Two lead thumpers fees this week; a KTM 640 Duke from Spain and a Suzuki DR650 from Australia. We also take a look at the limited edition MV Agusta Tamburini Corse F43 and the latest Triumph by Heiwa MC.
KTM 640 Duke by nix Design In the KTM family, 640 Duke is an ugly duckling. The dirt bike styling features, road-friendly 17″ wheels and awkward front end design don’t go well together. We’re sure it’s fun to drive, but the styling department fell asleep the day they designed the KTM 640 Duke.
Luckily, Iñaki Bellver, a 30-year-old engineer from Valencia, Spain, can see the beauty that lies below.
For most people, making the 640 look good would be a tall order, but not for the Iñaki. In his spare time, he runs his own custom garage; Ønix design. Looking for a bike to build one street tracking with, Iñaki tracked down a 2000 year KTM Duke 640 for sale and got to work.
The factory-cast wheels have been replaced with custom 17-inch spokes, wrapped in Mitas tyres. The all-terrain suspension has been changed, with the front end swapped out for USD forks taken from an Aprilia RS. Firmer springs and custom fork yoke are also fitted. The flat front number plate is custom and laser cut from aluminum.
The fuel tank is taken from an old Rieju TT505 and looks incredible, especially with the new BMW metallic gray paintwork. To contrast with the glossy gas tank, the rest of the car is painted matte black. The one-piece flat track style seat (with quick release mechanism) is made from forged carbon and sits on a custom subframe.
The dashboard has been shrunk down to a single Motogadget gauge, with digital indicators and LED warning lights. Easton handlebars and suspension clamps have been fitted, along with racing mirrors and a new radial IRC master cylinder for the front brakes.
The engine breathes easily through a new DNA filter, custom stainless steel exhaust and titanium silencer from Arrow. Iñaki wanted to keep driving the KTM on the road, so he fitted the lighting as minimally as possible, opting for an all-LED setup.
“The bike has a great power-to-weight ratio, with a lower riding position and is much more aggressive, so riding will be super fun,” says Iñaki. “With huge scale and noise, it will turn!”
This is not the first time Iñaki has appeared on the pages of BikeEXIF… and we are sure it will not be the last. [Ønix Design | Images by Juan Llobell]
Suzuki DR650 by Purpose Built Moto Purpose-built Australian Moto is back — this time with a cross-road track adventure bike. Customers (who have previously ordered a PBM bike) want a simple-looking street track bike that can also take on long-distance adventures. Tom Gilroy, head of honor at Purpose Built Moto, is keen to take on the challenge.
The base bike? A new brand, the last of its kind suzuki DR650.
“When you buy one tool to do two jobs, you get what we call a ‘prototyping machine’,” explains Tom. “You can use this tool as a shovel, but you can also use it as a hammer. However, it does both of those jobs pretty poorly.”
Don’t let Tom’s self-deprecating humor fool you, though—this DR650 is a genuine Swiss Army knife. In just 20 minutes, the car can be transformed from a minimalist street track car into a fully equipped adventure machine.
The svelte rear end is where most of the magic happens. Adventure kit includes a basket rack and rear fender that doubles as a 6 liter fuel tank [1.6 gallon] auxiliary fuel tank, with quick coupling. Equipped with a RotoPax fuel cell and a Kriega basket, this bike can go a long way before it needs to stop.
The bike also comes with two sets of wheels. The first set is the DR650’s standard 21F/17R pair, with Pirelli MT21 off-road tires. The second set uses yellow Excel-lined street wheels, shod with 17-inch Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires.
The front fender can be adjusted up or down, depending on the type of wheel fitted. Above it is a custom headlight setup, made by the PBM workshop.
The fuel tank is from a heavily rusted Honda CB550. The PBM team opted to repair rather than replace it, and during the repair they fitted a Motogadget speedometer to it. The seat covers and side panels are also customizable.
To give the old DR even more power, a Yoshimura RS-4 was retrofitted, along with custom racks and link tubes. The carburetor received a second-stage performance kit, with the fuel intake knobs treated after a bit of tweaking.
Bulletproof reliability, purposeful good looks and lots of versatility. We love it. [Purpose Built Moto]
MV Agusta Tamburini Corse F43 Many years ago, when I started pursuing motorcycles, I saw a bicycle blocking my way. It comes in red and silver, with a swingarm on one side and four silencers protruding from under the saddle. It’s an MV Agusta F4.
Originally designed by Massimo Tamburini, the MV Agusta F4 series was produced from 1999 to 2018. Along with the Ducati 916 and the Bimotas series, the MV Agusta inline four-cylinder is one of the famous creations. the best of Tamburini.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of F4, MV Agusta is collaborating with Massimo’s son, Andrea Tamburini, to release this product: the MV Agusta Corse F43 Tributo. The new F43 looks almost identical to its predecessor, but discerning F4 fans will notice subtle differences—such as the addition of a rear wing at the tail. The new design is a bit more angular and aggressive than the original, but that’s not a bad thing.
Only 25 cars will be produced in 5 colors; Tamburini, Veltro, Serie Oro, Mamba and Viper. If we had our choice, we would be in F43 Serie Oro. Hopefully (based on previous Serie Oro models) it gets the popular red and silver two-tone paint job and… delicious gold wheels.
If you want to be one of the lucky 25, it’s best to contact your MV Agusta dealer right away. [Source | Images from Andrea Tamburini on Facebook]
Heiwa MC’s Thunderbird Victory Kengo Kimura, founder Motorcycle Heiwa, known to the whole world. Operating out of Hiroshima in Japan, the Heiwa bikes are so great that Kimura-san has become a familiar face at the prestigious Yokohama Hot Rod Custom exhibition.
Everyone held their breath waiting for the next Heiwa bike and it’s easy to see why. Above all, he is one of the best people you will ever meet.
This is the latest build of Heiwa, named ‘Seven Star 7.’ It was a 1954 Triumph 6T Thunderbird, but very few details of the original car remained. The frame is completely custom, as is the beautiful handcrafted aluminum bodywork. The fuel tank and slim tailgate are ‘Heiwa’ but also completely unique.
The saddle and side panels are also custom, and if that swingarm looks too long to be factory Triumph, you’ve got a keen eye. It’s another piece of craftsmanship, suspended by MDI Lowdown shock absorbers specifically designed for this bike.
Chunky Continental tires are mounted on new 18-inch wheels, with modest brakes fitted to the custom axles. A set of classic Paioli forks have been adapted with custom fork clamps to keep the front end as narrow as possible. Kimura-san also built the headlights and front fork braces, and attached the Motogadget tachometer to the bars, tucked into a custom housing.
The engine itself was a work of art, completely demolished and rebuilt. Refueling is prepared by a new Mikuni VM32 carburetor, which draws air through a manually adjustable velocity stack. On top of that, Kimura-san built a new exhaust from the ground up, with a decoupled, unusual yet stunning design silencer.
As we’ve come to expect from Kengo, there’s so much good detail on this machine that we could spend hours mulling it over. This whole thing just shows off the quality of craftsmanship, but in a subtle way (if a shout can be subtle). Finished in mustard yellow with polished details, this is one of the best Heiwa builds of all time. [Source]
