KTM 450 EXC 2018 by Hong Kam

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How about a small introduction of yourself to the readers of Supermoto Central?

My name is Hong Kam, I am an aquatics coach, also a motorcycle stunt rider in team "Stuntergy" and "Insurgents Supermoto". I've been riding supermoto since 2006 but I stopped riding it in 2014 because of changing to the stunt riding in 2014 with my Honda Grom. I didn't want to give up the Supermoto, therefore I got the brand new 2018 KTM 450 EXC-F bike in February 2018 and started converting it into the Supermoto Stunt Bike.

How did you get into supermoto and what do you find so great about it?

I knew a group of friends who are riding the supermoto bikes in Hong Kong, I love supermoto because it is very light in weight and easy to control like riding a bicycle. It is a great bike to ride on-road, a bit off-road, and stunt as well. It can be a stylish and unique bike because we can change different plastics, graphics, and other parts according to our preference.

When and how did the idea for this project originated? What’s was the base for your project?

I planned to get the supermoto bike again in January 2018 but with stunt setup, therefore I got the brand new 2018 KTM 450EXC-F in February. I planned to do the simple supermoto conversion with stunt setup, however, after looking at different supermoto stunt bikes in other countries for reference, I simply had a brainstorm and started focusing on the special and unique modification on my bike. I saw there were transparent plastics for SX-F and I tried to get it on my bike with simple transparent graphic decals to show the plastics. I did try the Alpina wheelset with Beringer brake system on my KLX450R before, I wanted to use something different this time, therefore I looked for the Faor double front disc brake system, and FaBa wheelset which has tubeless system and fits Faor well.

Can you tell us in short how the build went? Did you have any big problems or did it all went smooth?

The build went well, I installed transparent plastics, graphics kit and stunt set up with the rear hand brake system on my bike very soon after I got this new bike. However, the double disc system needed to took a very long time to build, customize and modify to fit my OEM fork because they never made this system for the 17-18 EXC-F bike. Other than that, everything went very smooth includes lowering the front and rear suspension to fit supermoto riding. A really nice thing was that I became an ambassador of CMTcompositi when I was doing the supermoto conversion, CMT likes my style, therefore they start the sponsorship program with me.

What do you use your bike for? Do you ride it on the street or just take it to the track once in a while?

I mainly ride it on the street with my friends from "Insurgents Supermoto", also stunt riding with my team "Stuntergy".

Is this your first supermoto project or did you also build other supermoto bikes?Do you have any plans for another supermoto project in the future?

This is my third supermoto project. My first supermoto bike was converting a Suzuki DRZ400S to supermoto in 2006, and my second project was the conversion with Kawasaki KLX450R in 2009, and this KTM is my third project. I don't have any other plans in the future because I am very happy with my recent bike which is comfortable to ride and easy to control. E-Supermoto might be my next project if I can get the registration for this kind of bike in Hong Kong.

Have you got any tips or advice for people that want to start a project like this?

If you want to use the double disc brake system for your bike, you'd better check whether it fits your bike because you have to change the bottom fork too. Also, for the stunt setup, it's easy to get the axle sliders and rear hand brake system, but it's difficult to get the stunt subframe and pegs for my bike, please let me know if you know someone who can build one for me ;)

Follow Hong Kam at www.instagram.com/hong_stuntergy