KTM 530EXC-R •SPARKED UP’: THE ULTIMATE KIT BIKE?
STAR ISLAND MOTOSPORTS KTM 530EXC-R
Hengeveld’s KTM dealership and F2 Racing build a street legal weapon
The Hengeveld clan (from whom Steve is the most famous) owns several dealerships in Arizona and offered one of our editor’s a free ride on one of their new full kit bikes- a dialed in KTM 530EXC. By the time Webb kneed Adam in the larynx and nailed Ron in the head with a well-thrown cell phone he gladly accepted the chance to abuse the Star Island Motorsports KTM. 
What follows is a hit list of ‘what-to-do and why’ to a machine that is truly a remarkable street legal dirt bike. Hengeveld’s Star Island Motorsports works closely with F2 Racing and fine tunes the quirks, erases the irritating nuances and elevates the rideability of the machine. Webb then abused the machine, made a few changes of his own and then flat refused to return it. It’s that good. 
MORPHING INTO A MEAT EATTER
F2 Racing spent considerable effort on performance. Here’s the initial hit list:
• They fit on a wideband air/fuel meter along with their onboard dyno/accelerometer to check the stock jetting. According to their readings it was marginal and would benefit from new brass, along with some F2 carb widgets. 
• With the Powerback Kit in place not only was starting improved, power enhanced (better bottom, smoother mid and a longer pull on top) the fuel economy was improved by 20%.
• To help bottom performance and let the 530 pull the taller gearing necessary for occasional street riding F2 fit on one of their Scram exhaust manifolds. This bolts on and improves low-end throttle by actually altering the size of the manifold. Of note here, the Scram also helps in severe elevation and is huge aide in performance. 
• Gearing. The new engine has new internal gear ratios with a final drive of a 15-45. Most people opt for a change to 14-50 gearing to give the machine some necessary perk in what feels like an overly tall spread. F2’s onboard dyno proved that this gearing would make you ride in the declining portion of the RPM range with their engine/jetting kit. So the best gearing ended up being 15-48, which kept the powerband between 1000 RPM below peak torque and the peak horsepower point. Now when you’re on the gas you’re in the climbing portion of the powerband. This is good and still makes for a good top speed for transport zones.
• The chain. They don’t like the stocker, claiming that it may be o-ringer but it really doesn’t roll too easily. They replace it with a DID professional series ‘T’ ring chain. It is not only sealed, but it rolls easily absorbing less power than the stock unit. 
• F2 modifies the stock muffler by cutting out the insert. Then they DB tested it and found that it gained only 1 decibel, but more importantly helps to remove vibration by letting the bike relieve itself of pressure build-up.
• Stock header and muffler. Both get Ceramic coated and the header gets wrapped with high temperature header wrap. This not only keeps the rider from searing his leathers, it helps encourage a performance increase by keeping heat away from the carb, the rear master cylinder and contains the heat which promotes faster evacuation. 
• The final additions in the engine department were an F2 ignition switch that allows you to easily switch ignition curves in the fly and F2 magnetizer oil filler caps to aid in picking missed metal fragments out of the engine oil.
• Suspension. F2 keeps it simple here and added their Unshock suspension bearings to the front and rear. These (flat roller bearings) are placed on one side of the shock and fork springs and takes the twisting tension off of the spring. By removing this tension the suspension moves much easier through the stroke and during testing we went back and forth between the Star Island Kit bike and a production 530 and found the difference was amazing. The suspension felt more balanced, plusher, and incredibly more stable. The good news is that the Unshock suspension bearings work easily with modified suspension too. 
• They fit on a modified skid plate from a Honda XR 650, which molds on nicely and provides wrap around protection for the side cases. The radiators are protected with Bullet Proof CNC machined guards.
•The tires are replaced with a Dunlop 952 in the rear and 742 FA in the front, and then the wheel assembly is balanced to get that stock wobble out.
WHAT WEBB ADDED
• First thing the Wolfster popped on the machine was an Enduro Engineering saddle. It’s taller, has great foam and a mod that he considers crucial for tall riders.
• Fasst Flexx handlebars get the nod. They’re a bit heavy, but give extra cushion on long hacky rides and actually feel like you’ve modified the suspension.
• Zip-Ty Racing rear shark fin. It’s sano and saves the rear disc from getting mashed into a wobbler.
• Hot Grips. Both Aerostitch and Enduro Engineering offer them. They require a bit of work to install, but when weather conditions turn grim, they’re flat incredible. They will actually dry wet gloves in a downpour!
• Handguards. Southland set it up with Cycra full wrap guards. They give a great fit and offer excellent hand mobility. When Webb installed the Fasst bars he hadn’t receiving the hardware to mount them up and fit KTM Hard parts shields. They’re quite good if you’re not banging through trees.
SO…
What makes this bike different from the stocker is that it’s a turnkey bike. We honestly think that the production 530 EXC is close to excellent, the Star Island modded machine is flat wicked. Why? Because it’s done, setup, is jetted perfectly, runs clean, and has smoother suspension. You can buy this exact bike, with various options such as Flexx bars, grip heaters or tall seats. You can finance the bike from Star Island Motorsports or Northland Motorsports with KTM or GE financing and it still has the 1-year KTM warranty. You can also buy the bike outright from them or F2.
The total price of the bike is around $12,000, plus or minus a few hundred depending upon your options. It comes set up for your weight, riding type and elevation. The additional cost over stock comes in the addition of the parts, plus a bit for the labor to install and setup. They can be sent anywhere in the U.S. for about $500.00, so if your dealer is out or you don’t have a dealer near you, you can now have the perfect do-it-all bike. 
Star Island Motorsports
Phone: 928 772-0855
Website: www.starislandsms.com
F2 Racing
Phone: 928 814-6710
Website: www.f2racing.net
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