If you`re over 6-foot-2, your KTM is too small!

2TALL RACING KTM SPACE KITS
If you’re over 6-foot-2, your KTM is too small!
By Tom Webb
The 2Tall space kit comes totally complete to equip
your KTM with an additional 25mm of room through
the cockpit zone. Subframe risers, tank and muffler
extensions, an airbox extender, and all of the hardware to pull it together highlight a kit that is definitely on the pricey side of ergonomic updates.
According to Jan, the average height of
the last 10 AMA 450 motocross champions
was 5-foot-8.
2013, 2012, 2011 Villopoto — 5-foot-8
2009, 2007, 2006 Stewart — 5-foot-7
2010 Dungey — 5-foot-10
2008, 2004 Reed — 5-foot-11
2005 Carmichael — 5-foot-6
I
’ve always had issues riding low or physically tight
machines with high pegs and a low seat height. Being
6-foot-2 means that I’m not in the motocross mainstream,
and since the days when we actually lowered our CZs to
get them to corner better, I’ve struggled with ergonomic
comfort. The big change came as I neared the 40-year
mark. I had had a handful of knee surgeries and was trying
to qualify for the ISDE. I realized that I could not maintain
the proper knee flex to keep me forward on the bike for
six- to seven-hour stretches. Danny LaPorte helped hugely
when he said that most of the European riders he knew
that were tall all ran a taller saddle and bars. He told me to
look at the knee bend of a rider who is 5-foot-8 and then
one my height. Their knees were cocked at a 90-degree
angle; mine were squished to maybe a 65-degree angle.
From that day on, I started building my own saddles that
were usually 20mm taller than stock, and I always used
very stiff foam (since I didn’t want it to sag and reduce my
knee bend). Companies like Guts and Enduro Engineering
that make taller foam kits have been friends of mine for
years.
Very recently, I met Jan Doeksen at the Glen Helen round
of the Nationals. Jan’s my height and told me about his
company, 2Tall Racing. They make space kits for late-model KTMs and, unlike my ongoing mods (taller seat, taller
bars and lower pegs if possible), the 2Tall space kit actually
raises the handlebars, fuel tank, radiators and subframe. At
the same time, you can use your stock handlebars, stock
saddle and stock footpegs. He offers two different kits, a
Stage 1 and Stage 2. The Stage 1 kit is for riders at the
6-foot-1 range and moves everything up 25mm. The Stage
2 kit targets riders who are over 6-foot-2. According to Jan,
there’s little technology available to help taller riders adjust
their machines. With the additional 40mm height throughout the cockpit and saddle, tall pilots are raving.
84 www.dirtbikemagazine.com
Our test pilot is 6-foot-4 and is unusually long at the torso and
shorter at the leg length. You can see here on the stock KTM
a serious leg crunch and an upper body that’s very vertical at
the spine, which brings the head back.
With the 2Tall space kit, there is a shade less leg bind but
much more room through seat and bars, which allows for
a more athletic pose with his head forward and arms bent
equaling a more proper cornering gait.
The 2Tall clamp raises the bars dramatically, yet allows for the
proper lines from the saddle and footpegs to engage a pilot
who is 6 to 7 inches taller than the “normal” rider.
The subframe risers are CNC-machined
and bolt up perfectly. You use a combination of stock hardware and supplied
fasteners from 2Tall.
The tank spacer maintains the flow from the saddle through
the tank, and 2Tall has a sano new mounting system for the
radiator shrouds, which, too, are taller.
Use silicone seal (supplied) on the
extender to fit the airbox boot.
The 2Tall kit helps make a machine designed to fit a
5-foot-8 rider layout perfectly for a 6-foot-2 or taller pilot.
One of the big questions we got hit with was, “But how will
it affect the cornering? If I’m tall in the saddle, I won’t be
able to stay low and rail the ruts.” What we’ve found more
often than not is that the taller guy can’t get forward on
the tank anyway. With his knees squeezed closed,
and with knee braces, it’s common for the taller pilot
to sit back farther on the machine, which inherently
works against proper cornering technique.
The new muffler hanger keeps the
exhaust position stock, yet lets it fit the
new taller subframe.
THE INSTALL
The parts you get in the kit are a tank riser, handlebar
clamps, radiator mounts, new subframe mounts, muffler hanger, an airboot extension, and a gaggle of glues,
hardware and directions to help you with fitment.
The 2Tall kit works with the stock cables, but you
do need to pay attention to their routing. Most
of the bolt-ons are pedestrian and just require
common sense. The airboot extension (necessary since the whole subframe gets raised and
is farther from the throttle body)
needs to be silicone-sealed
in place (they provide it).
The subframe risers are
machined out of billet
and fit perfectly. The
handlebar clamp is very
sano (machined out
Looks-wise,
it’s not readily
apparent that
your KTM has
been fit with a
system that lifts
it for the 6-foot2-and-taller pilot.
NOVEMBER 2014 / DIRT BIKE 85
2TALL RACING KTM SPACE KITS
of billet) and raises the control panel to match the tank,
which gets a molded spacer and new mount. The radiators receive new catches, basically the same rubber piece
that holds up the sidestand on a KTM. The new mount is
simple and works well. You have to disconnect the subframe, unhook the airboot from the throttle body and then
follow the directions. The 2Tall folks told us that they would
have either video or detailed photos online to help with the
install.
ON THE TRACK
When you sit on the 2Tall-kitted KTM, it feels identical to
stock, only taller. This may sound idiotic, but compared to
fitting a taller saddle and either bar risers or taller handlebars, it is completely different. A taller saddle has more
give and drop. The tank sits low, and you tend to sit more
in it than on it, like you would with a stocker. I immediately felt comfortable. My knee bend was closer to the
90 degrees that I want, and I had the ability to slide both
forward and aft without being overly cramped. Strangely,
it was the first time in years that the layout and feel of a
stock KTM felt normal. Because I have been using taller
saddles and bars for years, the height of the machine had
no effect. What I craved was the ergonomic flow from the
saddle to the tank and the ability to retain some decent
body alignment and positioning entering corners.
Comfort and mobility are really important to me. Because
of knee issues, which hamper my ability to get forward,
and the fact that my cornering speed has not ramped up
The radiator shrouds receive a rubber
loop and a hook to fasten them. It’s
simple and works.
Stock seat height is 38.1 inches.
Stock bike. Can’t get real forward on the tank. Straight back
and arms hamper the taller rider.
86 www.dirtbikemagazine.com
The 2Tall-kitted seat height is 39.1 inches.
Just a tick less knee flex with the 2Tall kit, more arm flex and
a more forward head showcase the additional space.
2TALL RACING KTM SPACE KITS
2Tall makes space kits for the KTM
85, and they have been well-received
throughout Europe. They are slated to
offer kits for Husqvarna models (both
minis and the regular line) this year.
Stock bike, arms straight, back straight and head back are not
conducive lines concerning a dirt bike.
More room equals an increased flexibility while cornering.
Head is forward, the back has some tilt and arms are far more
flexed. This rider actually looks comfortable.
Heading into a corner following a rough straight on the
stocker shows a more knee-bend approach, with the body
scrunched in the middle of the machine. This happens mainly
with bars that are too low and far back.
The taller machine lets the rider really stay athletic, a slight
bend at the legs, a torso that is hinged, a head far more over
the bars and a proper flex position at the arms.
88 www.dirtbikemagazine.com
RIDE COSTA RICA
Stage 1 kit: Motocross only, $945
Stage 2 kit: Motocross and enduro,
$995
KTM 85cc: $895
www.2tallracing.com
as the clock keeps ticking, I have to
keep some athleticism in my stance,
and a big portion of this comes from
the ability to go from seated to standing easily, plus the necessity of getting up on the tank in corners. With a
taller seat and bars, I’ve learned how
to deal with mobility. With the 2Tall
space kit, life has gotten smoother,
easier and way more effortless.
The 2Tall space kits are not cheap,
but then again, their complexity and
design target riders interested in making sweeping changes to their chassis’
layouts without sacrificing durability
and feel. There is good news in that
the kit is totally transferable should
you buy another KTM. Personally, I
think the 2Tall kit may have complicated my life, since there’s no going
back now and I usually have two to
three KTMs in my garage throughout
the year.
They are working on kits for the
Husqvarna models (2014 and 2015)
and have kits for the KTM 85. Jan
explained that the Stage 2 kit has
many options. 2Tall uses Raptor Ti
pegs that are lower than stock (from
the top), and they offer units placed
farther back for the 6-foot-3 and over
crowd. They also suggest Blackbird
saddles that retain the exact KTM
shape but use a taller foam with a
proper density.
In the end, this letter came from
Jan’s first U.S. customer: “I’m 6-foot5 and struggle to try and make a bike
comfortable for me. My current ride is
a KTM 450XC-F. I stumbled on 2Tall
Racing and found the cure. If you are
tall and would like your bike feel the
way it should to you, look them up on
the Internet. I purchased the Stage 2,
which raised my tank and subframe 2
inches, as well as moving it all back
about an inch or so. Easy install and
can be switched to another bike if
you purchase a new one. Feels great.
Very pleased with it. It feels way different but better. Now I know how the
5-foot-10 guys feel on a bike!”
We couldn’t have said it better. o
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NOVEMBER 2014 / DIRT BIKE 89