Whenever we get to hear something about KTM, fortunately, it is good news for the company as well as for the customers. This time yet again it is the same scenario. KTM CEO Stefan Pierer in an interview with Germany’s Speedweek magazine revealed what the Austrian brand has got planned out for the next few years.
As per the reports, KTM is planning to introduce a new model in its 790 series. We already have the 790 Duke and 790 Adventure out, so what’s remaining and could be the next one in the series, is a new 790 SMT (Supermoto). It would really help the company to get a stronghold of the market.
The 790 SMT would be powered by the same 799cc parallel-twin engine which produces a blistering 105hp and 85Nm. KTM would play around with these figures and also the power delivery to make sure it suits the character of the Supermoto. The 790 SMT would prove to be a good rival to the Ducati Hypermotard 950. When would this happen? Well, we aren’t pretty sure about it but we wouldn’t be surprised if we get to see the 790 SMT at the next year’s EICMA.
Another interesting news that got our attention is that KTM is planning to develop a new 500cc twin-cylinder engine. This would be used to create a new 500cc series that would primarily be targeted for the emerging markets. The new engine will be developed by KTM and will be manufactured by Bajaj in India.
This could prove to be another good move by the ‘Ready to Race’ brand because recently Aprilia was caught testing its almost production-ready RS 660 concept. With its 500cc models, KTM can give a direct competition to such motorcycles.
It is definitely a future plan and would take somewhere around 2-4 years for the development of the engine. But we are pretty excited about it. KTM has always catered to the needs of the performance-hungry people with its phenomenal products. The new 500cc series will open up a whole new segment for such people.
