Do you know Rok Bagoros? Probably not, but the Slowenian stunt rider is well known in Europe. KTM released a video showing Bagoros testing the brand new 125 Duke, the smallest Duke of the Austrian company. You probably think 15 hp is not enough for fun but you’re wrong, just watch the video. It looks like 125-250cc bikes are the next wave next to electric machines. The great thing is that these bikes are cheap but offer a lot of fun. Not to mention the insurance costs. Read the full article »

Francisco Lopez has made a habit of winning at least one stage at home since the Dakar has been hosted by his country. Last year, “Chaleco” missed out on this prestigious stage due to a navigational mistake. This time, after a faultless performance all along the 423 km of the Day’s special, the Chilean fans’ favourite offered himself a royal descent down to the now famous finish at Iquique, with its 3 in 10 gradient and many spectators. Success seemed to be on the side of Lopez, because when it came to totting up, he appeared to have won the stage by one second from Frans Verhoeven. Read the full article »

On the long special of the day, Marc Coma was victorious. The Spanish rider did a very efficient job and and picked up his 12th stage victory on the Dakar in San Salvador de Jujuy, ahead of Cyril Despres. The Frenchman holds on to the race lead by a small margin, whereas outsiders Paulo Gonçalves and Olivier Pain did their chances a whole world of good. Coma was not the only beneficiary of the day’s battles. Paulo Gonçalves, third-placed 3’36” behind the stage winner, moves up a rank with his fine performance. Read the full article »

The two title holders, Cyril Despres and Carlos Sainz, both won their second consecutive stage on the Personal Dakar Argentina Chile 2011. In the bike category, the Frenchman boasts a lead of 2’35” over Marc Coma. Already delighted with the performance of Ruben Faria during the afternoon, Cyril Despres learned yesterday evening that in fact he had picked up victory on stage 1, after a one minute penalty was handed out to his team-mate for breaking the speed limit. Read the full article »

KTM North America and Strider Sports International announced a licensing agreement for the introduction of the KTM Strider PREbike The KTM Strider PREbikeis a revolutionary pedal-free bike that enables toddlers as young as 18 months to learn how to ride and balance on two wheels. Most important, Strider teaches the skills needed to safely and easily transition to riding both a pedal bike and a Sportminicycle, making the first experience on each much more successful and positive. Read the full article »

KTM announced it has expanded its 2011 model lineup with two new off-road models. The bikes were introduced to the public by the Factory FMF/KTM GNCC Team of Kailub Russell, Cory Buttrick and Charlie Mullins. All three riders will be racing the 350 XC-F in the 2011 GNCC Series. The new 2011 XC-F’s are based on the 250 and 350 SX-F models built with specific components and settings for cross-country racing. Read the full article »

The 2011 Dakar Rally kicks off in Argentina on 1st January, and KTM’s newest machine, the 450 Rally will be competitive, that’s for sure. The following riders will be competing on the KTM: Cyril Despres, Marc Coma, Juan Pedero and Rubin Faria. The machine features chromium-molybdenum trellis frame, a 449cc single-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed gearbox. The 450 Rally has a dry weight of 150kg (330lbs) and features a 35-liter (9.2 gallons) fuel tank that saddles the frame. The 450 Rally carries a price tag of €29,300 ($41,200). Read the full article »

Since 2004, the Austrian company has consistently developed its on-road expertise. Both the 690 and 990 Dukes are exciting machines, while the newest member of the Duke family, the 125 was revealed earlier this year at the Intermot show in Cologne. The launch of a new Duke with a displacement of 250-300cc would be reasonable, and Stefan Pierer, the president of KTM confirmed this rumor to Alan Cathcart. Read the full article »

KTM North America has presented a limited edition bike based on the 2011 50 SX. The bike, called the 50 SXS features a number of upgrades from KTM Powerparts including a new throttle assembly, clutch setting, Renthal diamond grips and bar pad, 38-T rear sprocket and special graphics. The 50 SXS has an FMF SXF silencer, Race Tech SXS shock with preload and rebound adjustability and Race Tech SXS fork front with internal compression adjustability. Read the full article »

KTM finally decided not to pull out of Dakar after the announcement of the new 450cc capacity limit from 2011. The manufacturer introduced today the 450 Rally which is KTM’s response to the new rule. The race bike features a massive trellis frame, a high-performance engine with larger bore and smaller stroke. The engineers coupled the single-cylinder 4-stroke engine with a 5-speed gearbox. Other interesting facts about the bike: the 450 Rally has a dry weight of 150kg (330lbs) and features a 35-liter (9.2 gallons) fuel tank that saddles the frame. The 450 Rally carries a price tag of €29,300 ($41,200). A spare engine costs €5,000 extra. Read the full article »