KTM has just announced that it will launch two fuel-injected two-stroke motorcycles in May this year – the 250 and the 300 EXC TPI. These two motorcycles are being touted as the world’s first serial production two-stroke bikes for the global market which will be fuel-injected rather than carburetted. These two off-road machines will be part of KTM’s model-year 2018 international line-up, while the US and Canadian markets will get the 250 XC-W TPI. These new bikes will hit the showrooms in Europe in June-July, while North America will see the XC-W 250 by September-October 2017.
The new bikes will feature KTM’s new two-stroke fuel-injection system christened TPI (Transfer Port Injection) and the company’s research and development department in Mattighofen, Austria, believes it to be a revolutionary technology. No solid details of this tech have been unveiled yet, and we’ll have to wait for the international launch scheduled for May 15, 2017, for more information. However, this TPI technology is said to offer a significant reduction in fuel consumption, along with no longer having to pre-mix engine oil in fuel or fiddle around with jetting in the carburettor.
KTM has been the dominant force in the world of off-road racing, racking up 16 wins at the gruelling Dakar Rally and a massive number of championships and victories in supercross, motocross and enduro racing. Sporting the mantra “Ready to Race”, KTM offers a host of two-stroke as well as four-stroke competition-ready motorcycles. Speaking about these new bikes, KTM’s product marketing manager Joachim Sauer said, “This is an incredibly exciting development for KTM. We have been developing two-stroke fuel injection for some time and our goal was to create competitive motorcycles with all the benefits of fuel injection, while fitting into our Ready to Race mantra. There has been extensive testing and considerations for our R&D team to take into account during this process, so we are very motivated by this next step and the world-first in technology.”
At this point, of course, KTM has no plans to introduce any of its competition bikes in the Indian market. But seeing how Kawasaki has recently launched a few of its motocross bikes in India, we’re really hoping it sparks other manufacturers, including KTM, in doing the same. But off-road enthusiasts in India have at least one KTM to look forward to in the form of the 390 Adventure, which should reach our shores by late 2017 or early 2018.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
