KTM has posted several photos via Heinz Kinigadner’s Facebook page, of the MotoGP bike it has developed in anticipation of a race debut in 2017. The bike is already undergoing testing, and you can see an excellent spy video here. The 999 cc V-4 engine is housed in a steel trellis frame, interestingly enough, and utilizes Brembo brake components and WP Suspension components. If you watch the video all the way through, you can see that the rider and crew are pretty happy at the end. It will be interesting to have KTM join the MotoGP circus.
See more of MD’s great photography:
I miss turboman telling us to all buy a Korean bike instead of a KTM: you know, costs less, performs better…………
Lol.. Sure you do.
Didn’t KTM back out of a deal with Kenny Roberts once?
before we try “running” this cart in front of our “horse” as though it were something intelligent to do, what’s the latest…?
is KTM actually running a TEAM..?
or are they just creating a collector bike like the RCV213S (but of unknown reliability, competitiveness, and support) that no crew chief would touch with a 10ft spanner…?
last I heard this was undecided.
There islittle to no chance that a manufacturer would produce a ground up race bike without a plan to race it. Perhaps they mean to sell/lease it to teams like Honda, Ducati and Yamaha do but I can’t see Red Bull putting a logo on the side at this early stage unless they plan to sponsor a team.
re: “I can’t see Red Bull putting a logo on the side at this early stage unless they plan to sponsor a team.”
well I wouldn’t read too much into that. Mateschitz
is a media whore who’s thrown the Red Bull logo basically on the side of ANYTHING and EVERYTHING the past 15-17 years. example, when my nana passed in ’04, we lowered her into the ground in a coffin the flew the Redbull livery (true story).
so you see, it’s not that his drink is fantastic…? he’s just gotten sound business advice on how to redirect profits BACK into advertising so as to establish DOMINANCE in the marketplace. this, before the big name/big money soft drink companies who could buy and sell his ass (see entry for Coca Cola) caught on to the trend and respond with their own product.
yes, the host of changes to a new tire, slight change in electronics and a nice orange frame. I bet for one that they can get those bikes to feel at least similar with todays technology and I’m glad to see them take a different route.
I wish others would try things two, but understand it’s a race, not a show, so a rider must GO!!!
All said, it will be great to have them along and see what they can do!!!
Suzuki’s success in GP this year has to give KTM hope. Or scare them, depending on where there development is. You don’t want to get spanked by another new manufacturer to the series.
Got get ’em guys!!!
Maybe we’ll find out if Red Bull gives them wings 🙂
It seems the day of the megaphone is long gone. Not only gone, but now it seems every contender needs to put a grill in the end as well…?
It all seems very restrictive, and keeping unwanted rodents or opponents sabotage efforts at bay is probably not the reason.
Can any of you knowledgeable types out there shed some light on current thinking for me.
would be most appreciated.
Grumps
The exhaust tip screen is there to keep debris out during a crash. Or so I’ve read.
These showed up when the restrictions on the number of engines was imposed.
I will leave it to others here related to the KTM MotoGP effort being a failure or a success.
I am satisfied to continually be impressed by KTMs accomplishments and determination.
I will check out/test ride a KTM first…. for my next motorcycle.
Amazing company, amazing results!!!
I would buy a KTM for the street combining an RC8 with a 1290 Super Duke engine. Would be a great combination.
Barring fairly tough limitations on big buck factory teams, in order to even the field; I simply cannot see a trellis frame, in any material short of genuine unobtanium, being all that competitive. Current GP speeds and tires puts such high loads into the frame, that the potential weight savings, at the required stiffness, from building an optimized monocoque, can be pretty significant. By selling to anyone for a reasonable sum, KTMs may, by force of sheer accessibility, end up accounting for enough of the field to have rules formed to make them competitive almost be default, however…..
Re: ” I simply cannot see a trellis frame, in any material short of genuine unobtanium, being all that competitive. ”
In face we DID see a steel trellis frame not just compete, but dominate with Casey Stoner’s Ducati. They then tried to make an optimized monocoque out of carbon fiber and miserably failed. KTM is now dominant in MX with their steel frames over everyone else’s aluminum. It also took Honda several years to chase the evil out of their original aluminum MX frame.
Steel trellis perfectly well suited for this job. It’s easy to design with and it’s easy + cheap to modify and change.
Steel is underated stuff these days. Like Dave said, it is very easy to make modifications to the chassis and doesn’t require particularly expensive or specialized tooling which is great for a platform under development and also for other teams that may be looking to buy a KTM. Chromoly trellis may not be the flavor of the day, but I wouldn’t count KTM out based expressly on that. I imagine the frame is the least of their worries, anyway.
It is also easy to take the word “steel” for granted. Steel simply means an iron based alloy. There are very technically advanced and strong steel alloys out there that can be manipulated lots of ways.
And KTM uses some of the techiest even in their street machines. If they aren’t competitive in the beginning, I doubt it will be because of the frame.
re: “There are very technically advanced and strong steel alloys out there that can be manipulated lots of ways.”
the 304 stainless body of the Delorean was the only material that could successfully contain Flux ionization. it needed to be low to no magnetic as much as it needed to be strong.
Doc Brown’s MkI prototype originally started life as an ’85 Fiero, but the overly “ferrous” content of the chassis in combination with the melting plastic body panels reeked havoc with the time displacement calculations.
Totally agree, I was doing one day a research on the alloys used on race bikes when I got to a thread on why aluminum.
The short answer was… looks nice.
And yes, some new process would allow new better steel alloys.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/news/a13919/new-steel-alloy-titanium/
re: “I simply cannot see a trellis frame, in any material short of genuine unobtanium, being all that competitive.”
no worries, update your prescription. the tires going forward will be 17in Michelins and Ducati’s won something like 20 championships in 20 years with 14 different riders running 3 variations of a multiple welded steel trellis with most of those titles taken over top 17in Michelins…?
it would seen the prevailing information you’ve been fed by the so called “experts” is WRONG.
“MotoGP Circus” you can say that again! Always been a fan of KTM and I actually admire their design explorations of the past, including the origami approach. I will be sad to see another manufacturer move away from the beloved V-twin architecture… such is the price of progress.
A v-twin will never be viable in MotoGP in the same displacement class. It does not have the volumetric efficiency of a three or more cylinder engine. As evidenced by the Ducati Desmocidici being a v-4. A v-twin simply cannot flow as much air as a same displacement four cylinder, and therefore cannot make as much horsepower or revs. And a v-four does not mean that it will necessarily reach the street..
They are not moving away from their production platform, just implementing waht can be competivce in MotoGP.
Careful, got into an argument with a guy that was enamored with 3 cylinders, more cylinders of the same total displacement always makes more horsepower. Development is limited due to racing organizations placing limits on number of cylinders, bore size, etc. I say give them X amount of fuel to run X amount of time and let them run what they brung.
Re. “I say give them X amount of fuel to run X amount of time and let them run what they brung”
There has never been a successful racing fomula based on this. Somebody always out-spends the rest, eventually leading to a nearly empty starting grid.
That’s the first KTM I’ve seen that looks good! Obviously, they kept Kriska and his origami team well away from it. Sounds fabulous too!
That is exactly what I was thinking too! Definitely a great looking piece…..
It would be incredible to have KTM become “the one to beat” on gp.
It would make the brand make reference models (or very close to) on a lot of segments.
I would die to know which management ideas they changed to get here.
it’s worth mention that they previously said the RC8 were going to be replaced with a track only v4, the RC16, spy photos show a different trellis frame (less beefier), it could be an approach similar to the track only desmo and 600cc powered RC213V-S, gp derived bikes.
“It will be interesting to have KTM join the MotoGP circus”
interesting…
don’t see any logos but I assume that horse has been “shoed” with the 17″ Michelin precedent…?
Glad to see another manufacturer will be lining up on the grid.
Schwarzenegger’s D16.
What a great video. I just love that V4 howl! KTM seem like a company that only go forward when they are confident of success. Moto GP 2017 should be very exciting!
Bring it KTM. Next season will already be all shook up with the wheel and tire changes not to mention the carry-on drama from the end of this year. Ducati will be there with a new bike and Suzuki may have more HP to make their presence felt even more too. I’ve already let the re-subscribe on the MotoGP Videopass go through.
re: “I’ve already let the re-subscribe on the MotoGP Videopass go through.”
I just cancelled mine. hey as the saying goes… happy wife, happy life.