Photo: Florin Tibu
← Continued from Page 2 of "Exclusive Interview with KTM Reveals Plans for World Domination"ae: What's the most exciting bike here this year?
TK: The Super Duke GT, clearly. It is the highest-spec KTM ever, at all, beating the Super Adventure R in the tech specs sheet, too. It has more punch, more equipment, more electronics (standard quick-shifter and more).
All in all, this is the pinnacle of KTM bike-making prowess. The Super Duke GT is the highest-spec machine we and our engineers were able to come up with in 2015, the current business card of the company. And I say this without downplaying the other models.
For example, the 690 Duke R, also a bike loaded with sensational technology, such as lean angle-dependent cornering ABS, a feature you don't find on bikes such as the Ducati Panigale. The 609 Duke R is almost over-specced.
ae: Will the cornering ABS make it to other bikes as well?
TK: We have three bikes with this technology so far, and step by step we will introduce it to more models. It is a very complex process. We could make it simpler, without the lean angle sensor, but the technology is there. We developed it with Bosch, and now we want to make proper use of it.
However, the application itself is a monumental task. It is almost a manual process because of all the stuff derived from the lean angle sensor. We are talking about a huge amount of data that needs to be processed and implemented, and it's hard to do this at a fast pace with multiple models.
ae: Do you expect other manufacturers to at least try and copy or emulate the Super Duke GT?
TK: I hope so, it's the best compliment you can get; competition is the best thing you can get. I think that if KTM continues to lead the pack and surf the wave I was telling you about, we will have strong followers.
At the end of the day, this competition will bring great benefits to the rider. And having happy motorcycle riders is the main goal of the industry.
ae: BMW put an electric motor and batteries in an S1000RR frame, creating the eRR concept. Any more electric goodies for KTM?
TK: It's been two years since we had a production-ready e-bike, which is now homologated for the street. We are committed strongly to the technology and we have all we need in-house.
We certainly plan to enlarge the e-drive range in the future. But knowing so well how to manufacture and develop a generic motorcycle, we are taking things easy. Making a strong business out of electric bikes needs some time, you just can't make it overnight.
Testing how things could evolve is much easier, we had the electric scooter project until not long ago. But this was only a show case, and things are way different. You will just not see an electric bike to rival the 1290 Adventure too soon; there is still a lot to be done.
[QUOTE]If you don't think you can be competitive in racing, you should not get into racing[/QUOTE]
ae: I heard a whisper mentioning KTM and Pikes Peak in the same, non-negative sentence...
TK: We gave a lot of thought to the PPIHC for years now, wondering whether there was something about going there and competing there. KTM North America wanted to do it but never had the right resources to do it properly, at least not until now.
When it comes to competitions, our belief is "do it properly or don't do it. If you don't believe that you can get into a competition to get a good result, to be competitive, don't enter." This is what we think.
The US was not ready, they had different priorities and tasks in the past, with product launches and getting a strong foot on the ground, selling street motorcycles and all.
Next year, however, things are going to be different, and we will make a FULL attempt, not just testing the waters.
ae: With the Beast, right?
TK: It simply HAS to be the Beast, yes. A nicely adapted Super Duke R to put things in order at the Pikes Peak. There is not much info available publicly now, but I can tell you that Mr. Jeremy McWilliams is deeply involved in this.
McWilliams, who, as you said, tested a lot with the Beast in its early days, is probably the number one expert in going fast with the Super Duke R. He is still road racing and knows what needs to be done to prepare the bike for such an undertaking. He will be part of the project, but this is about all I can tell you now.
ae: Has KTM changed their mind about a street superbike? It's been more than once when decisions changed, and you know there would be a lot of happy guys happy if you came up with an RC8 successor, possibly derived from the RC16.
TK: Partly, you've sort of given the answer. We could adapt the RC16 to the road, but right now the effort doesn't seem to pay off. We want to focus on MotoGP, so the answer is no.
We won't see a classic, full-faired street-legal superbike from KTM, but we are fully committed to using what we discover to work well with the RC16 MotoGP bike in the closed-course version you will find in the showroom.
ae: In the showroom... should yummy, when will this happen? 2018?
TK: We don't have an exact calendar, but your estimation might work. We will take the RC16 to the MotoGP track in 2017. It may sound long until then, but in terms of racing, this is just around the corner.
When we have learned enough, everything will be translated into specifications, and then we will work to make things affordable.
ae: So we will see KTM in the 2016 official tests!
TK: Of course, but we don't have a calendar for this, either.
With the Red Bull can empty, I could not help thinking about Team Red Bull KTM in 2017...
TK: We gave a lot of thought to the PPIHC for years now, wondering whether there was something about going there and competing there. KTM North America wanted to do it but never had the right resources to do it properly, at least not until now.
When it comes to competitions, our belief is "do it properly or don't do it. If you don't believe that you can get into a competition to get a good result, to be competitive, don't enter." This is what we think.
The US was not ready, they had different priorities and tasks in the past, with product launches and getting a strong foot on the ground, selling street motorcycles and all.
Next year, however, things are going to be different, and we will make a FULL attempt, not just testing the waters.
ae: With the Beast, right?
TK: It simply HAS to be the Beast, yes. A nicely adapted Super Duke R to put things in order at the Pikes Peak. There is not much info available publicly now, but I can tell you that Mr. Jeremy McWilliams is deeply involved in this.
McWilliams, who, as you said, tested a lot with the Beast in its early days, is probably the number one expert in going fast with the Super Duke R. He is still road racing and knows what needs to be done to prepare the bike for such an undertaking. He will be part of the project, but this is about all I can tell you now.
ae: Has KTM changed their mind about a street superbike? It's been more than once when decisions changed, and you know there would be a lot of happy guys happy if you came up with an RC8 successor, possibly derived from the RC16.
TK: Partly, you've sort of given the answer. We could adapt the RC16 to the road, but right now the effort doesn't seem to pay off. We want to focus on MotoGP, so the answer is no.
We won't see a classic, full-faired street-legal superbike from KTM, but we are fully committed to using what we discover to work well with the RC16 MotoGP bike in the closed-course version you will find in the showroom.
ae: In the showroom... should yummy, when will this happen? 2018?
TK: We don't have an exact calendar, but your estimation might work. We will take the RC16 to the MotoGP track in 2017. It may sound long until then, but in terms of racing, this is just around the corner.
When we have learned enough, everything will be translated into specifications, and then we will work to make things affordable.
ae: So we will see KTM in the 2016 official tests!
TK: Of course, but we don't have a calendar for this, either.
With the Red Bull can empty, I could not help thinking about Team Red Bull KTM in 2017...
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