KTM Motorcycles

About KTM

KTM Sportmotorcycle AG is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and moped manufacturer. KTM is most commonly known for its off road motorcycles though in recent years it has expanded into street motorcycle production.

The company was founded in 1934 by engineer Hans Trunkenpolz in Mattighofen. It started out as a metal working shop and was named Kraftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen. In 1937, it started repairing and selling DKW motorcycles, and Opel the following year.

In 1954 KTM began producing motorcycles, almost all of the components being produced in house, with the notable exception of engines, made most often by company Rotax.

In 1955, a businessman Ernst Kronreif became shareholder of the company, on acquiring a sizable portion of the company. It was then renamed Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen.

KTM's first moped, called Mecky was launched in 1957, followed by Ponny I in 1960 and Ponny II in 1962, and the decade saw the beginning of the bicycle production.

Kronreif died in 1960 and Trunkenpolz two years later, of a heart attack. Company name was changed back to Kraftrader Trunkenpolz Mattighofen with his son Erich taking managing the company. In 1978, US subsidiary KTM North America Inc. was founded in Lorain, Ohio. In 1980, it was renamed KTM Motor-Fahrzeugbau KG.

Since 1990, KTM motorcycles and automobiles (X-Bow) have been designed by KiskaDesign, a Salzburg-based design firm. It is responsible for the overall branding for KTM; including the design of the vehicles, shops, exhibits and printed material.

KTM first participated in motorsports events in 1953 in the 5th Gaisberg competition in which it won the first three places. One year later, KTM won the Austrian 125 national championship. Two years later, in 1956, KTM participated in the International Six Days race for the first time and Egon Dornauer won the gold. 1966 year marks the winning of the Austrian national championship by Manfred Klerr using the new 250cc Motorcross bike. In 1973, the Austrian team records the first World Championship points and the first Grand Prix wins.

Moto blog

KTM Developing RC8-Inspired 250cc Sportbike for India

KTM is reportedly developing a new small-displacement sportbike for the Indian market, featuring similar styling to its flagship RC8 sportbike. The new model is expected to use a 250cc single-cylinder engine, leading some to label it the KTM RC25 or KTM RC250. We’ve heard reports of KTM working on a small-displacement sportbike before, most recently in late 2012 with KTM Chief Executive Officer Stefan Pierer saying a faired version of the 390 Duke is on its way, but it now appears a 250 version is on its way as well.

2013 AMA Supercross San Diego Race Report

Davi Millsaps captured his second main event win of the season and expanded his AMA Supercross championship lead to 19 points with a wire-to-wire victory at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. The Rockstar Energy Suzuki rider jumped ahead at the start for the holeshot and held that lead for the entire 20-lap race for the win. Finishing 2.386 seconds back was Team Honda Muscle Milk‘s Justin Barcia while Red Bull KTM‘s Ryan Dungey finished 10.300 seconds back for third place.

KTM 390 Duke Confirmed for US for 2014

KTM has confirmed the 390 Duke will be brought to the American market for the 2014 model year, making it the first of the Austrian manufacturer’s small-displacement single-cylinder naked models to arrive in the U.S. This timeframe would put the 373cc  Duke a year behind the 2013 launch date from a leaked Powerpoint presentation slide that said it would be available in the U.S. for the 2013 model year as a 350 model.

2012 US Motorcycle Sales Results – Industry Reports 2.6% Increase

The Motorcycle Industry Council reported a 2.6% increase in motorcycle sales in the U.S. market for 2012. According to the industry group’s figures, American consumers purchased 452,386 motorcycles in 2012 compared to 440,899 motorcycles in 2011.

Villopoto, Roczen Dominate AMA Supercross in Oakland

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto dominated the 450SX Class on Saturday night in front of a record crowd in Oakland, CA.   In front of a record crowd of 46,896, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto raced to his second-consecutive AMA Supercross victory, an FIM World Championship, 450SX Class Main Event win at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, CA on Saturday night. Rockstar Energy Racing’s Davi Millsaps finished in second, and Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey followed in third.

Speed trippy

FED up of your commute? Check out Indian motorcycle journo Aneesh Shivanekar's average morning, filmed as he rode his KTM Duke 200 between the Mumbai suburbs of Andheri and Bandra (a distance of about 7 miles, or half his one-way journey). And no, he's not Jesse Mach; this GoPro footage is sped up 8x.

The Differences Between KTM’s Duke Engines

KTM set a new company record with 107,142 motorcycles sold in 2012, with a lot of credit given to strong demand for its small-displacement naked Duke line. The 125 Duke and 200 Duke have been popular sellers in Europe while Indian consumers accounted for more than 8000 units of the 200 Duke alone. KTM will try to maintain its momentum with its new 390 Duke, not to mention the 690 Duke R and the upcoming 1290 Super Duke R which was unveiled in prototype form at the 2012 EICMA show in Milan as the eventual successor to the 990 Super Duke.

2013 AMA Supercross Anaheim 2 Race Report

Ryan Villopoto claimed his first win of the 2013 AMA Supercross season and his first since the knee injury at last year’s Seattle round that kept him out of the 2012 AMA Motocross championship. The victory in front of 37,789 fans at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., made up for his disappointing 16th place finish two weeks earlier at the same site. His Monster Energy Kawasaki teammate Jake Weimer held the early advantage in the main event, taking the holeshot ahead of the Honda Muscle Milk duo of Justin Barcia and Trey Canard.

2013 Dakar Rally Results

Cyril Despres won his fifth career Dakar Rally while helping KTM win for the 12th consecutive time, in taking the motorcycle class in the 2013 edition of the famed off-road race. KTM was again the dominant manufacturer with the top five finishers in the motorcycle class riding motorcycles from the Austrian manufacturer. Despres finished with an overall time of 43:24:22 for the win, including a 15-minute penalty for swapping an engine after the one he was using in his KTM 450 Rallye failed.

2013 AMA Supercross Phoenix Race Report

Justin Barcia led all 20 laps to earn his first career victory in the 450cc class of the AMA Supercross Championship. The Team Honda Muscle Milk rider took the holeshot and never looked back to take his maiden win in front of 50,109 fans at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. “I can’t tell you how excited I am right now,” says Barcia.