KTM First Look Motorcycles

In recent times, KTM has kept people like us pretty busy, thanks to multiple model updates throughout its arsenal, and it has no plan to stop anytime soon. The latest motorcycle to receive an update is the company’s supermoto specialist, the 450 SMR, which gets several fine but fundamental tweaks to help it shed crucial tenths off lap times.

No-one is ever going to accuse KTM of not launching enough bikes! Following on from 13 enduro bikes comes a further 12 MX model line-up, including two- and four-stroke models and changes to chassis and engines across the board

Bringing back a model name that has been defunct for a few decades is one thing, but bringing back a model that has only been out of the catalogue for one year is quite another. What is KTM up to?

KTM’s Duke range of naked bikes is massively popular but while the 1290 Super Duke gets all the headlines, the 125 Duke is an important introduction to the KTM brand for many riders. Now, the model, introduced in 2011, is getting a big redesign.

The KTM 790 Duke first broke cover back in 2017 and aimed to bridge the gap between the 390 Duke and the bonkers 1290 Super Duke. But thanks to the strict Euro 5 norms in place, the 790 Duke was almost immediately supplanted by the Euro 5-compliant 890 Duke R in 2019.

Now, however, KTM has re-introduced the 790 Duke for 2022, bearing a Euro 5-compliant engine with the same-old intent of being the go-to middle-weight naked which it was previously. With that out of the way, here are five things you should know about the new bike.

Following the release of the 2022 KTM 890 Duke R a couple of weeks ago, comes news of the 890 Duke GP. However, like the Duke R, it seems the only updates are to the paint job

Spy shots reveal a brand new variant on the 390 Adventure platform, looking very much like it could be an enduro version of the single-cylinder pocket rocket.

We’ve known about the tie-in between KTM and Brabus since December last year and, one day ahead of the official reveal, images have been leaked online giving us the first look at a more civilised Beast.

KTM updates the three-year-old 890 Adventure platform. What started as the 790 Adventure in 2019 was updated to the 890 Adventure in 2021. For the 2023 model year, further changes to the looks and a new road-biased model are in the pipeline.

If you were expecting significant updates to the 2022 KTM 890 Duke, then you might fee a little short changed: a new colour is about the only change.

KTM’s announcement that the 1290 Adventure S and R will be coming to the U.S. in 2022 is big news for fans of the orange Austrian brand

Despite many riders thinking they need the biggest adventure bike out there, in reality the smaller models offer just as much rideability and always make more sense when tackling really technical off-road sections.

The 2022 KTM 1290 Super Duke GT continues its reign as the maddest sports tourer out there. Upgrades to running gear and electronics but misses out on radar-assisted cruise control.

KTM isn’t sitting on its laurels with the 1290 Super Duke naked sports bike. The EVO model now boasts electronic semi-active suspension from long-time collaborator WP

KTM’s RC390 and RC125 have always punched well above their weight. Now, for 2022, both bikes receive significant upgrades, gaining new chassis and shedding a lot of weight along the way. Revised styling and, on the RC390, a full suite of electronics.

KTM’s RC390 has always flown under the radar, being overshadowed by the company’s larger and brutal naked sports bikes. But it still remains KTM’s biggest-capacity faired sports bike. Not that it should be seen as anything other than a brilliant motorcycle in its own right, with 44bhp in a featherweight chassis. New Euro5 emissions regulations mean that the new model is unlikely to have more power but, crucially, won’t have lost any, either.

Recent spy shots show what could be a new KTM Duke 990 to boost power in the face of new Euro5b emission controls. Could it also form the basis of a new range of middleweight bikes from the Austrian manufacturer?

Last week, we gave you news of the new track-only KTM RC 8C limited-edition bike that was due to go on sale. With only 100 examples of the Moto2-inspired machine on offer, it was likely that you would have to be quick off the mark to get your hands on one. We didn’t realise how quick you would have to be, however.

There are many KTM fans out there who lament the disappearance of the RC8 superbike from KTM’s catalogue. Now, KTM has revealed the track-only RC 8C model, using a chassis based on the Moto2 chassis from 2019 and the LC8 parallel twin engine from the 890 Duke R. 140bhp and 308lbs, suspended by WP APEX PRO suspension will give sparkling performance and razor-sharp handling, reigned in by race-spec brembo brake calipers. Does it signal a return to road-legal superbikes for the Austrian firm?

Austrian manufacturer KTM teases us with a glimpse into its 2020 lineup by releasing the details on the top-shelf 790 Adventure R “Rally” model. KTM’s not-inconsiderable experience with off-road bikes is readily apparent in this special, limited-edition build that takes an already capable machine and pushes it over the top. Far from being the two-wheeled equivalent of a soccer mom’s SUV, the Rally brings true globetrotting ability to the table with a potent powerplant, extended-travel suspension and weight-saving measures that deliver Dakar-worthy performance. This is a preview as the machine is slated for release in the near future, so get ready to place your order with the quickness when that day arrives, because this mid-size racer is bound to sell out fast.

We know, for one, that manufacturers develop low capacity motorcycles to get new riders into their strides from the very beginning. With manufacturers showing so much love to the adventure category, it’s high time that we get out and do a little exploring for ourselves.

It looks like KTM is busy preparing the right tools for this job and are onto adding more iterations to the 390cc and spinning new genres of motorcycles.

Spied by our friends at motorradonline somewhere in Europe, these images have surfaced proving the Austrian’s intent of adding an adventure model as well as a scrambler to their 390cc platform.