions that Chris envisioned. So he removed the original parts, cut and looped the subframe, and fabricated a new rear cowl. A pair of Motogadget LEDs, perched on 3D-printed carbon mounts, act as taillights and turn signals, while the license plate sits lower down.

One of the hallmarks of a Motocrew café racer is its stance—and this one’s as purposeful as it gets. Chris lowered the front end by around 200 mm, before swapping the shocks out for custom-built YSS items that are 200 mm longer than stock. He also re-laced the front hub to a second 18” rear rim, so that he could fit tires with matching widths.

The Enfield now rolls on 3.5×18” Shinko E270 tires, with a handful of judicious braking upgrades offering improved performance. The chunky vibe of the wheels and slammed forks is echoed in the burly exhausts custom units from Mass that include dB killers and retain the bike’s catalytic convertor.

“The most important thing,” Chris adds, “is that it’s all street-legal in Germany!”

Finished off in a mix of matte and gloss black (which extends to the engine covers), this Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 café racer continues the Motocrew’s fine tradition of building razor-sharp machines that ooze style. We’ve no doubt that it will help its owner get over the loss of her CX650.

Motocrew Instagram | Images by kylefx

Editor’s note Regular Speed Read programming will return next week.

from Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/AbFyNYx

The BMW R 12 G/S is the neo-retro adventure bike we’ve been asking for

Given that the motorcycle industry has been on the ropes the last few years, one of the bravest moves a major marque can make right now is release a niche motorcycle. But that’s exactly what BMW Motorrad has just done… and we’re here for it.

The brand new BMW R 12 G/S—the latest model built on BMW’s updated neo-retro R12 boxer platform—combines vintage aesthetics with a decent measure of off-road capability. It speaks to customers who sit in the middle of a very unique Venn diagram; those who want a classically styled bike, those who like going off-piste, and those willing to spend a premium for the privilege.

This isn’t the first modern classic boxer to bear the G/S moniker. The previous generation R nineT series included the R nineT Urban G/S—a mostly street-focused bike with aesthetics inspired by the iconic BMW R80G/S. The new BMW R 12 G/S uses the same basic formula, but every aspect of it has been ramped up.

Visually, the new R 12 G/S is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor—which says a lot, because the Urban G/S was rather attractive itself. We’ve spoken before about how the newer R 12’s chassis creates a tidier silhouette than the older nineT’s, and BMW has used this to full effect to transform the base model R 12 into a stylish retro adventure bike.

The R 12 G/S hits all the right notes. Its sculpted fuel tank recalls the banana-shaped unit on the R80G/S, flowing neatly into a skinny bench seat. A high fender sits up front, along with a headlight shroud that takes cues from the fairing on the legendary R80G/S Paris Dakar model.

The balance of modern and classic design touches is refreshing. Although the bodywork draws on BMW’s history, every part has a contemporary edge to it, as if it was borrowed from a modern enduro bike. There’s LED lighting all around too—from the 5.75” LED headlight with its X-shaped daytime running light, to the taillight tucked into the sleek rear fender.

The BMW R 12 G/S hits the mark as a modern interpretation of one of BMW Motorrad’s most historic bikes—but this time, it’s more than just a styling exercise. BMW has subtly tweaked the standard R 12’s steering neck geometry, propped the bike up on longer suspension, and kitted it with a dirt-friendly 21” front wheel.

In standard trim, that 21” front wheel is matched to a 17” rear wheel—a popular combination for BMW adventure bikes. Both wheels use BMW’s cross-spoked tubeless design, and the front wheel sports a pair of Brembo calipers with stainless steel hoses.

The 45 mm upside-down front forks, and the rear shock and Paralever swingarm, offer up 210 mm and 200 mm of travel respectively. Both ends are adjustable for preload, rebound, and compression. All told the R 12 G/S has a seat height of 860 mm with close to 240 mm [about 9.4”] of ground clearance.

It also weighs a slightly porky 228.6 kilos [504 pounds], wet. But it’s when you compare the R 12 G/S to BMW’s flagship adventure bike, the R 1300 GS, that things get interesting. The R 12 G/S is 3.6 percent lighter with a bigger front wheel, a seat that sits 10 mm higher, and only 20 mm less suspension travel.

Riders have been clamoring for a retro boxer-powered scrambler with proper off-road chops for years, and the BMW R 12 G/S might just be it. For those that want an even more radical build, BMW offers an optional ‘Enduro’ package [above] too. It swaps the 17” rear wheel for an 18” hoop, and adds beefier foot pegs, higher handlebars, and a taller fairing.

In Enduro trim, the R 12 G/S seat sits at 875 mm tall—but with three different seat options, including one that has better passenger accommodations, that number can go up or down. Other optional extras include an adaptive headlight, an ‘Enduro Pro’ riding mode that joins the three settings that come pre-installed, a quick-shifter, and a small digital dash that replaces the classic round unit. ABS, traction control, engine drag torque control, a keyless ignition, and a 12V power socket are all installed out of the box.

Like its stablemates, the BMW R 12 G/S is powered by a 1,170 cc air- and oil-cooled boxer motor, good for 109 hp at 7,000 rpm and 115 Nm at 6,500 rpm. Gasses exit via one of the tidiest OEM mufflers that BMW has in their arsenal, with an optional Akrapovič can on offer.

Available in three colorways (including a classic white R 80 G/S scheme), the new BMW R 12 G/S base model’s pricing starts at $16,395, with BMW North America’s website reporting an extra $325 for the white version and an extra $845 for the Enduro package. If a desert sand livery with a smorgasbord of parts from BMW’s swanky Option 719 catalog is more your thing, be prepared to shell out a whole lot more.

That’s a good chunk of change more than the bike’s only competition—the immensely popular Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE. The BMW R 12 G/S looks like it’ll give the burly Scrambler 1200 a run for its money, but we won’t know until we ride it… and BMW’s marketing material hardly inspires confidence. The bike’s launch video is devoid of any clear riding footage, and almost all of the images we’ve seen are captioned with the dubious inscription “Enhanced with AI.”

The writers over at Ride Apart noted the same and reached out to BMW Motorrad, who confirmed that, “In this case, the riding R 12 G/S photos were created using AI tools.”

It’s disappointing when you consider that the motorcycle scene isn’t short on talented riders and photographers. But it also means that we won’t know how capable the BMW R 12 G/S truly is until we swing a leg over it ourselves.

Source: BMW Motorrad

from Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/UeZv1Hq

How Much Torque and Horsepower Does a Porsche M96 Engine Produce? Engine Specs

When discussing automobiles with high levels of performance capacity, there are specific engines that mechanically fit this description, one of which is the Porsche M96 engine. This one is far more than a digit on the list of novelties; it is the soul of the 996 generation of the Porsche 911. In this article, I’ll focus on the details of the torque and horsepower that emanate from this much-talked-about engine. Being an enthusiast of performance-oriented cars from the earlier times, I can find several things to like about the Porsche M96 engine. Push the pedal and let’s continue the journey!

Table of Contents

1. Unpacking the M96 Engine: Specs
2. Horsepower: A Surge of Speed
3. Torque: The Heartbeat of the Car
4. Personal Reflections on the M96
5. A Nod to Innovation
6. End Note
7. FAQ Section
   1. Is the Porsche M96 engine still popular today?
   2. Is the Porsche M96 engine open for tune-ups?
   3. How do you envision the difference between the model M96 and the M97 engine, its successor?
   4. Is the Porsche M96 engine reliable?

Unpacking the M96 Engine: Specs

Porsche 996 Carrera

The Porsche M96 Engine has become iconic among car enthusiasts, noted for its performance and engineering excellence.

Porsche M96 Engine – Specifications
Engine Type:	M96.01/.02/.04	M96.03	M96.03S
Available In:	1998-2001 Carrera	2002-2004 Carrera	2003 Carrera 40th AE
Engine Type:	Dual Overhead Camshaft Flat 6	Dual Overhead Camshaft Flat 6	Dual Overhead Camshaft Flat 6
Displacement:	3.4L	3.6L	3.6L
Horsepower:	296 hp @ 6800 RPM	320 hp @ 6800 RPM	345 hp @ 6800 RPM
Torque:	258 lb-ft @ 4600 RPM	273 lb-ft @ 4250 RPM	273 lb-ft @ 4250 RPM
Compression Ratio:	11.3:1	11.3:1	11.3:1
Max RPM:	7300	7300	7300
Cooling System:	Water-cooled	Water-cooled	Water-cooled
Induction:	Naturally Aspirated	Naturally Aspirated	Naturally Aspirated
Valves:	24 Valves	24 Valves	24 Valves
Bore x Stroke:	96mm x 78mm (3.78in. x 3.07in.)	96mm x 82.8mm (3.78in. x 3.26in.)	96mm x 82.8mm (3.78in. x 3.26in.)
Oiling System:	Integrated Dry-sump	Integrated Dry-sump	Integrated Dry-sump
Engine Oil Capacity:	8.8L	8.8L	8.8L
Timing Chain	5-Chain	3-Chain	3-Chain

The M96 engine started in the 1998 model (engine codes: M96.01/.02/.04). It has replaced the air-cooled flat-six engine with a more modern water-cooled flat-six having a displacement of 3.4 liters. Also, it came as standard with aspirated versions of the engine. It is rather interesting to see how the company succeeded in producing a highly powered car, and the design is so smooth, like the 996. These features make the car engine unique and well-engineered to produce power and, at the same time, be easy to handle, all of which are defining factors of the 911 series.

Horsepower: A Surge of Speed

Naturally aspirated M96 engines reached a power output of 296 horsepower at 6,800 RPM. The M96.01/.02/.04 engine codes belong to the first M96 model, which appeared in the Porsche 911 (996) Carrera during 1998-2001. Apart from the M96, the company released two succeeding variations that achieve better horsepower output.

The engine found in the 2002-2004 Porsche 911 (996) Carrera delivers M96.03 engine code power with its 3.6-liter capacity producing 320 horsepower. A combination of the M96 engine with engine code M96.03S exists in the 2003 Porsche 911 (996) Carrera 40th AE model to produce 360 horsepower.

The additional engine power gives drivers maximum capability for road overtake maneuvers or when they want to demonstrate power performance. The sporty nature of the vehicle receives valuable support from its quick acceleration system.

Torque: The Heartbeat of the Car

Torque is where the Porsche M96 engine variant stands to gain the most ground. It is equipped with a blatant 258 pound-feet of torque (M96.01/.02/.04) that is achievable at just 4600 RPM. The M96.03 and, respectively, the M96.03S have a higher torque than the first one, namely 273 pound-feet of torque that is achievable at 4250 RPM. I believe this is one of the reasons why the M96 engine is highly favored by most lovers of cars. Such low-end torque indicates the car can burst out of the starting line at the slightest provocation. Despite the steady, comfortable speed or a rushing turn after a bend of the road, the M96 seems to be prepared to race.

Personal Reflections on the M96

I have personally driven a 996 Carrera with an M96 engine, and I was not disappointed by its great performance. The harmonized power & torque will provide a driving sensation that will thrill the driver and equally respond to the driver’s commands. It is a car that reacts to the driver through its engine, therefore making each ride an unforgettable one. The power delivered is powerful but rather smooth, and combined with that typical Porsche handling, the M96-powered Porsche 996 Carrera is certainly a delight to drive.

A Nod to Innovation

There is something that I particularly like about the design of the M96, and that is that Porsche went out of its way to innovate when developing this engine. There was some controversy over whether a more civilized approach calls for an air-cooled or water-cooled engine, but the M96 engine proved that performance does not have to suffer for it. It is an engine that combines the stiff work of tradition, something that I do appreciate.

End Note

Porsche 911 (996) Carrera

The Porsche M96 engine is among the best indications that Porsche is not ready to compromise when it comes to the production of their automobiles. One must say that the application of turbocharging in the M96 model proved to be quite powerful and innovative in Porsche’s history. But no matter what status you hold—whether you are an elixir of life for performance car enthusiasts or just a regular onlooker, an M96 is an engine to rejoice.

To sum up, the M96 engine is a product of Porsche’s rich history and the company’s innovations; it is both powerful and impressive, both in terms of performance and the sensation a driver feels when behind the wheel.

FAQ Section

Is the Porsche M96 engine still popular today?

The M96 is a legendary engine that is found in the 996 generation of the Porsche 911.

Is the Porsche M96 engine open for tune-ups?

Yes indeed, there are numerous cases when M96 engines are altered to get more power and become more efficient.

How do you envision the difference between the model M96 and the M97 engine, its successor?

As for the M97 engine, it has more power and is more efficient than the M96 but that engine is still dear to enthusiasts for being the first of the new generation engines.

Is the Porsche M96 engine reliable?

All things considered, the M96 is quite a reliable engine if maintained correctly. However, it is always advisable to undertake regular overhauls of any older engine.

from Auto Blog | Latest Car News and Reviews, Trucks, Bikes, and Motorcycles https://ift.tt/d9bfSkO