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KTM claim the latest edition of the 690 Enduro R makes the impassable possible. Bold words from the world’s boldest bike manufacturer, but the new 690 Enduro R looks and sounds like it’ll live up to the billing.

The 2 x Dakar winner give us the rundown on his 2019 win as well as how he managed to lose a bet that cost him his famous locks.

KTM unveil the latest addition to their supermoto lineup - The 2019 KTM 690 SMC R

The Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee team has announced its rider line up for the upcoming 2019 FIM Motocross World Championship and the Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship.

In order to get the fan’s tails wagging before the first kilometres of the Peruvian’ desert are eaten up, KTM divulged some little known facts about their approach to the famous race.

KTM had plenty to shout about at 2018 EICMA in Milan. Amongst the new bikes they unveiled during the show was a revamped KTM 690 SMC R, their latest addition to the supermoto line up.

In keeping with their passion for innovation, KTM have announced the release of the KTM SX-E 5, a fully electric off road bike aimed at youngsters.

KTM Racing’s Jeffrey Herlings will simply unstoppable in 2018. On his way to his first MXGP world championship, the 24 year old Dutchman claimed 17 Grand Prix wins out of the 19 he rode in and only dropped 17 championship points all year.

Herling’s talent is undoubtable and aboard his KTM 450 SX-F, the KTM team believe this is just the beginning of what could be one of the greatest careers in MX history.

With KTM’s Group VP of Offroad Robert Jonas saying, “He started this year in top shape. I still think Jeffrey is ‘growing’ and hasn’t reached his full potential.”

Jeffrey has tasted the kind of success that most 24 year olds can only dream of, but he remains surprisingly humble, passing the praise for his accomplishments onto his loyal team at every opportunity.

KTM recently interviewed KTM German Team Manager Dirk Gruebel for the inside scoop on what it took for Herlings to blow away the competition in 2018.

Ok, how did Jeffrey make the difference over the others in 2018?

Rival teams are no longer talking about winning in MXGP, rather “catching Herlings” … “You know, Jeffrey made some big mistakes in 2017 and coming into his first season of MXGP. Maybe he was a little bit wrong from the off because guys who moved up before him from MX2 were champion right away [Romain Febvre in 2015 and Tim Gajser in 2016] so for him it was a ‘done deal’ and he ‘had’ to be world champion. I think there were riders who were keen to make it tough for him because he’d smoked them in MX2. I think it was payback time in the 2017 pre-season internationals already and people were closing the door on him and being a bit harder than normal in my opinion … but it was to be expected because he was the greenhorn and there were people who wanted to show him the way, at least that’s how it looked from the outside. For sure he was not on the same fitness level as this year and it took a while to find his lines and his way. He learned. The starts were a big problem and we developed those with him. He’s a maniac now with those, especially during the week. I doubt anybody puts in as much practice as him and he’s improved a lot; top five lately and mostly top two. Within a couple of corners he is first and then it is all about the incredible pace he sets from the first lap until the last which is not possible for most of these riders. Tony tries his best and does really good but it is such a high level that even he struggles to stay with him. If they battle each other then there is usually a gap of thirty-forty seconds to the next guy in third and that’s not normal for this sport.”

To read the full interview, visit origina blog post on KTM’s website here: https://blog.ktm.com/how-did-herlings-make-2018-possible/

 

 

The Isle of Man has a rich motorcycle history, thanks mostly to the TT which is now in its 111th year. Outside of the annual 60KM mountain race, the Isle of Man provides the perfect playground for motorcycle touring and exploring.

TT Legend and former British Superbike rider Michael Rutter, recently unleashed the  KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE GT on the islands winding, mountain roads, producing one of the most inspiring KTM videos of the year.

When interviewed about the trip and the KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE GT, Michael explained:

“The GT is a world away from what I usually ride, I was amazed by the performance – particularly the engine; the torque and drive is phenomenal. Very impressive. Comfort is a big factor; the seat and bar position were spot-on at speed on track and on the road.

For a bike designed to tackle a variety of riding types – having a blast and all-day touring – it works fantastically in all situations, even ridden hard on the fast and bumpy Jurby circuit. Best of all, it has heated grips – a big thing for all year riders and even for summer in the UK!”

You can watch the full video over on KTM’s official blog here: https://blog.ktm.com/isle-of-man-gt/

 

 

Copyright: © KTM Images

KTM have announced the release of two new riding jackets, fitted with airbags. The jackets, made in partnership with Alpinestars, are the first airbag jackets to not require a system to be fitted to the riders bike. 

Named the Managua GTX Tech-Air and Durban GTX Tech-Air, the jackets are fully breathable, waterproof and windproof thanks to the outer material being made of Gore-Tex. 

The Durban GTX is designed for light offroad riding as well as the street, with features including a micro-fleece removable lining, zippered air intakes and storage space for a 2 litre bladder hydration system. 

The KTM designed airbag system is like nothing else on the market. The airbags are easily armed with the closing of a zip. They're fully removable and they activate in 25 milliseconds keeping the rider protected when they need it most. 

All of these highlight features are summarized in the official product video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgjAFZf8q7k&feature=youtu.be

The jackets are expected to be available to buy in early 2019. For information about the jackets and the rest of KTM's extensive Power Wear and Power Parts range, visit our showroom, browse online or give our team a call on +44 (0) 1684 292929.