KTM investor documents point to a 750cc range of motorcycles on the way to fill the gap as the 790cc models grow to 890cc. (KTM/)A new range of 750cc models from KTM will soon be launched—effectively replacing the firm’s old 690 models and plugging a gap in the company’s lineup between the 390 singles and the 890 parallel twins.
Details of the new range are confirmed in the investor relations documents published by KTM’s parent firm, Pierer Mobility. The bikes will be made as part of an increasingly close cooperation between KTM and its Chinese partner company, CFMoto.
Initially, the range—expected to debut in 2022—will be made up of a 750 Duke, 750 Adventure, and 750 Supermoto T, confirmed by the Pierer document, while Chinese reports also suggest a sporty RC 750 is under consideration. They’ll be made at the factory set up in China as part of KTM and CFMoto’s joint venture. Here, CFMoto already manufactures a range of small KTM models, sold in China under the “KTMR2R” brand, and builds the LC8c parallel-twin engine that’s used in bikes like the 890 Duke and 890 Adventure.
KTM documents outline a plan for new 750cc models for the Chinese and other global markets. (Pierer Mobility AG/)The slightly smaller 799cc version of the LC8c that was used in the 790 Duke and 790 Adventure has also formed the basis of the engine used in CFMoto’s newly launched 800MT adventure-tourer model and is likely to appear in more CFMoto models in the future.
At the moment the details of the new 750 model’s engine aren’t known, but it seems likely that it will also be based on the LC8c parallel twin’s design. The slight capacity reduction allied to a lower state of tune means power is likely to be down a little compared to the 94 hp achieved by the 799cc version of the engine that’s used in the CFMoto 800MT and substantially less than the 105 hp of the 890 Adventure or the 115 hp of the 890 Duke. Something in the region of 80–85 hp seems likely, putting the engine into line with the likes of Triumph’s 660cc Trident triple.
CFMoto’s 800MT that uses a 799cc engine based on the one used in the 790 Duke and Adventure models. (CFMoto/)That’s still a big leap from the 43 hp made by the engine that’s the next step down KTM’s ladder: the 373cc “390” single used in the 390 Duke and Adventure. However, it’s worth remembering that KTM is also planning another midrange parallel twin engine, expected to be around 500cc and to go into a range of 490 models. While the new 750s are made as part of KTM’s deal with CFMoto, the 490 engine comes from another partnership, with India’s Bajaj. Bajaj already manufactures more than 100,000 KTMs every year on behalf of the Austrian firm and is a major KTM shareholder. The Indian firm is also partnering on KTM and Husqvarna’s future electric bike projects.
