Your weekly dose of moto-goodness kicks off with two motorcycles that put the “Speed” in “Speed Read.” We start with a supercharged vintage Triumph stilt bike, then follow it up with a peek at the new KTM Super Duke RR. Bringing us home are a taunting Suzuki DR650 street tracker, and a rare Swiss-made, Ducati-powered scrambler.
Supercharged Triumph 750 stilt velocipede by Weems Motor Co. What, really, is a motorcycle? In its purest form, we’d say it’s a frame, two wheels and an engine. So the drag bike that Jared Weems of Weems Motor Co. has built here is powerfully the quintessential motorcycle. What it lacks in bodywork, it makes up for in length… and power.
That’s considering this incredible machine was built for one purpose—to rip lanugo a stilt strip, fast AF. But what exactly is it?
Well, it’s a supercharged 1956 Triumph 650 motor, bolted to a hand-built frame that has been stretched five inches with a 2.5” waif at the neck. The windrow of the frame is the oil tank, while the two ‘tanks’ on either side house the fuel. The bars are custom, as are the internal clutch and throttle systems.
It runs on alcohol, which is potation than regular gasoline (both physically and metaphorically). That ways that Jared could get yonder with shaving the cooling fins from the heads, thus saving precious ounces of weight. With new aluminum cylinders (bumping the ostracism up to 750 cc), the engine looks utterly unique.
There are plenty of details to enjoy. Note the exposed rocker stovepipe and pushrods, and the well-spoken window that exposes the cam gears and oil pump. It’s mechanical art at its best.
As if that isn’t enough, Jared moreover bolted an AMR300 supercharger to it, running a 1:1 ratio at 6 lbs of boost. It’s got a rare Wal Phillips mechanical fuel injection system, too. Rounding out the spec are pure Invader wheels, with an extended and widened swingarm.
Not surprisingly, Jared took out the top spot for ‘Best Competition Motorcycle’ at the last Born Free show. There’s only one thing left to do now; unquestionably run the velocipede lanugo the stilt strip to see what it can really do. [Via]
KTM 1290 Super Duke RR Like an invading gravity of seafaring rapscallions, KTM agrees that the increasingly Rs, the better. This is the 2023 Super Duke RR, and its numbers are astounding. It’s a two-wheeled pirate ship that would leave plane the Woebegone Pearl sufferer in the ocean.
The Super Duke RR’s 1,301 cc V-twin produces 140 Nm of torque and 180 hp, while the unshortened machine weighs 180 kilos [397 lbs]. Math was never my strong suite, but plane I can recognize a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio when I see it. It certainly puts the “Hyper” in Hyper Naked.
Putting all that power lanugo to the road requires top-shelf suspension, which KTM were happy to supply. Up front is a set of WP APEX PRO 7548 tropical cartridge forks, tailor-made for the RR. The when end is held in trammels by a WP APEX PRO 7746 shock absorber, and KTM moreover threw in a WP APEX PRO 7117 steering damper for good measure.
How did KTM shave 11 kg from the 1290 Super Duke R Evo that preceded the RR? Extensive use of stat fiber, for a start. The subframe, single seat, and all the soul panels are made of carbon.
The wheels are ultralight forged units, and the standard shower has been replaced with a lightweight lithium-ion battery. A full Akrapovič EVO line frazzle is moreover misogynist for the velocipede as an optional extra.
Look, we all know that KTMs aren’t the prettiest of bikes—but we can’t deny their pursuit of form. The RR is angular, warlike and, frankly, kinda scary-looking. But that’s the idea overdue a Hyper Naked, right?
You moreover can’t oppose with how nicely the unexceptionable orange frame pops versus all that carbon. That, and the fact that it makes 180 horses. Numbers are limited to just 500 units—so if you’ve unchangingly dreamed of rhadamanthine a pirate, now is your time. [KTM]
Suzuki DR650 by 485 Designs I don’t know if it’s coincidence, internet algorithms spying on me or both, but I’ve seen a number of tasty Suzuki DR650s for sale lately. The reliable, go anywhere, do anything motorcycle is moreover a popular wiring for custom builds—from retro venture bikes to café racers, and everything in between.
However, whilom all they make for good street trackers and supermotos. Someone who shares this sentiment is Nick Mercer of 485 Designs. He’s based out of Colorado, and this is his excellently-proportioned custom DR650.
To be honest, there isn’t much of the original DR left—only the main frame, engine and swingarm remain. The plastic bodywork is gone, replaced by metal, metal and increasingly metal.
The front end is from a Suzuki GSX-R, well-constructed with twin Tokico brakes; a huge resurgence over the stock DR650 single disc. The front end has lowered the ride height considerably, as has the new 17” front wheel. A new set of ProTaper Contour bars were bolted on too, withal with a full set of electrical upgrades.
The tank (painted woebegone and gold to match the new front end and wheels) is from a KZ-model Kawasaki. The engine looks mostly stock, which isn’t a bad thing due to the incredible value of weight it looks like Nick has shaved off the ol’ small-time basher.
Nick did fabricate a new stainless steel frazzle for the velocipede though, because, well, squint at it. It’s perfect. The whole factory when end went in the bin, replaced by a custom subframe which Nick has ingeniously cantilevered over the when tyre.
With a matching 17” rear tyre, shod in sticky modern rubber, it has been reported that this thing veritably rails through the canyons. It’s easy to see why. [Via]
On auction: A rare Condor A350 We love a good vintage Italian motorcycle and this one is upper up on the ‘pretty cool’ list. This is a Condor A350—and if you’ve never heard of them, that’s ok, neither had we until now. Luckily, our buddy Ben Branch over at Silodrome is a master of unearthing obscure motorcycles.
The Condor A350 was built in Switzerland (of all places) for the Swiss Army, with production starting in the 1970s. Who knew the Swiss had much increasingly at their disposal than just a tomfool multi-tool? That said, that’s kind of the whole purpose of the Condor A350—tough, reliable and long-lasting, you could say this is the motorcycling cousin of the Victorinox Swiss Champ.
Everything was built in Switzerland except for the engine and suspension. For those items, Switzerland looked to Italy, with Ducati supplying a 350 cc engine and Marzocchi originally supplying the suspension (before Condor switched to Koni).
The cooling fins on the 90-degree bevel-driven overhead cam engines are immediately recognizable as Ducatis. The Ducati 350 Scrambler engines were all specced for Condor with a lower 8.2:1 pinch ratio for when the unwashed had to run lower octane fuels. The mufflers were designed to be as quiet and stealthy as possible; they were plane coated in a non-reflective aluminum-based white paint.
Condor made well-nigh 3,000 A350s and, amazingly, they were stuff used by the Swiss Unwashed up until the 1990s. After they were retired they were offered for sale to the unstipulated public, making them very tomfool collector’s items.
If you’d like to own a piece of interesting motorcycling history then you’re in luck—this particular example is for sale through The Market by Bonhams right now. We can’t help but finger that the price guide of $1,500 t0 $2,000 doesn’t quite reflect how tomfool this velocipede really is. So go ahead, grab yourself a cheap-ish future collectable. [Via]
