Bike Dissected: Kale Makeham's 2013 KTM 250SX

This KTM 250SX made history by being the first two-stroke to repel the four-stroke’s MX2-class onslaught at the Australian MX Nats. So, what makes it so special? This article originally appeared in Transmoto Dirt Bike Magazine‘s 2013 October (#36) Issue.

The days of a 250cc two-stroke winning a race at a national motocross meet should be long gone, as modern four-strokes are more powerful and easier to ride. But nobody gave that script to Kale Makeham. In April, after a decent start on the hardpack track of Appin, NSW, the now 20-year-old shocked the regular MX2-class front-runners at the MX Nats by not only leading a national moto, but also taking the flag. So you’d expect the bike he made history on to be some tricked-up pony, only winning because the amount of dollars spent on it have helped roll back the years, right? Wrong! Take a look at the bike. Hardly a princess on the outside, and there’s no nuclear physics going on in the engine, either. In fact, it’s a living example of how a decent bike can perform with the right rider behind the handlebars.

The bike comes alive mainly due to the spannerman skills of Steve Jones, who works with his father at AJ’s Motorcycles in Shepparton, Victoria. But it’s Steve and Kale’s ability to work together (under the Tune Tech Racing banner) that makes this project fly. The aim was always to build a budget bike that could take on the best. And it has. Regardless of the rest of the season, you’d have to say that goal has already been achieved. The two-stroke in question is nothing more than a 2013 KTM 250SX, and one that’s much easier to list what’s remained standard over what hasn’t. Sticking to the orange life, 99% of all the modifications have come straight from the Austrian company’s own Power Parts catalogue, meaning this is one bike that you can pretty much build at home. It’s clear we’re going to have to dig deep to find the changes on this Bike Dissected…

Standard As

There’s no room for bling on this bike. The rims, spokes and hubs haven’t had a cent spent on them. The same goes for the bars, pegs and bodywork. Internally, the engine runs a standard piston and bore, along with original cylinder porting. The same goes for the suspension’s internals – modified, but all bog stock.

Engine

The motor’s port timing and compression have both been altered to find more low-range torque to suit Kale’s style. This has been achieved with a change to a thinner base gasket and head machining. The standard V-Force reeds and block are kept, along with the production electronics and engine management system.

Carburation

The biggest difference comes via the use of a carburetor from an 11-year-old model. Back in 2002, the 250SX ran a Keihin 38mm PWK Air Striker (non pumper) carb as standard and this unit replaces the 2013 bike’s smaller 36mm PWK unit. Fitted with a JD needle, it’s jetted at each meeting to suit the track and conditions. As the carb is approximately 12mm longer, the air boot had to be modified to fit, allowing a bigger volume, while running the standard filter.

Brakes & Tyres

Pirelli mid-softs are the tyre of choice at the vast majority of the rounds, though the bike wears the rear Sand tyre for its laps of Queensland’s Hervey Bay, where it was photographed. Heavy-duty tubes handle the inflation duties. Brakes are standard, aside from the forged front lever and a 0.5mm thicker rear disc, while the stock caliper is held by an upgraded billet alloy carrier. Kale’s heavy on the anchors and boils the brake fluid at most rounds.

Suspension

Ti Nitride is employed on the fork sliders, while the fork tubes get a dose of hard anodising. Internally, there’s the usual re-valving and re-springing to suit Makeham’s 75kg frame. At the rear, a Tune Tech bladder gets the nod, along with the valving and spring mods. Overall, the shock gets lengthened by the addition of a 4mm spacer, to help give the bike an increased tip-in feel.

Cockpit

The Xtrig adjustable triple clamps give the choice of the standard 22mm offset or a reduced 20mm. Kale runs the 20mm setting which, along with the longer rear shock, puts more weight on the front wheel. Forged clutch and brake levers are added to aid crash resistance, while Renthal kevlar dual-compound grips finish the standard bars off. A KTM Wave seat cover keeps the standard height, but now acts as a stepped saddle.

Nuts & Bolts

The bike runs 13/48 gearing all year, and the anodised KTM sprocket is only on the bike because the original wore out. The engine gets stripped after every three meetings, but it’s only the piston that needs to be replaced. Kale has two bikes for the season – this is his second bike and the one that’ll see him through until the end of the 10-round MX Nats.

Exhaust

A full Power Parts exhaust system has been grafted onto the bike. No fancy titanium here; just good old-fashioned mild steel. Made by Doma for KTM, the system’s alloy muffler has been shortened by 60mm to help increase the low-down torque.

Steve Jones – Team Manager

“We set out to make a competitive bike on a budget. We’d rather spend the dollars on testing and tyres than to just make the bike look bling. We’ve been helping Kale since the start of last year and he won the U19 SX title with us in 2012, before he stepped up to the MX2 class. Originally he came into the shop to buy a cheap bike after a lengthy layoff from riding due to a shoulder injury. He’s normally a four-stroke rider, but the two-stroke was where his budget was at. From the first test, I knew he was something special. He shouldn’t have won at Appin, though. I mean, that was a pretty hardpacked track and the four-strokes should have held the upper hand. Apart from getting off the line slightly easier, a two-stroke is much harder to ride for the entire 30-minute duration of a moto. Which makes that Appin win (and the other impressive Overalls this season) that much sweeter!”

Kale Makeham – Rider

“It’s really been an 18-month test program to get to our first race win. The bike’s now a great package – the suspension has a softish set-up to it, there’s a great tip-in feel and explosive power from really low down. We had two weeks of solid testing before the season began and we always test a day before each round. As the bike progresses, it’s harder to make big improvements in terms of power or handling. I’m not that fussy when it comes to many areas of the bike, and that’s why it runs so much standard gear. It’s a cost thing really, and that also spreads to the rest of the raceday outfit. I get changed in the back of a van and the pit set-up of just a Quikshade and toolboxes is a mile away from the big-money teams. Every now and then, I’ll catch another rider looking over, as if to say, ‘I remember when riding was that cheap and fun’. It’s a great feeling to be up there mixing with the four-strokes and having the whole paddock take notice of our low-budget effort. In terms of bang for buck, I think we’ve got it nailed.”