Business – Motorcycle strategy: how KTM became a Duke of the road – Motorcycle retrospective: 20 years of KTM Duke

Posted on by admin

Motorcycle strategy: how KTM became a Duke of the road

Business - Motorcycle strategy: how KTM became a Duke of the road - Motorcycle retrospective: 20 years of KTM Duke

MNC participated in an event organized by KTM in Thailand around its Duke range. The opportunity to measure the road traveled from the 620 of 1994 to the bestial 1290R, via the 125, 200 and 390 manufactured by its Indian partner Bajaj.

Motorcycle retrospective: 20 years of KTM Duke

At the start of the 1990s, KTM decided to invest in the road motorcycle segment to diversify its offer and broaden its target. A daring bet for society Kronreif Trunkenpolz Mattighofen (KTM), off-road oriented since the first prototype designed by its founder Hanz Trunkenpolz in 1953, the R100 (read our)…

Wanting to get off the beaten track was indeed a strategically sensible approach, but very risky and costly insofar as it involved starting from a blank sheet against the Japanese giants and experienced European brands, such as the "neighbor "BMW.

KTM wanted to avoid attacking its rivals head on with similar products, aware that it would be difficult – if not impossible – at this stage to support the comparison technically and financially. Triumph will have a bitter experience ten years later by investing in one of the square meadows of Japanese manufacturers, the 4-cylinder Superports, with its TT600…

Our live video from Thailand

In addition to this analysis of the "success story" KTM on the road, find our tour in Thailand to discover the Duke range.

The Mattighofen brand therefore opts for a roundabout approach, based on its enormous off-road skills on single-cylinder architecture. The main lines of his project will revolve around his expertise in "mono", but also on his know-how concerning long-travel suspensions and steel trellis frames..

Called "Terminator" internally (black and white sketch above), the first prototype designed in 1992 thus exhibits a single cylinder derived from enduro models, 17-inch rims, a 300 mm front brake disc and ‘a fork and an "XXL" shock absorber. It is actually a typical supemotard motorcycle, an all-terrain model modified to adapt to the road.

The aggressive, billhook-cut design of this motorcycle is signed by Gerald Kiska, a young Austrian designer who "crunches" from all the motorcycles of the Orange brand. Two weeks before publicly revealing this proto, KTM decides to name it "Duke", in honor of the six-time British world champion Geoff Duke (4 titles in GP500 and 2 in 350 between 1951 and 1955).

At the end of 1994, the 620 Duke (above) went into production: its 609cc "LC4" cube engine and developed 50 hp, making it one of the most powerful single cylinders on the market. The chassis is matched with White Power (WP) quality suspensions, a 320 mm disc clamped by a Brembo 4-piston front caliper and a weight contained at 143 kg.

500 models will be built, including 50 fitted with a 400 cc version of the LC4. The 620 Duke will receive several evolutions over the years (including a precious electric starter in 1996!) And will give way to the "Duke 2" in 1998. More powerful, the second version retains all the attributes appreciated on its predecessor and now cube 640 cc. 4000 copies will be released from Austrian chains.

From Duke to Super Duke

Aware of the "mechanically" restricted field of action of its Duke, KTM is working on a more versatile, roadster-type motorcycle, which will not deny its fundamentals or its "Ready to Race" motto..

This project will materialize in 2005 with the, a racy and sporty machine powered by a 75 ° V-twin with carburetors. Efficient but greedy, this engine derived from the new 942cc LC8 was released just before on the 950 Supermoto and the 950 Adventure, the first road trail of the Austrian brand which is gradually expanding its road offer..

As effective in winding as it is demanding on a daily basis, the Super Duke receives the now "traditional" tubular trellis frame reinforced with chrome molybdenum and luxurious and sporty components (Brembo brakes, WP suspensions). KTM eases it up by improving its protection but also its stability, via a more open steering column.

The LC8 then switches to injection and develops 120 hp thanks to a reaming (999.7 cc), while a larger tank (18.5 l) is installed in 2007. These modifications partly resolve its more big flaw: a ridiculous range (less than 150 km).

This very bloody Orange will be doubled by a more upscale version "R", with suspensions and brakes of superior quality and plate tilted on the front (read our)

The Duke with Indian sauce

KTM could have stopped there and continued to produce ever more sensational, radical and trenches motorcycles. But Stefan Pierrer, CEO of the brand, is aware of the limits of the exclusivity of his range: many bikers salivate in front of the Duke, but ultimately not enough accept to live with…

The Austrian big boss then sells shares in his company to the Indian giant Bajaj (46% to date, according to our information). Besides the welcome injection of fresh capital, the main interest of this partnership lies in the access to local manufacturing costs, or rather "low cost", offered by Bajaj.

KTM took the opportunity to launch in 2011 its first mass-market motorcycle: the. Designed in Austria but manufactured in India, this "mini-Duke" remains faithful to the spirit of the brand and sports quality components (in particular a radial brake caliper Bybre, Indian subsidiary of Brembo). All for a very well placed price thanks to Bajaj’s labor force (s).

Success was immediately apparent and sales took off, both in Europe (best selling 125 in 2014) and in emerging countries. KTM exceeded for the first time in its history the milestone of 100,000 sales for the 2012-2013 financial year: 40 years earlier, in 1992, production did not exceed 7,000 units (6,976). Sacred evolution !

2012 also marks the introduction of the, whose 690 cc single-cylinder engine develops the trifle of 68 hp and even 70 hp in version R. A weapon in the winding, typically in the Katoche spirit! The same year, the collaboration with Bajaj resulted in a second model: the, designed on the basis of the engine and chassis as the 125.

Like many other manufacturers (cars and motorcycles), KTM seized all the interest of platform sharing and proved it in 2013 with the latest addition to this "Austro-Indian" alliance: the. The "biggest of the small Duke" seduces with its look, its equipment (among others the Bosch ABS as standard now included on the entire range) and its astonishing performance due to its excellent power-to-weight ratio (139 kg for 44 hp).

Once again, success is at the rendezvous (best selling KTM in the world) and the 390 Duke boosts the continued growth of the Mattighofen brand: in 2014, KTM breaks all its records with 158,780 units produced including 16,337 Husqvarna (read our).

Thanks to these results, the Orange brand consolidates its status as the leading European motorcycle manufacturer ahead of the eternal rival, BMW. A success of which the Austrians are not a little proud, even if their road trail does not manage (yet?) To eclipse the reference R1200GS.

Most importantly: 20 years after deciding to "hit the road", KTM has for the first time in its history sold more road bikes than off-roaders. A (r) evolution in the form of consecration for Katoche, delighted to show everyone the relevance of her choices.

Eight Duke roadsters in 2015 and one MotoGP in 2017…

The most impressive thing is that the brand remains at the same time as competitive in off-roading, with the main titles in cross-country and enduro as well as one to prove it. Always also invested in the off-road, KTM performs in two as in four-stroke, but also in electric thanks to the. Rather broad, as a range of skills !

Now become one of the "Duke" of asphalt, KTM relies – as in TT – on competition to establish the notoriety of its road range. Logical, given its "Ready to Race" credo! Second in the championship, the Orange brand will also integrate it with the RC16, a prototype with a V4 engine and a trellis frame, which will be marketed as a luxurious "replica" soon after..

In the meantime, KTM continues to develop its iconic Duke range, the one with which it all started in 1994 and which currently has six different models (including the R version of the 690). Headlined by the recent and bestial roadster of all superlatives developing 180 hp and 144 Nm of torque…

Motorcycles that MNC briefly rediscovered on small roads and a Thai circuit, as part of the "Just Duke it" event organized by KTM. On the following page, find the improvements made to the 2015 range and our impressions, especially those concerning a sulphurous "Race" version of the 1290 Super Duke R spitting 192 hp … Enjoy !

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *