By Steve Janes
For the past two years Klim’s Evan Hoge has been building a project snow bike to promote Klim’s support for Klim customers who have drifted into the lastest winter craze. (Of course, Hoge’s intentions are strictly to support Kim customers and have nothing to do with his own intentions or ripping up tight canyons in deep snow. That thought likely never crossed his mind.)
Last year Hoge converted a Honda CR 500 into a snow bike. At the time he considered all the modifications made this a great “monster” bike for the snow. And naturally he spent the winter “supporting” Klim customers as he racked up miles “working” on this project.
This year it’s time for Monster 2.0—an ‘06 KTM 450 SX covered in all the toppings. Here’s how Hoge described his project:
“First we stuffed in billet aluminum cases from Panthera Motorsports with a 585 Liger Big Bore and Panthera electric start,” he said. Panthera uses Liger cases designed for a perfect flow between cases and cylinder which features intake boost ports to create high horsepower. Monster 2.0 puts out about 100 horsepower.
“Then we added a Timbersled LT which features a 137-inch by 2.5-inch track,” he said. “Todd Porter at Rocky Mountain Performance in Rigby did all the porting and carb work. Rekluse provided their Core EXP auto clutch that automatically engages and disengages based on engine rpm allowing you to come to a complete stop without having to shift out of gear.”
From there, Hoge said he added ProMoto Billet billet aluminum foot pegs and hand guards. All Balls Racing provided the bearings, seals and gaskets.
“Thunder Products provided the IntelaJet Carb system that allows you to adjust air/fuel mixture on the fly,” Hoge said. The IntelaJet is machined from billet aluminum, laser engraved and anodized for great looks and corrosion protection.
Bullet Proof Design provided billet aluminum radiator guards. Trail Tech provided LED headlights and a Voyager GPS Kit that allows you to monitor your engine performance while having access to its navigation system.
For the finishing touches Hoge said Seat Concepts built an awesom custom seat for the bike. IMS provided an oversized 3.2 gallon fuel tank. “Little better than 1.6 gallon stock tank,” he replied, obviously thinking only about Klim customers and not about the extended time he’s going to have on each ride playing in the trees.
“Then FMF gave us a Gnarly Pipe and Shorty Silencer to finish things off,” he said. “Monster 2.0 should come in at around 100 horsepower.”
Although Hoge hasn’t had a chance to get his Monster 2.0 out for testing, he figures that by the time this project build completes the snow show circuit there should be plenty of snow to get it tuned in. It just goes to show you what Hoge is totally willing to do to support Klim customers.
Try to thank he for his efforts … if you happen to see him out on the snow.
