This is a KTM 500mx bike I picked up as a project off of Craigslist. I have a bit of an obsession with KTM 2-stroke motorcycles.
These bikes were known to be absolute beasts. In terms of power they put the competing big bore bikes of the time to shame. The KX500 and the CR500 just did not produce as much peak power as these KTM’s.
This bike had been torn down when the head gasket blew – a fairly common problem with these bikes due to their insane compression. I got it from the previous owner almost exactly as shown. He had already resprayed the frame and polished up a few bits here and there. Still lots of work to do though.