New KTM Adventure 950
Second attempt
After the first test balloon at last year’s Intermot, KTM will present the rally version of the LC8 at the Milan trade fair in September.
KTM CEO Stefan Pierer lets himself be carried away by a wave of success: "In three years you will see us in road racing." Oops, like that? In the Superbike World Championship? "When you go out on the street, you have to compete with the best," says the manager, but would like to stay on the carpet or, to be more precise, off-road until then. After an 18 percent increase in sales from 1999 to 2000, sales have now skyrocketed by 40 percent. In the last financial year, which ends exactly on the first day of sale of this MOTORRAD issue, around 45,000 motorcycles should have been sold ?? worldwide. So that things can go even steeper uphill, the new two-cylinder KTM, known in domestic use as the LC8, will finally come onto the market next year. However, it looks very different from the »concept study« (Pierer) that was exhibited at last year‘s Intermot trade fair. And which many viewers found to be too design-oriented.
What really puzzled the KTM bosses was a customer’s saying: "Oh, how nice, it reminds me of the Starck-Aprilia." What was meant was the Moto 6.5 single-cylinder machine, not exactly a bestseller. Crush everything, the board ordered. And in-house designer Gerald Kiska, who as head of Kiska creative industries has been responsible for the innovative appearance of the KTM models since 1992, chased his people subito to the computer in order to tailor a slimmer, sportier and purpose-oriented dress for the two-cylinder. And that looks like the orange-colored Rally 950 (top right), with which a works team under the drivers Giovanni Sala and Fabrizio Meoni will try to finish as far ahead as possible in the 2002 Paris-Dakar Rally.
This competition version with additional tanks on the side at the rear will largely correspond to the later series machine in terms of engine and chassis. However, the Adventure 950, which is to be produced from September 2002, has two silencers running above and below the rear, while the additional tanks are of course omitted. The water-cooled 75-degree V2 is identical to the engine that was described in MOTORRAD 24/2000. The key data as a reminder: 102 HP at 8000 rpm, 942 cm3 displacement, two overhead, chain and gear-driven camshafts, four valves each, electronic injection, six-speed gearbox. What distinguishes the drive from the competing engines is its extremely slim design and its very low weight of 56 kilograms. This means that the ready-to-drive weight of the LC8 will be less than 200 kilograms. Essentially, the tubular steel chassis will also look like the model on display at Intermot.
After the market launch of the Adventure 950, things should move on quickly: in 2003, the street version called the Duke 950 will follow, until at the end a fully clad, super sporty two-cylinder would like to scare the Far Eastern and European competitors. “If we build a street motorcycle, you also have to go into racing. That is what customers expect from us, "says Stefan Pierer, giving the direction of the thrust.
The engineers are also working on the gradually due renovation of the LC4 single-cylinder, but the customers will have to be patient for a while. In any case, it won’t be a double cam motor. There will also be no motocross version of the new four-stroke 250 EXC in the near future. "Why should we compete with our successful two-stroke engine?" Asks Pierer. Or is the small four-stroke engine lacking potential?
Given the success across the board in a stagnating motorcycle market, it’s a for KTM in the past an important topic, namely the merger with another European manufacturer, off the table: "If I grow 40 percent, why should I team up with Ducati or another company ???
Related articles
-
Single test: BMW F 800 GS Adventure Playmate for the terrain After the R 1200 GS, its little sister is now getting an adventure version as well. If you…
-
Test KTM LC 4 640 Adventure R Stern slingshot It was because of the rear view: with the low-lying two-in-one exhaust system, the Adventure was a flop….
-
Top test KTM 950 Adventure Adrenaline for everyone Adrenaline speeds up the pulse, increases blood pressure, provides energy and triggers restlessness….
-
KTM 1190 Adventure in 50,000 km endurance test
KTM 1190 Adventure in the 50, 000 km endurance test Speedster, also for chasing curves With the KTM 1190 Adventure, a brand new travel enduro came for…
-
KTM 1090 Adventure in the driving report
KTM 1090 Adventure in the driving report The new entry-level adventure KTM pops the corks and switches the 1090 to free passage. 125 instead of the…
-
KTM 890 Adventure R-Rally: For hardcore world travelers
KTM 890 Adventure R / Rally For hardcore world travelers Building on the new 890, KTM is now rolling an Adventure R into its model range, which is also…
-
Trail – 2014 R1200GS Adventure test: always more – The ‘liquid’ R1200GS Adventure is coming
2014 R1200GS Adventure test: always more Completely redesigned in 2013, the BMW R1200GS remains the benchmark for maxi trails and one of the best-selling…
-
Africa Twin 2018 test: looking for a new model, Adventure Sports if affinities Honda successfully revived the Africa Twin line in 2016 with a finely…
-
Market reports – Eric Antunes (KTM): our Adventure range has found its customers – Used KTM
Eric Antunes (KTM): our Adventure range has found its customers With 5,904 registrations, KTM shows a decrease of -7% on the French motorcycle market….
-
BMW R 1200 GS and BMW R 1200 GS Adventure put to the test
BMW R 1200 GS and BMW R 1200 GS Adventure in a comparison test Is the Adventure the better GS? With a one year delay, the BMW R 1200 GS Adventure also…
Related articles
-
MotoGP – Moto GP Argentina Warm-up: Marquez on another pace –
Single test: BMW F 800 GS Adventure Playmate for the terrain After the R 1200 GS, its little sister is now getting an adventure version as well. If you…
-
MotoGP – Moto GP Misano Warm-up: Lorenzo reacts, Marquez falls –
Top test Buell 1125 CR Buell without Harley-V2 There are things ?? or who would have ever believed that a Carinthian would one day be governor of…
-
MotoGP – Moto GP: Marquez also dominates the post-race tests in Catalonia –
Top test: BMW F 650 GS New two-cylinder BMW in the test No trace of nervousness: It doesn’t matter whether it is to get bread, on the house route or on a…
-
MotoGP – Moto GP Valencia FP1 practice: Marquez control Lorenzo –
INTERMOT countdown 2016: 6 Honda Africa Twin What’s that nice? Tradition is not keeping the ashes, but passing on the flame. The Africa Twin inherits the…
-
MotoGP – Moto GP Valence – FP1 practice: Marquez will not let go! –
INTERMOT countdown 2016: 9 BMW R nineT Aesthetic enjoyment, disdainful zeitgeist or skepticism about water boxing? Whatever the case, the BMW R nineT is…
-
MotoGP – Moto GP: Honda delighted by Marquez, less by Bradl … –
Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT test Velvet instead of special With the Norge, Moto Guzzi finally says goodbye to the image of the coarse racing cars. Velvety…
-
MotoGP – Moto 3 race in Assen: first double for Alex Marquez –
Japan novelties 1999 Sense and nonsense The range of innovations from Japan ranges from the powerful 300 km / h bolide to the multifunctional 1000 cm³…
-
MotoGP – Moto GP race in Austin: Marquez slams, Lorenzo cracks –
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R – old versus new compared Where is the racetrack? The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R has been an almost flawless racing machine since 2011….
-
MotoGP – Argentinian Moto GP race: Marquez runs into Rossi –
Kawasaki Ninja 300 and KTM RC 390 in comparison test Not just for beginners The Kawasaki Ninja 300 is already very popular. It is now facing competition…
-
MotoGP – Johann Zarco relaxed on his way to the Moto 2 title –
Johann Zarco on his way to the Moto 2 title in a relaxed manner Thanks to his great victory in Catalonia, his second of the season after the race in…