Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1180438
K R Ä M E R H K R - E V O 2 R RACER TEST P98 firm believers in the Krämer concept as a machine designed for racers who want something different. "The big restriction always is price, and we un- derstand that. It's not for everyone," Joe says with a refreshing honesty. "These are pure racing motor- cycles—they haven't been modified from a production machine in any way. But having said that, the uptake in the U.S. has been great. We started importing them in 2015 with just a single unit, and by late 2016 we had 10 units in the U.S. They went everywhere. "That fall is when we started pushing a little bit harder to get things moving and gain some momen- tum. Then in 2018 we really saw an uptick in sales. Now for 2019, we have multiple dealers underneath the Krämer Motorcycles USA division. We have a West Coast dealer, Pacific Northwest, a New England-area dealer, one in Florida and we're trying to get one in the Southwest. It's been a very steady growth path for the USA side." Delving Into The Krämer HKR-EVO2 R The Krämer HKR-EVO2 R builds on the platform of the EVO1 and EVO2 machines, using an updated sin- gle-piece Chromium-Molybdenum steel trellis frame mated to an aluminum swingarm that runs on Dymag Race Time on the Krämer HKR-EVO2 R A s part of a team that included myself from Cycle News, Motorcycle.com's Troy Siahaan, Asphaltandrubber. com's Jensen Beeler, and local fast guy Kris Skellenger, we were handed the keys to a new Krämer HKR-EVO2 R to try and take a class win (GP2) in the Central Roadracing Association 5 Hour, as well as three sprint races at Brainerd in Minnesota. For those with long memories, Brainerd was the scene of the first-ever American WorldSBK race, held in 1989. Housing a one- mile drag strip, there's plenty of time on a Kramer to make sure you're in the right position to attack one of the most fearsome corners anywhere in the world— turn one—an absolutely flat-out right hand tilt on a Kramer, but on a Superbike, your entry speed is close to 170 mph—making it a true test of your mettle. With three sprint races on Saturday, there was plenty of time to get acquainted to theKrämer's personality, and suffice to say we got along great with three wins and a new class lap record of 1:50.61 on the Brainerd Long Course. Come Sunday, the 5 Hour would be a case of staying upright and keeping out of the Superbike's way while also staying in front of a second Krämer, the number- three bike ridden by Brad Kreller, Christian Schmidt, Kurt Ohnsorg and Jon Champ. I started off first and managed to build a lead of two laps after the #3-bike pitted early and then had a ride-through penalty for speeding in pit lane. Handing the bike to Troy after 45 minutes, he dutifully kept the lead going and gave the bike to Jensen, who was on the bike when a red flag came out for a bike blowing up at top speed going into turn one, losing us ¾ of a lap in our lead as the field restarted. Early into the race, Rennie got the Krämer boys up to a one-lap lead.