This week I picked up my latest project- KTM Moto2! Bike was raced by Jake Dixon in Quatar 2019. At some point they took off the electronics and engine for another bike, and the bike sat in Angel Nieto's garage for a couple of years. The bike is complete other than that, including radiator, airbox, exhaust, basically all of the key parts. My original plan was to get a stock Triumph 675 or 765 engine / harness and race it like that. But with KTM shutting down their Moto2 program, the satellite teams had more parts coming available so I was able to get the full Triumph Moto2 engine, clutch, Magnetti Marelli harness, dash, ECU, IMU, and sensors. I also scored a set of spare bodywork, springs front and rear, and a full set of sprockets. So basically, we have all of the parts to restore it to "as raced" condition. It got delivered Wednesday before Daytona, all I have done so far is take the bodywork off and wash it. I did go through the whole box of parts and it appears we have everything. So the next step is to put all the electronics / harness back on and see if it starts and runs. We will need a few small parts like radiator hoses, fuel lines, etc. The Magnetti Marelli is a question mark, supposedly there's maps in the ECU, we have someone that can access it and map it, however as usual it's "Complicated". The Moto2 program with Marelli is different than the regular stateside stuff, so many of the experts we know don't deal with the Moto2 program. Magnetti Marelli always involves paying, wether it's for a cable, software access, or something else. So if it's not cost prohibitive, we'll go that direction. If not, we can always put a different ECU or stock ECU on it and go ride! Plan is to get it sorted at track days, then Club Race it. AHRMA allows triples in SOT classes, and there's the GP classes in WERA or CCS. And of course there's MW Formula 40 where I can use it to piss off my buddies on their R6's. More updates to follow, of course. Photos I took in the driveway after washing it: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QbJGYXzbR7xCacJZA
Congrats!! As far as Magnetti Marelli try reaching out to Freddy at superbike unlimited. He went to the Magnetti Marelli school and is working with westby this year. He might be your best shot on the east coast
Nice! Post some pics of it. When did Moto 2 switch from Honda to Triumph 765 engines? Was it 2019? So this is a KTM chassis with the Triumph 765 engine?
The back story is that I was looking for something new for when I'm done with MotoAmerica Twins. I really wanted an R1, with modern electronics and stuff, since all of my bikes are pretty analog. But reality is that I'm not going to be fast on an R1, I do better with less HP and part of the enjoyment is being competitive in at least one of the old man classes. The whole package is about what you would pay if you put together a new R1 with all of the crap to make it ready for STK 1000 or similar. So in my mind, it's a deal. And it's something unique. I'll probably spend some more getting it going, of course. Thanks, of course we will keep him in mind. My tuner is good with electronics, and has some Magnetti Marelli software from a WSB Honda that some guys around here bought. So that may work. The worst case scenario is that we have a connection with one of the Moto2 teams in Europe who will give us a basic map. The Moto2 electronics are a little confusing. The "Jr Teams" don't have the full package, which I believe is the ability to store 20 maps- they can then use the corner by corner torque map to come up with a form of traction control. The lesser package is only the ability to store 4-5 maps. The bikes do have an IMU and speed sensors, which is what is needed for TC, but I'm not sure it really works like traditional TC. Of course it has the ability to do full data logging, which we will eventually use. Honestly as long as I have auto blip and quick shift, I'll be happy. It's not like I'm going to try and qualify for a Moto2 race with it. I'm not sure what year they switched- yes, this is a KTM Chassis with the triumph engine and Moto2 spec electronics. Most of the other bikes are Kalex, so the KTM is kind of unique in that they built their own chassis. This is one reason I wanted the spare bodywork, as it's not like you can go to sharkskinz and get a replacement set if you crash. I was lucky to get that. I haven't had it near a scale yet, but it seems very light- 320 ish is my guess. All of the bolts are Ti, the carbon bodywork and ram air parts are paper thin but strong- probably autoclave and vacuum bag formed. They weigh like nothing, it's strange. Today I was looking for the spot for the battery and I found that the tail section has a big removable weight under the seat. Min Weight is 345 LB and combined bike and rider weight is 477 LB, so I think I can safely remove that LOL.
Did you receive any setup notes or guidance? I always wanted one, but the amount of adjustability deterred me for small time racing. My understanding is the steering stem placement alone, for example, can be adjusted for rake, trail, and offset/length all without affecting any other variable on the bike.
I thought buying stuff like this was against union rules? If its not rental property, physical gold/silver or a 'vette i thought it was illegal. Congrats. That looks very nice.
We have none of that. From what I can see, the stem is probably adjustable with inserts. The swingarm pivot also is adjustable. It will be fun to tinker with it. Getting the last 10% out of the chassis is the least of my worries for now.
Not that I can see anyone really caring enough to protest, but I'm not sure you can run that in SOT given that it's not a production based machine.
