KTM plans to make full use of its single-cylinder platform for its future lower displacement motorcycles. The Austrian maker doesn’t plan to ever make a twin-cylinder 250cc motorcycle.
This news was confirmed by Gianluca Lozzi, sales director, KTM South-East Asia at the launch of the KTM RC Cup in Indonesia. He was asked if KTM plans to develop a twin-cylinder 250cc motorcycle to which he said the company plans to stick to single-cylinder motorcycles for a variety of reasons.
Firstly, single-cylinder bikes are light, which directly helps the power-to-weight ratio. The KTM 390 Duke is the perfect example of this. Secondly, single-cylinder bikes are cheaper to develop and manufacture, and that helps KTM price their products really well.
KTM is working on a new generation of parallel twin motors but that is only for the upcoming 790cc bikes, which will be launched within a year. But we believe KTM will continue to use a single-cylinder motors for its bikes up to 400cc.