The Austrian manufacturer KTM announced that their Venom project has been put on hold for as long as it takes to make a success out of the RC8 superbike. A naked superbike, the Venom was first unveiled at the 2005 EICMA Show in Milan and was supposed to go into production as a 2009 model year. Thomas Kuttruf, Public Relations Manager at KTM, told MCN why this won’t happen so soon:

“The bike is standing in Kiska’s (Gerald Kiska, the man behind the design company responsible for the look of all KTMs) office, but is currently a no-go for production.

With the Venom project we had the idea to make a naked superbike, we still think this idea is worth following and the project is not stopped, but it is a bit on hold.

“The clear priority for us at the moment and the clear idea from the Stefan Pierer was to say ‘guys, before we have a naked superbike, we must have a successful real superbike.’

KTM postpones Venom production originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 25 March 2009 16:03 EST.

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KTM takes the opportunity and presents at the EICMA motorcycle saloon in Milano their latest street bike, the Venom. Previously unveiled as a concept, the future addition to the Austrian builder’s lineup is a threat for all street fighters out there.

Its secret is to offer a new kind of riding excitement, similar to the one of a super sport bike while retaining the sexy half-faired look. This shows two ways to the Venom, the track or the streets, and the bike can indeed be a great performer in both of these environments due to the top notch chassis.

Some already tend to call it a stripped down RC8, but the bike is much more. How much? Enough to be put up against the Aprilia Tuono 1000 and stand a good chance to win thanks to the super sport velleities.

The Austrians have two possibilities for the engine: the prototype, from which the street version derives, a 1.149 cc V75 developing an impressive 150 horsepower or a more likely scenario, the 155 horsepower V2 from the RC8. In this last case, KTM engineers will work their magic and retune the engine for more mid-range power, more adequate for this kind of ride.

KTM Venom heads into production originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 28 August 2008 09:58 EST.

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