Some people like riding their quads through desert dust and sands. But come winter, those same people require a whole new vehicle to feed their adrenaline. But what if we didn’t need two separate vehicles, just some extra components?
What if? What if the way we feed our adrenaline could be handled completely different? What we see in the cover photo and gallery folks is nothing more than one of those ideas. It’s called the KTM X2 Hybrid, and its creator, Anssi Mustonen of Quebec, Canada, sought to answer a common problem; not everyone owns a garage big enough for all their possible toys. And so, this beauty was created.
Now, the driving notion behind it all is rather simple, but looks can be deceiving. The idea was to create a vehicle that can be whatever you need based on the available terrain. With this in mind, Anssi has created a base vehicle that can be either a snowmobile or an ATV, depending on what kind of fun is available during the current season.
The way all this works is focused on the base vehicle we see. Aside from just looking cool, there is a trick up its sleeve that allows it to morph. No, it’s not the suspension, and it’s not the engine. What allows the X2 to magically switch roles is that component seen right under the KTM sigil. Yes, the one that looks like a Brembo caliper. Oh, wait. That is a Brembo! But why?
Well, this is part of the drivetrain for your snowmobile track. Why? Aside from having no indications whatsoever from the designer as to how this whole setup works, it would seem that the track fits perfectly around this component, while in snowmobile mode. This also makes some sense taking into consideration how a typical track works. But there’s got to be more than just a braking system there. We just don’t see or know what that is.
At the front of the conversion, we can see a pair of classic snow skis that take the place of wheels. But, unlike the rear of the vehicle, which sees nearly a full modification when in snowmobile mode, here at the front, the suspension system is left untouched. Have a closer look in the gallery to see what I mean.
Once we switch over to ATV mode, the rear track disappears completely and a set of wheels with a suspension can now be seen. At the front, just a set of wheels. Remember, there isn’t much happening here. At the rear, however, we can now see part of the ATV drivetrain. And what do we see? We see a friggin chain. And guess where it leads? Right back to that Brembo “caliper.”
So how the hell can this idea or concept become a reality? We’re not sure. We'll have to leave that to people with deeper pockets than us. Personally, I think someone, somewhere, probably Russian, has done the unthinkable and created an awesome Frankenstein based around this very principle. Or maybe this concept is based around the real thing. I haven’t seen one yet.
Now, the driving notion behind it all is rather simple, but looks can be deceiving. The idea was to create a vehicle that can be whatever you need based on the available terrain. With this in mind, Anssi has created a base vehicle that can be either a snowmobile or an ATV, depending on what kind of fun is available during the current season.
Well, this is part of the drivetrain for your snowmobile track. Why? Aside from having no indications whatsoever from the designer as to how this whole setup works, it would seem that the track fits perfectly around this component, while in snowmobile mode. This also makes some sense taking into consideration how a typical track works. But there’s got to be more than just a braking system there. We just don’t see or know what that is.
At the front of the conversion, we can see a pair of classic snow skis that take the place of wheels. But, unlike the rear of the vehicle, which sees nearly a full modification when in snowmobile mode, here at the front, the suspension system is left untouched. Have a closer look in the gallery to see what I mean.
So how the hell can this idea or concept become a reality? We’re not sure. We'll have to leave that to people with deeper pockets than us. Personally, I think someone, somewhere, probably Russian, has done the unthinkable and created an awesome Frankenstein based around this very principle. Or maybe this concept is based around the real thing. I haven’t seen one yet.