Another slick stunt video aboard a KTM 125 Duke from Slovenian rider Rok Bagoros. This one takes place in an abandoned industrial complex with a distinctly eastern European feel. Reverberating off the corrugated steel sidings, that little single-cylinder sounds damn good. :continue:
Back in March, Ducati boss Claudio Domenicali announced aggressive expansion plans that would increase the brand’s worldwide sales from 40 to 60,000 unit a year. To achieve that goal, Ducati planned to open up developing markets with two new factories. One in Thailand and one in Brazil. This Ducati Monster 795 is the first physical sign of that expansion. Not because its 796 engine in a 696 chassis makes it cheap enough ($10-12,000, with import duties, est) to sell in India, but because it’s the first modern Ducati to be made, or at least assembled, outside Italy. This Ducati was put together in Thailand. :continue:
![M-795_2012_Amb_R_02_[1600x1067]](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6095/6283641967_94c954244a_s.jpg "M-795_2012_Amb_R_02_[1600x1067]")
![M-795_2012_Amb_R_03_[1600x1067]](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6056/6283641843_343553c91d_s.jpg "M-795_2012_Amb_R_03_[1600x1067]")
![M-795_2012_Amb_R_04_[1600x1067]](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6117/6283641743_602d313c70_s.jpg "M-795_2012_Amb_R_04_[1600x1067]")
![M-795_2012_Amb_R_05_[1600x1067]](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6059/6284160328_b19f2e99d4_s.jpg "M-795_2012_Amb_R_05_[1600x1067]")
KTM’s Duke-based world domination plans continue apace. Marked by the attendance of the Malaysian Prime Minister, the Austrian brand just launched a new-model Duke in Kuala Lumpur. The KTM 200 Duke will be priced lower than the Kawasaki Ninja 250 and Honda CBR250R in that market and develops 22bhp, a marked upgrade from the 125’s 15bhp. :continue:
Check out these LED light strips that integrate neatly into the KTM 125 Duke’s fuel tank. They’re not just some random product in an inches-thick, generic accessories catalog, they’re available in KTM showrooms alongside the motorcycle they’re meant to go on. Since that bike is targeted at restricted license European teenagers, these should work wonders at prying a few extra Euro out of parents’ pockets and help increase the little Duke’s already strong appeal in that market. :continue:
The KTM 125 Duke sets out to best dominant Japanese rivals at their own game — affordable, appealing, exciting, small-capacity motorcycles. But, unlike traditional little bike competitors, the Duke is built in India by an Austrian company and was designed for markets outside Asia. Does it have what it needs to keep up with heavy traffic outside Tokyo and lap the Sodogaura Forest Raceway? :continue:
KTM is utterly desperate for the youth market. So desperate, in fact, that KTM Nightlight Session is a two minute video that has almost nothing to do with the KTM 125 Duke that the video is supposed to be promoting. If it wasn’t for the beginning credits, nobody would guess it’s even a KTM project since all of the visible branding in the first half of the video is for pinkpark and Scott. Neither KTM branding nor the bike show up until the 50 second mark. And that’s if you’re really looking for it. So why is KTM making videos of the kiddies showing off their mad snowboarder skillz with some random shots of a bike that’s propped up next to the safety fencing? Because, for most kids, bikes aren’t cool.
While every other bike maker is frightened someone might realize the products they push are fast and dangerous, it looks like KTM is busy embracing the fact that motorcycles are exciting. The 125 Duke is KTM’s attempt to bring Europe’s teenagers into their brand. Creative projects like this one that bring motorcycles together with the skate/action sports aesthetic in an exciting way make a ton of sense. A product like the 125 Duke is a logical next step in mobility beyond a skate board or bicycle, so speaking to photos like these speak to that crowd in a language they understand. :continue:
“The goal will be churning out more than 60,000 bikes a year,” Ducati boss Claudio Domenicali said in an interview with MotoSprint yesterday. “To do this we need to increase our sales in Brazil and India, therefore we will build two factories, one in Brazil and one in Thailand.”
Sound familiar? It should. KTM is doing something similar with the 125 Duke and other future models and that’s exactly what Honda’s doing with the CBR250R too. You’re witnessing the future of motorcycle production — smaller capacities, products targeted at developing markets and manufacturing in countries with cheap labor.
Art: KTM
According to KTM president Stefan Pierer, the company is developing a 250 or 300cc version of the new KTM 125 Duke and says it should be ready in about 18 months. “We’re working on a 250cc up to 300cc single-cylinder engine, also four valves with twin overhead camshafts,” Pierer told Alan Cathcart. “This has more or less the same external dimensions so we can install it in the existing 125 Duke model platform, and thus be able to offer the level up in the model ladder to our customer as he gains experience.” :continue:
Oh hey, it’s all the 2011 KTMs, leaked a few days ahead of their official debut at EICMA. There’s only one significant new model, the KTM 350 EXC-F Factory, which is basically a motocross racer with lights that they’ll be dominating enduro with next year, but there’s new colors and minor tweaks for bikes like the 2011 KTM RC8 R too. Like most such things you read on Hell For Leather, we’re the only ones with this. :continue:
