Producing roughly twice the power of their four-stroke counterparts, two-stroke engines were once widely used both in off-road and Grand Prix motorcycle racing, though the less-than-environmentally-friendly nature of these oil-burners would eventually seem them largely replaced by four-cycle mill racers. So when Australian startup SALT Motorcycles was looking for an exhilarating engine platform to power its limited-build series cafe racer, the fledgling firm turned to the fuel-injected two-stroke thumper from KTM’s 300 EXC TPI.
Though the lightweight Cafe Racer utilizes the 300 EXC TPI’s 293.2cc Transfer Port Injection two-stroke single and fully-adjustable WP Xplor suspension — the latter of which has been retuned for spirited road and track riding — practically nothing else of the dirt bike donor remains. Paired with a six-speed transmission with a Rekluse Radius CX clutch, the engine at the heart of the bike has also been gifted a high-compression TSP cylinder head and ECU, and a custom SALT expansion chamber feeding into a TYGA-Performance carbon fiber muffler — a powertrain that’s now good for 52hp and 34.5ft-lbs of torque.
Boasting a 32.6” seat height and an ultra-svelte dry weight of only 244.7lbs, SALT’s Two-Stroker also gets a circular LED headlight, a mono-posto tail with a diamond-stitched seat, a matching knee-dented tank with a Monza-style cap, and a set of Excel Takasago spoked rims with billet hubs. Once complete, each heavily-modified and entirely hand-built motorcycle is then passed off to ex-WSBK competitor and British and Aussie road racing champion Paul Lewis, who then road-tests and dials in the bike’s riding characteristics.
Available now on a built-to-order basis, SALT Motorcycles’ KTM 300 EXC TPI-based Two-Stroke Café Racer is priced at approximately $29,950 — a price that includes the $10,500 KTM donor bike. SALT’s Café Racer is also available in a trio of color options; royal blue, school bus yellow, or a Gulf-inspired powder blue and orange livery.
