If you thought the two-stroke motorcycle was dead, think again.
Many bespoke companies around the world are keeping the smell and light-switch power of two-stroke motorcycles alive.
The latest is a new Australian motorcycle company called Salt which has developed a cafe racer powered by the KTM 300 EXC TPI engine with a lightweight frame, exotic components and bespoke build.
Salt chief development officer is former former 500 GP racer and multiple national champion Paul (Angry Ant) Lewis who worked at Morgan & Wacker in Brisbane until recently.
“It’s everything we set out to achieve,” he says.
With 52 horsepower, just 111kg of dry weight and Austrian WP suspension and brakes the corner-carving weapon promises to be a real track-day weapon.
However, that power-to-weight recipe is going to cost quite a bit … try $39,990 for size!
Mind you, many of the other two-stroke track-only weapons being released around the world to a motorcycling public starve of traditional two-stroke fumes is not cheap, either.
For example, the Langen Two-Stroke machine will set you back £28,000 ($A57,000) plus tax!
Langen two-stroke motorcycleThe all-Australian, hand-built Salt allows customers to chose the suspension setup, colours and upholstery.
At the heart of the machine is a KTM 300 EXC TPI engine with a Salt expansion chamber, high–compression TSP cylinder head and ECU.
It develops 52-horsepower at 8500rpm and 46.8Nm of torque at 7000rpm.
The expansion chamber was designed in-house and took hundreds of hours of R&D. Tyga performance manufactured the final product and combined it with a craftsman-built stainless steel exhaust system and carbon silencer. We’d love to hear that!
Power is driven through a six-speed gearbox with a Rekluse CX Torqdrive auto clutch so there is no need to select neutral when stopped at the lights. Just twist and go for maximum acceleration.
It features fully adjustable WP suspension as used on KTM motorcycles with upside forks anda monoshock rear tweaked by Aussie MPE Suspension.It has Brembo brakes, with single 260 mm rotor and 4-piston calliper at the front and 220mm rotor with 2-piston calliper at the rear.
The Salt features a traditional 19” front wheel with Takasago Excel Rims and 110/90-19 tyre, complemented by a 130/80-18 section rear.
Seat height is a high 830mm, combined with clip-on handlebars and mid-controls to make a cafe racer rider position.
Up front are instruments dominated by a large analogue tachometer with an LCD display inset to display speedometer, odometer and trip computer functions. An array or warning lights sit between the dial and its Molock keyless ignition.
Bodywork and seat cowl are made of carbon fibre and the aluminium fuel tank is hand crafted in Brisbane.
