What is orange, black, white, and has well-defined edges? Just about everything KTM makes, and that would include the concept vehicles made in collaboration with industrial design students at FH Joanneum University. The Austrian company has shown its desire to expand from dirtbikes in streetbikes, and now into Superbikes and track-ready cars. In total, the effort produced 6 concept vehicles with unique purposes. Continue reading to see the pictures and descriptions of the proposed concepts.
Bajaj, the Tata of the motorcycle world, has purchased an additional amount of KTM’s stock, raising its interest in the Austrian company to 25.86%. Bajaj had previously owned just over a 20% stake in the orange brand, and is indicating that it is not content with just its current amount.
This news comes with little surprise as Bajaj has telegraphed this acquisition and intent already when it gobble up an additional 14% of the company back in 2007. Rumors are now already forming as to whether Bajaj will try and consume a majority stake in KTM’s stock.
News has just broken that the 2009 KTM 1190cc RC8 will only be sold via KTM’s Priority Delivery Deposit Program, which ends on New Year’s Eve.
Editor’s note: F@#!!!
Which means you have less than 19 days (and counting) until it will be too late to get your hands on Austria’s first purpose-built sportbike. Nothing has been mentioned about the race-inspired RC8R, but we expect a similar arrangement. Oh, and did we mention production numbers will be limited.
Four days ago we broke for you the price on the Aprilia RSV4, and today we bring you price leaks on not only one bike, but three of them: the 2009 KTM Super Duke 990 R, the 2009 KTM Adventure 990 R, and the 2009 KTM RC8 1190 R. Click after the jump to see the release dates and prices for these three bikes.
KTM has filed with the German Patent Office a number of patents that cover the used of a two-wheel drive system of off-road vehicles. The patents hold claims for a two-wheel drive system that can be fitted to either an enduro or motocross type of motorcycle. KTM’s patent centers around having a conventional motor to drive the read wheel, and an electric motor for the front wheel.
This would be a different method than the hydraulic method for powering the front wheel that Yamaha has been prototyping for over a year now.
Source: visordown
I’m still waiting for the 2WD Akira bike.
The world markets may be down, and stores may dropping out of business like it’s third period French class, but Ducati is finding the economic downturn to have an upside on its balance sheet.
Ducati’s sales revenue for the first three quarters of 2008 grew by 25% compared to last year’s figures. This means to close to $417MM in revenue for the Bologna Bandits, with their bottom line looking 87% better than before, totaling in at $41MM.
Why now brown cow? Well shipments from Desmo-central to dealer floor rooms has been up by 19% for the year so far, with sales up 8% worldwide. In the meantime, worldwide industry sales are down 6%. Evidently, those cars that people aren’t buying, is not equating into motorcycle purchases (you know…for the mileage advantage)
The Bologna Boys say they are still on track to achieve a forecast 20% growth in worldwide sales for full fiscal year, up from a predicted 15% sales growth.
How are the other European manufacturers doing?
KTM has had a 50% drop in operating profit for the full 12 months of its fiscal year, closing the books at $21MM. The House of Orange (not Oranj) is blaming this decline on a bad Dollar to Euro exchange rate, and plans to cut motorcycle production for the 2009 season by 10%.
Piaggio (owner of Aprilia, and most of Europe’s scooters) is also cutting back on production across all its motorcycle and scooter brands after depressing results for the first 3 quarters of 2008. Overall sales were down by almost 6%, falling 10% in Europe, which accounts for about 80% of its bike and scooter sales.
BMW, while slightly more insulated, is feeling the pain too, with global motorcycle sales down by 2.5% in the same period, and profit from bikes falling by nearly 16%.
Source: visordown
In other financial news, the trade-deficit for sportbike hotness in the United States has increased another 300%. Sorry Buell.
I know this is a motorcycle blog, but who wouldn’t want to take a KTM X-Bow out for a spin on a wet track (Vienna Drift?)?? In a pinch we’d take the Supermoto 990 instead. It’s too bad the weather wasn’t better so we could see a proper shoot-out between the two. Leave in the comments who you think would win.
Source: I can’t believe I made a Tokyo Drift reference in this post. *sigh*
The 2009 Super Duke R is unchanged from the 2008 model, but you wouldn’t know it the way we’ve been talking about it on A&R. What can we say? We’re smitten.
KTM isn’t making it easy when they keep releasing shots of the bike in new colors. Today’s color is white, as in white hot. 130 ponies. 75 foot pounds of torque. The 999cc Super Duke has the spotlight, at least until the Ducati Streetfighter shows up.
You’ll run out of color eventually KTM. Until then, you have our attention.
KTM released the 2008 RC8 in extremely limited numbers. Worried that these early adopters might feel their exclusivity was at risk, is releasing a KTM RC8 R version for 2009….for those discerning buyers.
Well what do you do if you want an even more exclusive RC8? What if you want to run in the 9’s on the 1/4 mile? Oh, well then you’ll need to supercharge it. And that’s just what Lantto Racing, a Finnish drag racing team, has done. Read more, and watch a dyno-run after the break.
KTM has latched onto the idea that if you make a bike, a great way to make the same bike…but more money on it, is to make an R version with some extra trick parts. It’s called market segmentation, and this author likes it. Likes it a lot. That being said, here is the 2009 KTM 990 Adventure R. It has more power, less weight, and is focused on being the bike for off-road adventure. More on those changes after the jump.
We knew it was coming, an “R” version of the RC8. Picture yourself as an Austrian motorcycle company. You’re sitting at a strandbar in Vienna, falling in love with a blonde girl named Theresea, and it hits you! No, its not love. At least not the love between a man and a woman. No, this is the love of a man and a motorcycle dream. The need to take the throbbing v-twin heart the resides in only a few select riders, and inject it with even that much more lust of an already wicked set of sex on wheels.