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

2014 AMA Supercross – Toronto Results

James Stewart captured his series-leading fourth AMA Supercross 450 class win of the season, giving him sole possession of second place on the overall career wins list ahead of Ricky Carmichael and behind Jeremy McGrath. The win also helped Stewart gain some ground on points leader Ryan Villopoto who suffered from a bout of food poisoning. Villopoto was examined at a Toronto hospital and released in time for the opening ceremonies.

2014 MotoGP Qatar in Pictures

The opening round of the 2014 MotoGP season is complete, and if the Grand Prix of Qatar is any indication, it looks like it’ll be an interesting season. If you haven’t yet, read up on the recap for the Qatar MotoGP race for the details on what transpired at Losail International Circuit in Doha. Here then are some of the (mostly spoiler-free) photographs from the Grand Prix of Qatar, including images from the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 classes.

2014 AMA Supercross – Detroit Results

Yoshimura Suzuki‘s James Stewart captured his third win of the 2014 AMA Supercross season and 48th 450 class victory of his career, tying him with Ricky Carmichael for second on the all-time win list behind Jeremy McGrath‘s 72. Racing before a crowd of 50,856 fans at Ford Field in Detroit, Stewart took the lead from holeshot-taker Cole Seely shortly before the end of the second lap and led the rest of the 20-lap race for the win. Stewart led by as much as 7.1 second but eased off at the end, crossing the finish less than two seconds ahead of Kawasaki‘s Ryan Villopoto.

Results From The AMA Races At Daytona

Photo: Brian J. Nelson Danny Eslick capped off his return to the AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SportBike class in spectacular fashion, winning the 73rd edition of the Daytona 200. The native of Broken Arrow, OK, and a two-time series champ won pole and then outlasted the competition to win the big one.

Who To Watch In AMA Pro Superbike This Weekend

Photo: Brian J. Nelson Even though reigning AMA Pro Superbike champ Josh Herrin has left the series to try his hand in the Moto2 series, the Superbike field is still filled deep with talent heading into this weekend’s series opening round at Daytona. Here are just a few names to keep an eye on this weekend.

2014 AMA Supercross – Daytona Results

Ryan Villopoto was dominant in Daytona, leading all 20 laps to win his third race of the season. The Monster Energy Kawasaki ride strengthened his hold on the 2014 AMA Supercross championship lead, padding his lead over Red Bull KTM riders Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen. The reigning three-time champion was far and away the fastest racer on the Daytona International Speedway infield, posting lap times more than a second faster than anyone else.

Buy Kini Red Bull Gear, Support Wings For Life

Unfortunately, spinal cord injuries occasionally happen when something goes tragically wrong on a motorcycle. Former 250cc Motocross World Champion Heinz Kinigadner and Red Bull have teamed up to create the Kini Red Bull Collection of high-end MX gear. Proceeds from each sale directly benefits the Wings For Life Foundation, whose mission is to find a cure for spinal cord injuries.

2014 AMA Supercross – Indianapolis Results

Ryan Dungey captured his first win of the 2014 AMA Supercross season in a wild main event that saw two of the top title contenders crashing on the starting straight at Indianapolis‘ Lucas Oil Stadium. Smartop MotoConcepts Suzuki rider Mike Alessi took the holeshot for the second race in a row, but the big news was incoming points leader Ryan Villopoto and Ken Roczen going down before the first turn. Roczen trailed Villopoto by nine points going into the Indianapolis round, but the KTM rookie’s hopes of overtaking the reigning champion took a blow when he went down on the straight, knocking Villopoto off in the process.

Go Cuckoo for KTM

Pull open any manufacturer’s gifts and accessories catalog and you’ll usually find the same kind of officially-branded items like key chains, beer mugs and iPhone cases. Most manufacturers offer similar items, with only the colors and logos to differentiate them. Once in a while however, manufacturers offer something that truly stands out.

2014 AMA Supercross – Atlanta Results

KTM‘s Ken Roczen continues to impress, taking his second AMA Supercross win of his 450-class rookie season at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Roczen, who also won the season opening Anaheim 1 round, took advantage of a mistake by Kawasaki‘s Ryan Villopoto to take the win and move within nine points of the defending champion in the rider standings. The main event started with Smartop Motoconcepts Suzuki rider Mike Alessi taking the holeshot for his best start this season.