Orange KTM 500 EXC Motorcycles, page #21

Moto blog

KTM Teases New “Beast” for EICMA

KTM announced it will unveil a new “beast” at next week’s EICMA show in Milan. The Austrian manufacturer is being coy about the mystery model, promising a sneak peak of photos of the new bike on Nov. 9.

KTM Issues Fuel Hose Recall on 7000 Motorcycles

KTM is issuing a worldwide recall on approximately 7000 motorcycles from model year 2012 and 2013 for potential fuel hose leaks. The recall affects certain EXC, EXC-F, XC-F, XC-W, XCF-W, Freeride, SX-F,  and Supermoto R models with electronic fuel injection. (See after the jump for specific models included in the recall.) According to KTM, a defect in the manufacturing process of the molded fuel hoses on affected models may lead to a fuel leak either at the ends or where the hoses bend.

Top Gear Live Completes Double Loop-the-Loop on KTM 250 SX-F – Video

The Top Gear Live Stunt Team completed the first ever double loop-the-loop on a motorcycle, with rider Gary Hoptrough successfully navigating the two 26-foot loops on a KTM 250 SX-F. Look for the video after the jump. Hoptrough completed the “Deadly 720″ stunt in front of an audience of 4000 as part of the live touring version of the BBC series “Top Gear” at the Birmingham NEC in the U.K.

My dream bike for 2013: The KTM 250GPR

I never really know when I’m asked what my dream bike would be but should Camelot shine on me this Saturday I know what I want at the moment, the KTM250GPR. At around £45,000 and with only 49bhp the Austrian firms over the counter Moto 3 racer for 2013 might not sound that appealing but I beg to differ. For starters they look stunning so I’d never get bored of looking at it in my garage but the technical spec and potential fun of taking one to a race track is what really turns me on. Far from being some motocross engine shoehorned into a steel trellis frame the 250GPR is just a small step down from Sandro Cortese’s world championship winning Moto 3 machine.

Report: KTM 390 Duke to Launch at EICMA

KTM and Bajaj Auto will launch a new 375cc member of is entry-level Duke lineup, reports Indian site Zigwheels. Previous reports had KTM developing a 350 Duke as an extension of its 125 and 200 Duke (pictured above) family. The 350 Duke was also listed on a leaked Powerpoint slide from a North American dealer meeting we published in February, so this new model may be the first of the small-displacement Duke family to make it to the U.S.

Sheepish Maverick Vinales Returns to Blusens, Issues Apology

A contrite Maverick Vinales has returned to the Blusens Avintia Moto3 team days after his brash, and admittedly hasty departure at this past weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The FTR Honda rider quit the Blusens team on Oct. 10, returning home from Sepang without once hitting the track.

Top Gear Live to Attempt “Deadly 720″ Double Loop-the-Loop on KTM 250 SX-F

Automotive program “Top Gear” and KTM are teaming up to attempt the world’s first double loop-the-loop on a motorcycle. The stunt, using a 2013 KTM 250 SX-F, follows a similar stunt “Top Gear” completed from June called the “Deadly 720” that saw a successful double loop-the-loop in a car in Durban, South Africa, a first for a four-wheeled vehicle recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records (look for the video after the jump.) The attempt at a two-wheeled Deadly 720 will take place as part of the Top Gear Live show, Oct. 25-28 in Birmingham, U.K.

Maverick Vinales Quits Blusens Avintia Moto3 Team

Maverick Vinales seems to be living up to his name, announcing he is leaving the Blusens Avintia team despite sitting second in the Moto3 World Championship with three rounds to go. Vinales traveled with the team to Sepang for the upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix but did not take part in Free Practice and later announced the split. You may remember Vinales from last season when he raced in the former 125cc Grand Prix World Championship for the Paris Hilton-sponsored Blusens-BQR team.

US Motorcycle Thefts Down 6% in 2011

Americans reported 46,667 motorcycle thefts in 2011, a 6% decrease from 49,791 stolen motorcycles in 2010, reports the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Despite the drop in reported thefts, the non-profit organization representing nearly 1100 property and casualty insurance companies says the theft rate still averages out to one motorcycle stolen every 11 minutes in the U.S. The numbers were published in the NICB’s 2011 ForeCAST Report which examined theft reports as well as recoveries.

The Moto GP 2 stroke era finally ends.

It might have been the fumes of the 40:1 fuel mix but I had a tear in my eye when the chequered flag came out for the last ever competitive two stroke race in the Moto GP paddock on Sunday at Aragon. With two riders on the sick list twenty two identical single cylinder KTM 125s buzzed round for fifteen laps of mayhem and sometimes eight abreast heading into the first and last corners. The sight, sound and smell were fantastic and the clean close racing was a fitting end to a very special era.