Brappp! Do KTMs count?

[kitchener]

Since "Garage" is in the Topical guidelines.... Here's my 16 yo Joshua airing out his KTM 150. Some of you met him at the Mid-Atlantic Gathering this past February. I have a KTM 250, and his little brother Bode has a worked Yamaha 110.

 

[crgildart]

My mom never let me get one.. had to ride my friends' motos when she wasn't looking..

 

[scott43]

I was trying to figure out if I could pull off a season or two in this race class..

 

[kitchener]

My mom never let me get one.. had to ride my friends' motos when she wasn't looking..

Ha. I grew up about 5 miles south of Ski Roundtop. In summer, my buddy and I used to ride double on my 5 hp Techumseh motor mini-bike up there. LOL. Circa 6th grade. We found you went even faster if you reached down with your left hand and manually pushed in the throttle thingy above the carb.

 

[kitchener]

I was trying to figure out if I could pull off a season or two in this race class..

Wow!!! I'd die on that. Used to ride a Ninja 600 in my 20's when I was young and invincible. I wince now thinking of dragging my knee on twisty public roads, or splitting traffic at 120 with my girlfriend on the back (now my wife, lol). Now I can think of all the things that could have gone wrong.

Gorgeous bike. What a frame! Motul is all I run these days in the dirt bikes.

 

[Bill Talbot]

Of course they count!!!
My '06 950 ADV

 

[Bill Talbot]

Or a '74 Penton 400 MINT

 

[kitchener]

Bill I think if I ever ride street again it'd be on something just like that. These Austrians sure know how to build a bike. Tell me about that vintage bike. Is it a 2-stroke?

 

[Bill Talbot]

2-Stroke 400 single. ALL motor, fair suspension and virtually no brakes... a real handful!!!
But John Penton did so much for us 'mud runners'... and KTM going forward.
HIGHLY recommend the movie, Penton The John Penton Story

 

[Tom K.]

Or a '74 Penton 400 MINT

View attachment 23304

Well, it's no Jackpiner, but nice, nevertheless!

 

[Tom K.]

I just added this to the garage a couple weeks ago.

KTM 250 XC-F.

It's been about 5 years without a dirt bike, which is just WRONG!

 

[Bill Talbot]

Well, it's no Jackpiner, but nice, nevertheless!

Tom, I hooked up my bud with this NEVER fueled, thus un-ridden 1997.5 KTM 200 LE Jackpiner last year.
(his original in the backround is undergoing full refurbishment)

 

[kitchener]

2-Stroke 400 single. ALL motor, fair suspension and virtually no brakes... a real handful!!!
But John Penton did so much for us 'mud runners'... and KTM going forward.
HIGHLY recommend the movie, Penton The John Penton Story

Sounds promising (the film). No brakes, lol -- I bet! I'd love to hear that thing wide open. I can only imagine landing it with the suspension and weight, lol.

 

[kitchener]

I just added this to the garage a couple weeks ago.

KTM 250 XC-F.

It's been about 5 years without a dirt bike, which is just WRONG!

KTM has their bikes down to a science these days. You're going to love it. I have the 250 SX. I grin every time I I'm on it.

 

[kitchener]

Tom, I hooked up my bud with this NEVER fueled, thus un-ridden 1997.5 KTM 200 LE Jackpiner last year.
(his original in the backround is undergoing full refurbishment)

Ha. Unfueled for 10 years? Sounds like a proverbial found-in-the-barn story. How did that happen -- long-time leftover at a dealer?

 

[Tom K.]

Tom, I hooked up my bud with this NEVER fueled, thus un-ridden 1997.5 KTM 200 LE Jackpiner last year.
(his original in the backround is undergoing full refurbishment)

View attachment 23330

Bill, I would like this post five times if I could!

Though the 1997 200 cc model was a tribute version, with the original Jackpiner 175 being offered in 1975 IIRC, there is no doubt the 97 will be the better ride.

KTM has their bikes down to a science these days. You're going to love it. I have the 250 SX. I grin every time I I'm on it.

So far, so good, though rain/mud has limited me to one long ride! Two observations from a long-time KTM guy: first, the fork is actually great, which I've never said about a stock KTM fork, and second, the new traction control is surprisingly effective (it was still pretty snotty out there for my maiden voyage).

 

[Bill Talbot]

Ha. Unfueled for 10 years? Sounds like a proverbial found-in-the-barn story. How did that happen -- long-time leftover at a dealer?

It was being displayed as a tribute to John Penton, then 'plans changed' and got offered up for sale after almost 20 years!

NEVER fueled or started!!!

http://dirtbikemagazine.com/rebirth-of-the-jackpiner/

 

[Bill Talbot]

A couple early Pentons...

 

[Tom K.]

A couple early Pentons...

View attachment 25396

I wanted one of those SO badly as a kid!

My new 250 XC-F is a hoot. It's hilarious how much power a 250 four stroke makes these days. I strongly suspect it would out-drag my last race bike (1980 Kawasaki KX420 two stroke), but the power is so smooth!

The only downside, is that there is no longer anything special about owning a KTM. By their own success, they have become common. If you want special these days, it's more likely to be Beta, Sherco, Gas-Gas or TM.

Or.......the Alta Motors Redshift?!

 

[Bill Talbot]

Here's my ATK 'brothers'... The '89 406 (case reed ROTAX) and the '91 250 (rotary valve ROTAX)
KTM content... Front ends and wheels supplied through KTM to the ATK factory in CA.