Your eyes are not seeing double. This is in fact a four-wheeled vehicle on the pages of Asphalt & Rubber. It also a KTM. It is a 600hp, Audi-powered, KTM race car actually.
Officially dubbed the KTM X-Bow GTX, this project has evolved over the last 12 years from a peppy open-roof track car for the rich, to a well-sorted racing machine that is ready for a GT2 class near you.
The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated motorcycle racing in many different ways, some quite unexpected. To address some of those complications, the Grand Prix Commission, MotoGP’s rulemaking body, agreed a number of exceptions to the rules for the 2020 season, concerning wildcards, concerning concession points, and concerning engine development.
Engine development had already been frozen in response to the coronavirus crisis. In part as a cost-cutting measure, and in part because the European manufacturers had had their factories closed, all six MSMA members agreed to halt engine development and use the engines they were due to homologate for the 2020 season for the start of the 2021 season.
One of several press launches that has been canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak, we won’t get to ride the KTM 890 Duke R before it hits US soil in limited numbers this year, but the Austrians are trying to do the next best thing.
This means that we will see another motorcycle manufacturer hosting a “virtual press launch” of a motorcycle this month, with KTM set to take the wraps off the new Duke at 8am Pacific Time.
Want some good news to start your weekend? Thank your favorite Austrian motorcycle brand, because the KTM 890 Duke R is not only coming to America, but it will be here (in limited numbers) very, very soon.
This is because KTM North America has been able to import a small number of KTM 890 Duke R motorcycles into the United States, which will be ready for purchase in Spring 2020, instead of Fall 2020 (as 2021 model year bikes) as was originally planned.
The MotoGP season is closing ever nigh, and we know this because KTM just debuted its two teams in the MotoGP Championship, while giving us a glimpse at its 2020 machinery.
For a treat, we can see that the 2020 KTM RC16 stands out from its predecessor by its larger, more oval and more central air intake. The aerodynamics package on the machine continues to evolve as well, as KTM tries to spend its way to the front of the timesheets.
Mechanical bits aside, one of the highlights from the 2020 launch is the new livery (and quasi-new sponsor) for the Tech3 KTM squad, which is hocking Red Bull’s new cola product with a fetching orange, white, and blue livery.
Pierer Mobility is once again spilling the beans on its holdings, releasing the 2019 sales results from the KTM and Husqvarna motorcycle brands.
To that end, the combined effort sees another sales record for the group, with 280,099 motorcycles sold last year. This marks a 7% gain over 2018.
This makes 2019 the ninth year in a row that the KTM Group of motorcycle brands has seen positive sales growth, which is not a claim that too many brands can lay their hands on.
Episode 27 of the Brap Talk podcast is now out for your two-wheeled audio pleasure, and as always, it is packed with some interesting motorcycle discussions.
In this show, we catch up on lost time, as Jensen got the flu (go get your flu shot, right now), and was in bed for two weeks hoping that death would come and release him from his misery.
While that meant a delay in podcasting shows, the upside is that it means this episode has plenty to talk about!
Ever since Pierer Mobility (the holding company for KTM and Husqvarna) took control of GasGas, we have been wondering what was to come of the Spanish dirt bike brand.
But, thanks to the investor document that the Austrian brand published this week, we can see what is in store for GasGas in the near future, and it is certainly interesting.
There is a treasure trove of information coming out of the Pierer Mobility group today, as the Austrian conglomerate has posted an investor presentation to its website, which tips more than a few upcoming models and ideas.
As such, we will be diving through all the information that has become available, and first up is the product road map for the KTM motorcycle lineup, which confirms the rumors we have been hearing about a 490 platform.
This is a story we broke a eight months ago finally coming true. The 790 engine platform from KTM has finally grown into the 890 platform that is ready for the Euro 5 emissions requirements.
And if you will allow us to toot our own horn just a little bit more, our predictions of an up-spec middleweight Duke have turned out true as well.
Now, while we may be patting ourselves on the back here, the real winners are all the sport bike enthusiasts out there, because the best middleweight naked on the market just got better, in just about every way. Say hello to the KTM 890 Duke R.
It has taken a long time to wrangle this bike into existence, but the KTM 390 Adventure is officially a thing now and coming in 2020.
I could look back through the pages of Asphalt & Rubber, and see when we first started talking about this small-sized ADV bike, but it would be downright depressing for the Austrian brand. It has been…a while in the making, let’s just say that.
The good news though is that the KTM 390 Adventure arrives with an exclamation point, and it is certain to dominate in markets where the 373cc engine is considered quite large and peppy. It should be fun in the western markets too.