KTM to stop manufacturing street-legal superbikes. Says they are too dangerous for public roads.

The new (ok, not so!) motorcycle manufacturer KTM, who has managed to grab the eyeballs of motorcycle enthusiasts in India, just made a statement which might sound heartbreaking to most of us. KTM has officially declared that they will not be making street-legal superbikes anymore. The logic they justify this bitter decision being that these machines have gone too far in the quest of more and more power and now in no way represent practicality. The international motorcycle industrty has just recently seen every major manufacturer bringing out their flagship models with power output crossing the 200bhp mark. This much of power is nowhere close to what any rider would use on the public roads. The practicality has taken a back seat and these monsters are, for sure, can prove to be quite dangerous if unleashed on public roads. Well, all this has been KTM's logic to come up to the decision of stopping the manufacturing of superbikes for public roads.

KTM to re-enter MotoGP in 2017.

KTM chief, Stefan Pierer announced that the Austrian two-wheeler manufacturer of which Bajaj Auto owns 47 per cent share plans to enter the world of premier class racing. Speaking to Speedweek he revealed KTM’s plan of returning to MotoGP by the 2017 season. For this purpose it has developed the KTM RC16 that will be powered by a V4 powerplant. The KTM RC16 will be unveiled by 2016 after which the Austrian bikemaker will carry out testing and developing. There is also speculation that KTM would jump the gun and field the RC16 prototype as a wild-card entry in the 2016 season of MotoGP itself. 

KTM CEO confirms RC390 launch in 2014.

Following the successful entry into the Moto3 World Championship – KTM brought the World Championship title to Austria in the premiere year – and the completion of the Duke range of naked bikes with the 125, 200 and 390 displacement models, there will now also be a fully faired sports bike available for sale. In typical fashion, there is a direct connection to motorsports. The “ADAC Junior Cup powered by KTM” will see the RC 390 in action for the first time worldwide as the exclusive motorcycle used in this Brand Cup competition.

Naturally it is not difficult for the sports motorcycle manufacturer from Mattighofen, Austria, to make the connection between racing and series production. In short: as always, KTM once again underlines that it is always “Ready to Race” in every aspect by presenting the RC 390 Cup at the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.

Bajaj homologates the KTM 200 Duke for Motorsports in India.

Bajaj Auto has homologated the KTM 200 Duke with FMSCI (Federation of Motorsport Clubs of India). In effect this means that you can now officially use the Duke 200 for racing or rallying. The homologation comes in just before the Raid De Himalaya, one of the toughest rallies in the world, where we believe the bike should perform well. The Duke had already made its debut in the Mughal Road Rally this June – it secured a win on debut there – and the official homologation should see the motorcycle gain immense popularity in the motorsport fraternity. The Duke 200 has impressed enthusiasts with its dynamics, and has proved to be one of the most exciting launches of 2012. Given that Austrian manufacturer KTM boasts of a phenomenal heritage in motorsport, more so in motocross, it was a natural choice for Bajaj Auto to decide to homologate the motorcycle.