There is something brewing between KTM and Kramer Motorcycles, and the internet seems to be in agreement with that notion.
The smoke to this fire comes from a story first published on German-language Speedweek, where it was reported that KTM was working on a smaller-displacement track bike, after scrapping its RC16 customer program.
The Speedweek story showed an alleged spy photo (shown below) of the bike that KTM was working on for this project, though the site failed to recognize the motorcycle in question as being a Kramer 890 GP2.
Most of the other sites that have since picked up the story have also failed to make this identification, despite the Kramer 890 GP2 being a known quantity for some time now, and the Kramer “shield” logo being easily seen on the bike’s seat.
Although, there is a good reason why a photo of the Kramer 890 GP2 is being shown in relation to this KTM-focused story, though not perhaps for the reasons previously published.
The story starts with KTM CEO Stefan Pierer’s hope of releasing a track-only version of the KTM RC16 MotoGP bike to customers that would have a high-level of performance, but not at the grand prix price tag.
About 100 units of this bike were to be made, costing between €100,000 and €120,000, and they were said to make 240hp in their final trim level. We expected these bikes on the market in 2018, but then nothing happened.
With the big bike deemed to expensive to produce (and too onerous to support), the “Ready to Race” brand is looking for a smaller offering. This is where the company’s 890cc parallel-twin engine comes into play.
A race bike with the 890cc engine could make 130hp, and rely on the Duke’s platform for a cheap traction control setup.
Using a basic steel trellis design, modern components, and a bit of engineering know-how, a very competent track-ripper could be made for a reasonable amount of money.
Of course, the bike I just described is the Kramer 890 GP2.
Understanding Kramer’s history helps shed some light on the KTM connection too, as the German brand was founded by three ex-KTM employees, and still enjoys a close relationship with the mothership (including sourcing power plants from KTM’s assembly line).
Our sources tell us that there is definitely something happening between Kramer and KTM at a high level.
Is there a partnership in play to sell the GP2 through KTM’s channels? Is Kramer helping KTM develop a middleweight track bike? Could KTM acquire Kramer, in a bid to bolster a track-ready lineup? Are the two brands looking to take the Moto2 grid by storm?
We are not sure, but time will tell. Stay tuned.
Source: Speedweek & Bothan Spies
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