KTM Motorcycles

About ktm

KTM Sportmotorcycle AG is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and moped manufacturer. KTM is most commonly known for its off road motorcycles though in recent years it has expanded into street motorcycle production.

The company was founded in 1934 by engineer Hans Trunkenpolz in Mattighofen. It started out as a metal working shop and was named Kraftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen. In 1937, it started repairing and selling DKW motorcycles, and Opel the following year.

In 1954 KTM began producing motorcycles, almost all of the components being produced in house, with the notable exception of engines, made most often by company Rotax.

In 1955, a businessman Ernst Kronreif became shareholder of the company, on acquiring a sizable portion of the company. It was then renamed Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen.

KTM's first moped, called Mecky was launched in 1957, followed by Ponny I in 1960 and Ponny II in 1962, and the decade saw the beginning of the bicycle production.

Kronreif died in 1960 and Trunkenpolz two years later, of a heart attack. Company name was changed back to Kraftrader Trunkenpolz Mattighofen with his son Erich taking managing the company. In 1978, US subsidiary KTM North America Inc. was founded in Lorain, Ohio. In 1980, it was renamed KTM Motor-Fahrzeugbau KG.

Since 1990, KTM motorcycles and automobiles (X-Bow) have been designed by KiskaDesign, a Salzburg-based design firm. It is responsible for the overall branding for KTM; including the design of the vehicles, shops, exhibits and printed material.

KTM first participated in motorsports events in 1953 in the 5th Gaisberg competition in which it won the first three places. One year later, KTM won the Austrian 125 national championship. Two years later, in 1956, KTM participated in the International Six Days race for the first time and Egon Dornauer won the gold. 1966 year marks the winning of the Austrian national championship by Manfred Klerr using the new 250cc Motorcross bike. In 1973, the Austrian team records the first World Championship points and the first Grand Prix wins.

Moto blog

2024 KTM 890 SMT Review

The love child of a Duke and Adventure – that oddly works Photos by Edward Narraca. If ever there was an oxymoron in motorcycling, it’s the term “SuperMoto Touring,” and yet here it is, emblazoned on the side of this orange machine. Supermoto evokes images of dirt bikes on slick tires, being hucked sideways into corners.

2024 KTM 890 SMT Gallery

2024 KTM 890 SMT Gallery | Motorcycle.com Join Now My History Account Settings Log out Specs Classifieds Bike Reviews Product Reviews Best Motorcycle Cameras Best Motorcycle Earplugs Best Motorcycle Oil Best Leather Jackets Best Winter Gloves Best Sportbike Tires GPS Buyers Guide Gear Deals Types Adventure Touring Cruiser Electric Off-Road On-Off-Road Other Scooter Sport-Touring Sportbikes Standard Touring Touring Scooter Track Youth Brands Aprilia BMW CFMoto Ducati Energica Gas-Gas Harley-Davidson Honda Husqvarna Indian Kawasaki KTM Kymco Moto Guzzi MV Agusta Piaggio Royal Enfield Suzuki Triumph Vespa Yamaha Zero Resources New Rider's Hub Dealers Safety Forums Videos Insurance Specs Classifieds Bike Reviews Product Reviews Best Motorcycle Cameras Best Motorcycle Earplugs Best Motorcycle Oil Best Leather Jackets Best Winter Gloves Best Sportbike Tires GPS Buyers Guide Gear Deals Types Adventure Touring Cruiser Electric Off-Road On-Off-Road Other Scooter Sport-Touring Sportbikes Standard Touring Touring Scooter Track Youth Brands Aprilia BMW CFMoto Ducati Energica Gas-Gas Harley-Davidson Honda Husqvarna Indian Kawasaki KTM Kymco Moto Guzzi MV Agusta Piaggio Royal Enfield Suzuki Triumph Vespa Yamaha Zero Resources New Rider's Hub Dealers Safety Forums Videos Insurance Join Now My History Account Settings Log out Edit & Post 2024 KTM 890 SMT Gallery The term Supermoto Touring might be confusing, but the KTM 890 SMT somehow manages to combine two distinctly different categories into one bike that serves as an excellent everyday rider. Read the full story here. Photos by Edward Narraca.

2024 KTM 990 Duke Review – Track Test

How does the new middleweight Duke stack up on track? Action photography by Sebas Romero. Trackside stills by Emanuel Tschann.

2024 KTM 1390 Super Duke R EVO Review – Track Test

A second go on KTM’s uber beast Action photography by Sebas Romero. Trackside stills by Emanuel Tschann. Studio photography by VISUS STUDIOS.

2024 KTM RC8c Review – First Ride

The final edition of the RC8c is here to give the 990 RCR some giant shoes to fill Action photography by Sebas Romero. Trackside stills by Emanuel Tschann. Studio photography by VISUS STUDIOS.

2024 KTM 390 Duke Review – First Ride

Premium treatment for the baby Duke Photos by: Francesc Montero, Sebas Romero Like many things in life, perspective is everything. Here in the US, KTM’s 390 Duke has been the smallest member of the Duke family (although that’s no longer true as the 250 and 200 Dukes cross the ocean, too). As the baby Duke in America, we generally look at it with kid gloves, a cute learner bike for someone to start with before coming up through the ranks.

2024 KTM 1390 Super Duke R EVO Review – First Ride

We’ve officially entered into the world of the ridiculous Photos by Francesc Montero and Sebas Romero There’s only so much you can learn about a motorcycle after getting about four laps on a racetrack you haven’t seen in a decade. Factor in the cold conditions, a brand new, race-compound rear tire, and no tire warmers, and you can basically throw away any sort of authoritative impressions about the bike. Oh, and did I mention the bike in question is the 2024 KTM 1390 Super Duke R EVO and the racetrack was the ultra-tricky Almeria circuit?

2024 KTM 990 Duke Review – First Ride

The middle Duke is giving off big brother vibes Photos: Francesc Montero, Sebas Romero It’s no secret that we at Motorcycle.com love KTM’s 790 and 890 Duke (and really love the 890 Duke R). Long-time readers will know this already, but if you’re new here, our history with the middle Duke family runs deep. Type in either 790 or 890 Duke in our search bar and you’ll see the myriad of stories and tests we’ve done with those bikes.

2023 KTM 890 Duke R: 5 Things You Need To Know

We say goodbye to an instant classic with five things we love about it It’s hard to say goodbye to the ones you love, but that’s exactly what we have to do with the KTM 890 Duke R. One of our favorite bikes since its introduction, the 890 Duke R is leaving the KTM lineup to make way for the incoming 990 Duke (and the re-introduced 790 Duke). But before we bid it farewell, we put it up against some of its European contemporaries in a good old fashioned MO shootout.

2023 KTM RC 8C Review

It had been quite a while since I last rode a multi-cylinder KTM on a racetrack – all the way back to 2011 and the Red Bull-sponsored factory RC8R 1200cc V-twin on which Martin Bauer was victorious in that year’s IDM German Superbike Championship, with teammate Stefan Nebel third. That was a key moment in the Austrian dirtbike specialist’s climb up the ladder to equal status with the likes of Honda and Ducati in the road racing pantheon, and showed that orange was a color to be reckoned with on-road as well as off it. KTM invited Alan Cathcart to join 30 customers to pick up their new RC 8Cs in Valencia and hobnob with the likes of Jeremy McWilliams, Mika Kallio, and Brad Binder.