2014 Ktm 500 Exc on 2040-motos

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Moto blog

Carbon Fibre race bikes, and a KTM makes it debut on the BSB Motostar rostrum

Many think Carbon Fibre chassis are relatively new to motorcycle racing but I can lay claim to having been there and done that almost thirty years ago. I first rode a Carbon/Kevlar 250cc Armstrong in 1983 before going on to grab four British titles and pretty much every national lap record over the next three years. I also had some top ten 250cc Grand Prix finishes although I was totally gutted when my team mate Donnie McLeod topped me by finishing 2nd in the Belgian GP at Spa.

KTM Developing 500cc and 800cc Twins

After setting a new company record for motorcycle sales on the back of small displacement models like the Duke line (like the 390 Duke pictured above), KTM is turning its attention to mid-sized models. Speaking with Overdrive.in at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo, KTM Chief Executive Officer Stefan Pierer says the company has 500cc and 800cc parallel Twin engines in development, with new models expected to enter production within three years. The new mid-sized models will be produced in India for the Indian market to avoid the country’s stringent import duties.

KTM RC8R: The first month

First impressions are everything so the gearbox niggles on the first RC8s meant I didn’t become an instant fan. There was never a problem for normal road riding but when the pace was increased on track days false neutrals were found and gears were missed. Ironically I might have been able to help here as KTM signed me up for pre-production shakedown testing before I got sidelined with appendicitis.