Yet another 2 stroke build...

Guys, it's nothing too fancy but the bike came out nice so I thought I'd share. I apologize in advance for the poor quality of the photos.

It's a 2013 250SX to replace my '08 250SX (for sale btw).

I had some trick parts on my '08 so I did a lot of swapping of parts to get this thing how I wanted it and too control costs.

First I pulled the engines of both bikes and pulled my balanced and stroked Falicon crank out of the '08 as well as the 300 cylinder. These parts combined take the usually 293cc '300' to a true 314cc. It also completely changes the powerband in very dramatic ways, some good, some not so good. There was a brief test of my '08 with this engine in the Dec 2012 Dirt Rider issue fyi. But I absolutely prefer this powerband over the standard 300.



BTW, I have no explanation for why a 5 month old crank that gets ridden regularly and stored indoors is rusty. I don't know if it's alcohol in the fuel or what. Actually it is probably because I have been running my bike out of gasoline by shutting off the petcock which might leave the parts dry. Guess I won't be doing that anymore. Anyways, it's harmless.

Technically the '08 engine could have just bolted right in to the '13 but I wanted to keep as many of my new parts as reasonably possible plus the '13 gets a more narrow clutch and right side clutch cover.

Now the guy that puts my engines together is really into coatings. Some coatings are slick, some are heat dispersants, some are insulators, I don't even ask anymore. Notice the 2mm aluminum spacer plate for the stroker kit sitting on top of the engine cases.



We also went ahead and did the transmission on the '13 w/ slick coatings. It's supposed to reduce friction, improve shifting, etc...



Heads and powervalves were also coated. I have 2 heads, a low compression one for pump gas and a hi-compression one for race fuel.



While we were in there we went ahead and filed more pronounced hooks on the shift claw as this part often wears and prevents KTMs from upshifting at full throttle. Very annoying trait. You don't want to coat this part as it needs to grab. Notice the slotted head stay in the background to accommodate the raised cylinder.



I then decided to strip the frame and while I was there reinforce the lower exhaust hanger. This part has broken off my '08 at least 10 times.



Powdercoated the frame up in orange which is odd behavior for me as I'm not much for looks on my dirt bikes. Special thanks to MXboy for giving me the actual powdercoating code that KTM uses. It's a perfect match.



And here is a close up of the exhaust bracing that I mentioned.



I had actually already put full Ohlins suspension front and rear as well as some very nice SM Pro wheels before I tore the bike down for this.



I don't have any decent photos showcasing the Ohlins.

Then my engine builder called me up and said for me to come pick up the engine. Because the 300 cylinder we used was off my '08, the grey coloring didn't match, so my builder coated the cylinder w/ satin finish heat dispersant, which incidentally matched my wheels nicely. He also completely hid the spacer plate by coating it along w/ the cylinder making it invisible to the naked eye.



Also notice I took the RAD valve off my '08 and I shortened it in preparation for my APT carb which is longer than a stock carb.

All back together. In this photo the chain and countershaft guard are the only things missing as I was doing some parts swapping w/ my '08. I also ditched the plastic frame guards and went w/ grip tape because I think the plastic looks stupid and it just make the bike feel wider.





Also the bike has a few other parts that I picked up from the dealer when I bought the bike including the Powerparts Acerbis seat, PHDS handlebar system, some trick wide footpegs, ignition map switch, etc... I also grabbed a few random parts off my '08 including the Dick's racing carb, tug strap, RAD valve, Tubeless system, FMF expansion chamber, CF Leo Vince muffler, O-ring chain, Hammerhead shifter, etc... I also stuffed some spare tank foam I had in to the fuel tank to reduce sloshing. And lastly I installed the Hardparts Bellvue washer. It made the clutch have poor feel and very stiff. I might swap back. As a side note, in the packet that they handed out at the KTM Demo day there was a coupon for $500 in KTM parts if you bought a new bike and used the coupon. This is what paid for all the Hardparts that I got.

The only other mod I have planned is I have already bought the APT Smartcarb and am just waiting eagerly for it to arrive. To me, that part is the crowning touch that I am most excited about.

One other thing, my total investment in the bike is under $11K. When you consider that I have such a trick modern 2 stroke for basically what a stock Special edition 450F costs, it's really not that bad. I rode the last 250 for 5.5 years. I think I'll never sell this one. When I get too old to MX I'm going to turn this thing in to a dual sport for when I retire to a 3rd world country!

I hope to finally break away from work and ride it tomorrow for the first time w/ the built engine but I sure am rusty right now. But very excited. I also need to give a shout out to the gang down at TJs KTM in Austin, TX cause they always jump thru hoops to take care of my motorcycle needs and it's much appreciated.