Richard Pollock has been constructing bikes since earlier than Bike EXIF existed. With such a tenure comes a measure of consistency; the person behind the Mule Motorcycles moniker by no means disappoints.
Though Mule is greatest identified for his impeccable Harley flat trackers, he does simply as properly with different marques too. His newest challenge is a 2005 KTM 525 EXC with an erratic backstory and one heck of an angle.
“It began out as a ‘properly used’ path bike that was road plated,” Mule explains. “I purchased it two years in the past, with the intention of turning it into my private motocrosser. Then I bought a name from a buyer that I had beforehand constructed a Harley XR1000 for; he wished a road supermoto construct.”
“I constructed the bike with tons of latest components—it took not less than a yr and a half. As soon as I delivered the bike, he determined he wasn’t all that proud of the supermoto seat peak for on a regular basis blastin’ round—so he shipped it again for street tracker redo.”
In inventory trim, the KTM 525 EXC is a fire-breathing monster with a laughably low curb weight and sufficient torque to drag your arms from their sockets. However when Mule first bought his fingers on this specific one, it was, in his phrases, “a worn-out rag.” An obsessively complete rebuild was on the playing cards.
The motor was stripped and put again along with a 566 cc cylinder and piston from Constructed Motors, outsized head and base gaskets, and a KTM 866 crankshaft (as used within the KTM 790 Duke and 1390 Tremendous Duke R EVO). It was additionally handled to a five-angle valve job and a few minor porting.
Mule additionally upgraded the carb to a 41 mm Keihin FCR, with a brand new consumption boot to match the bigger carb, and a two-piece Ok&N filter. Subsequent, he fabricated a brand new two-into-one stainless-steel exhaust header, terminating in a refurbished muffler from a more moderen KTM enduro.
Different new objects embrace the valves, valve adjustment screws, guides, information seals, cam chain, cam chain adjuster, clutch plates, rocker arms, clutch plates, and extra. Each final gasket, seal, o-ring, and bearing was changed. The 525 additionally sports activities new outsized radiators and hoses, and recent titanium-colored Cerakote on the stator and clutch covers.
Mule binned all the KTM 525 EXC’s bodywork, earlier than ordering a full set of alternative plastics and a brand new gas tank to decorate the bike with. The seat is from the KTM Powerparts catalog. The entire package seems stock-ish, with daring Mule graphics to remind you that it’s not.
Hiding beneath the brand new bodywork is a scratch-built wiring loom, full with a high-output stator, an adjustable voltage regulator, a brand new coil, and a brand new plug cap. The battery’s a light-weight Lithium-ion quantity, serving to to shave extra weight off the already mild EXC.
Up within the cockpit, you’ll discover new KTM handlebars, fitted with Renthal grips, a brand new throttle, a Brembo brake grasp cylinder, and pared-down switches. A digital sprint from Path Tech sits entrance and heart, simply above a Bates-style headlight with LED internals. Tiny LED flip indicators and an OEM-style LED taillight full the set.
Subtler upgrades embrace braided stainless-steel brake strains from Crown Efficiency, an up to date clutch cable, and a thermostatic fan package. With no plastics to cover the bits that usually lurk close to the headlight, Mule took a left-field strategy to mounting the ignition barrel and horn.
The KTM’s important body went unmolested, however the subframe was ditched in favor of an aluminum unit. All the pieces was stripped and powder-coated, after which put again along with new bearings. A chromoly aspect stand from Mule’s catalog retains the bike upright when parked.
The unique forks and rear shock are nonetheless in play, however they’ve been overhauled and lowered. The billet yokes are from a later mannequin KTM, however the aluminum bracket that holds the headlight, entrance fender, and brake hose information is a home made half. Little bespoke components and glossy KTM manufacturing unit bits are peppered throughout this 525.
Lastly, Mule rebuilt the KTM 525 EXC’s wheels to match his shopper’s request for a street-ready flat tracker. The hubs and 19” rims are from Warp 9, with Buchanan spokes sitting between them. From the Dunlop DT tires to the rebuilt brake calipers, brake pads, entrance rotor, chain, sprockets, and chain adjuster bolts, there’s not an inch of this KTM that isn’t factory-fresh.
Mule’s KTM 525 EXC road tracker is a primary instance of type following perform—and one other feather within the cap of one of many scene’s greatest customized bike builders.
Mule Motorcycles | Instagram | Photos by Bart Cepek
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