VOL. 52 ISSUE 40 OCTOBER 6, 2015 P69
BY ALAN CATHCART
PHOTOGRAPHY BY HEIKO MANDL
K
TM president Stefan
Pierer couldn't have
been clearer: "When
we're discussing new proj-
ects, first of all we always
think: what is the DNA of
KTM, and does it match
with that model? I don't
think a sport tourer in the
classic way matches 100%
with KTM's brand identity.
Our customers expect
something sporty, so let's
see which different kinds
of bikes could work on [our
V-twin] platform, only made
the KTM way, not like other
manufacturers do it."
That was Pierer speaking
to me back in 2006 in an
exclusive interview in which
he unveiled his plans to
expand the Austrian manu-
facturer's road bike range,
then in a fledgling state of
growth. A decade later,
KTM has become Europe's
largest motorcycle manu-
facturer, with 88,531 units
built in the first six months
of this year, up 25.6% com-
pared to 2014. It's achieved
this not only via the
broadening range of KTM
singles produced in India
by its partner and 47.96%
shareholder Bajaj Auto,
but also by expanding the
range of larger-capacity
singles and especially
