KTM prototypes

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KTM prototypes

Model propagation

The basis in the form of a new engine has been created, now the task is to build many attractive motorcycles on it. KTM recently gave a glimpse into the future of the 690 series ?? not entirely voluntary in some development projects.

Right from the start – the first rumors about a new generation of engines were hardly in circulation – KTM-Mit-
Arbeiter emphasizes that they still have a lot of plans for the single-cylinder, which then debuted in the 690 Supermoto. Building a whole range of models with this drive is also obvious. There were concrete indications of an Enduro and a Duke III early on, various questions about a street athlete were answered with non-binding affirmative. For example with the indication that small market niches can also be occupied profitably.
Substantial progress should create the incentive for customers to buy the new models: Instead of offering a little more performance and smoothness as well as less weight, the range of models currently being built will literally go beyond the dynamic limits of previous single-cylinder models. By combining a good 65, in later expansion stages perhaps even more than 70 hp with extremely low weight. What the 690 Supermoto can already do today, namely to accelerate seasoned middle-graders like a Honda CBF 600, Kawasaki ER-6 or Suzuki SV 650, even beat them in terms of pulling power and, thanks to their outstanding maneuverability on winding roads, is supposed to be part of a large model family transplanted generally give the single cylinder a powerful boost again.
The exciting question remains, in which order the individual motorcycles will come onto the market. Apparently, even the marketing professionals were there KTM doesn’t quite agree on that. Because the fact that sometimes one, sometimes the other was ahead on the rumor exchange, arose not only from the speculative rage of the journalists, but also reflected, albeit delayed and broken, the course of the discussion. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but what was recently seen at the Baja 500 off-road race in Mexico and at the Hungaroring reveals the sequence of the upcoming models.
Accordingly, the 690 Enduro, the successor to the 640 LC4 Enduro, will probably be presented as the next model
this summer. The machines used in the Baja 500 already give a precise impression of the later
Series motorcycle. They wear real plastic parts made of injection molding with embedded decorations, and the rest of the finish neither corresponds to that of a hand-built factory racer nor that of a prototype that is roughly knitted in some details. When asked, a KTM spokesman confirmed the close relationship between the 690 Baja and the later – MOTORRAD says “soon” – the 690 Enduro that will be released. What distinguishes the Baja from the standard motorcycle, KTM also offers as a kit for
dedicated sports riders who have come far beyond enduro hiking, but have not yet landed in real desert rallies. The swing arm made of extruded profiles will probably belong to the 950 and 990 two-cylinder, while the standard Enduro should be equipped with a cast swing arm for cost reasons like the Supermoto.
Even with such small cutbacks, the 690 Enduro promises to be a very sporty motorcycle. she takes
has many design elements of the current competition machines, technically it differs from them through its tubular space frame and the everyday, fully gas-resistant motor. And when KTM builds an enduro that is suitable for everyday use, the adventure version is usually not far away.
The next offspring of the 690 family will only be due in the somewhat distant future: the Duke III. At KTM, the name stands for a supermoto-like noble motorcycle, which with the finest components exudes a flair of elegant liveliness. During a race training session on the Hungaroring, KTM recently tested two prototypes of the upcoming Duke. One was still provided with the headlight of the 990 Super Duke, the other was already wearing a front mask in its final form. Both motorcycles had in common the elegantly disguised oil cooler and an under-engine exhaust with a side outlet. Unfortunately, the motorcycle spy was unable to photograph this exhaust on the machine with the styled lamp mask. The other’s pot was still in the style of a beer can.
This also applies to the third motorcycle that the KTM testers used to do their laps in Hungary. It also looks a bit disproportionate, although fairings from one of the most beautiful motorcycles of the last decade were used to camouflage it, the Ducati 916. The tank comes from a Cagiva Mito 125. An irony of fate. Since the Mito has existed, it has been equipped with single-cylinder four-stroke engines from Husqvarna on a trial basis, but never went into series production. Last autumn, the Italians showed such a motorcycle again at the exhibition in Milan. But now KTM threatens to overtake her.
There is still a long way to go before then. As the high front section of the KTM RC4 690/916 Mito shows, a delicate street racer crouched on the front wheel can hardly be realized without major changes to the tubular space frame. Which shouldn’t keep the developers off. Because the lap times of the Austrian-Italian conglomeration were reportedly promising.

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