iMotor has not been featuring as many motorcycles as it should so this story is looking to change that in a major way.
Yesterday, world-class custom motorcycle website BIKEEXIF shared a story about an unique 2000 KTM 640 Adventure that found new meaning in life after it was rebuilt by Florida-based airplane mechanic Mace Livingston.
Mace Livingston, founder of MaceTech Industries, started out with a 625cc single cylinder KTM 640 Adventure. According to Livingston, ""With that giant coffee-can piston swinging around, the KTM can be a bit teeth-chattering. Tons of usable torque though, and the bike is very light-despite its looks."
Blessed with a unique powerplant, Livingston believed that his KTM deserved a unique body as well. With the help of his wife, he went to work stripping down the bike until it was only an engine with a rolling chassis. As Livingston has no intentions of entering a Dakar anytime soon, one of the first things he did was switch up his motorcycle's geometry with Triumph Daytona forks and a KTM Duke swing arm for lower, more aggressive, proportions.
Next, the KTM's original sub-frame was a bolt-on structure. Livingston decided to change that as well, welding steel tubes to create a one-piece unitary frame. A grand transformation, Mace Livingston continued to explain, "My wife began sculpting clay to build the tail section and seat. After about two days of clay work we fiberglassed the whole thing, and started smoothing and bodyworking the final lines."
What's more, the couple also redesigned the gas tank to provide room for the radiators as well as more room behind it for airflow. In order to work out the shape with very steep ribs, Livingston used 90-degree bends of muffler tubing to work out the shape before welding it all together. Mace says that the tank capacity is three gallons exactly." Checking his work, Livingston also felt that "once the tank was built and we looked at it on the bike, it was too chaotic and intense to paint it. We loved it in raw steel, just the way it was."
A project-turned-obsession, no detail was overlooked. Heavily influenced by steampunk, "radiator guards" were made with slings from Russian Mosin-Nagant rifles. Aluminum panel trims were applied as well. Carrying the raw design language to the tail lamps, Livingston pieced together a couple .40 caliber pistol cartridges with 10mm LEDs custom trimmed to fit. To add even more flair, rifle service pouches double as the bike's saddlebags equipped at the rear.
With the fabrication nearly complete, the KTM was given a modified Duke header fitted with dual mufflers slightly altered for a throatier exhaust note. Truly a labor of love, the final MaceTech KTM is one of those jarring "love it or hate it" bikes that has the ability to spark a conversation unlike anything else.
Enjoy some more images of Mace Livingston's motorcycle below. Check out more custom builds stories at BIKEEXIF.
Happy hump day, everyone!
[Source: BIKEEXIF]
