KTM is a brand with their
fingers on the pulse when it
comes to two-stroke demand.
As with a few others in the
marketplace (Beta, Sherco,
Yamaha and the other brands
under the KTM umbrella), they
see the unwavering want for
two-stroke bikes around the
country. News broke of new
fuel injection technology for the
full line of KTM two-strokes and
the Orange Brigade debuted
their new bikes at the recent
2023 model launch.
The bikes we rode at Red-
Bud weren't exactly the same
bikes you'll buy off the show-
room floor. These pumpkins
were in their final stages of
development when we got our
hands on them. In fact, the
fuel injection technicians from
Austria were at the track taking
feedback on the system they
designed. The 125, 250 and
new 300 SX models sat at the
media's disposal while the XC
models, which will also have
the same fuel injection technol-
ogy, will show up stateside later
this year. We only received
limited time on all three bikes
but made the most of it with all
three of our riders taking turns
on each.
TPI vs. EFI
If you're like me, you're prob-
ably thinking: "I thought KTM
was already using fuel injection
on their two-strokes." It's true,
well, sort of. The enduro bikes
from KTM and Husqvarna pre-
viously featured TPI, or Transfer
Port Injection. This system
used two injectors to shoot fuel
into the transfer ports rather
than using a carburetor and
going through the combustion
chamber. The design resulted
in smoother delivery and a
cleaner output. It also elimi-
nated the need to mix gas as
oil was fed into the motor via
the throttle body. The TPI sys-
tem debuted in 2018 but never
made its way to the motocross
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 25 JUNE 21, 2022 P103
KTM abandoned its TPI
system for a more traditional
EFI system in its new line
of two-stroke off-roaders,
which now includes all
their motocrossers.
