No More Superbikes for KTM "“ CEO Says Too Dangerous

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No More Superbikes for KTM - CEO Says They're Too Dangerous For Public Roads

Stefan Pierer's shocking announcement came in response to a question regarding KTM's return to MotoGP in 2016. Here's the reason for returning to MotoGP:

We'd like to produce a successor to the existing RC8 V-twin"¦ In which case, let's do the following: We'll stick to making a Superbike, but only for closed course usage. So it won't be homologated for sale as a streetbike. Okay? So then to produce that we will take the best prototype development arena available, which is MotoGP. And for the 2016 season there will be new rules introduced when the playing field will be leveled with a standard electronic system, so then KTM can challenge Honda, Yamaha, Ducati, Suzuki and Aprilia on an equal basis. So that's the concept for development. We'll call it the RC16 and it will also be available for the normal customer for track days or private use on track, but it won't any more be homologated for the street. It'll be a really serious sports and race item for closed course use only.

Just to make sure he was hearing things correctly, Cathcart pressed the KTM CEO and asked if there would be at least a homologated version of this machine? In answer, Pierer again said "No, because we at KTM think that a sportbike with such performance doesn't have any place on the public roads.

As soon as the RC16 is available for customers we will stop with the RC8. The design is outstanding. I would say it's still state of the art, and there is nothing else like it. It's a classic Superbike. But with the increase in safety concerns, I'm afraid bikes like this don't belong on the street, only on a closed course."

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He shouldn't be a CEO for performance motorcycles.

Does this CEO realize they make the fastest, strongest, craziest most almost not street legal naked sportbike ever????? I feel a firing coming in the near future. If not I'm moving to Austria as they obviously have the best drugs on the planet.

Eleven 99 said:

He shouldn't be a CEO for performance motorcycles.

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Agreed... The 1290R Superduke is an AMAZING street bike and is 100% times better with the full exhaust.

This is a crazy mindset to have..... Especially for a business.

BigBoost said:

Agreed... The 1290R Superduke is an AMAZING street bike and is 100% times better with the full exhaust.

This is a crazy mindset to have..... Especially for a business.

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Is he not only speaking of the RC8 successor not being available for the street???

If he's talking about building superbikes for 20-30k that aren't hamstrung by all the crap manufacturers have to add/deal with for the sake of being street legal this could be awesome... potentially game changing even.

He is doing the same thing Ferrari (FXX, Laferrari XX), Pagani (revolucion) where these models are only for race use. The only difference is that they make road models with less performance. Looks like KTM wants to put sportbikes like ours where they belong. On the track. Maybe they will save money in marketing and all the other cramp and sell only to racers. I dunno....

b9009b said:

Does this CEO realize they make the fastest, strongest, craziest most almost not street legal naked sportbike ever????? I feel a firing coming in the near future. If not I'm moving to Austria as they obviously have the best drugs on the planet.

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Agree 100%! He's either stoned or full of s***t, the Super Duke is way crazier than the RC8!

Around here, because of the cheaper plates, so many of squids and douches got into that Super Duke I won't touch one with a 10 foot pole! All RC8 riders I know are serious folks with tons of experience.

Interesting stance on sales....but without people like us buying it how do they finance all the R&D and racing for continual development of the product? Seems a like a backwards approach to me that is a money pit for KTM with minimal sales if it's only going to track only riders. I guess that's why I'm not the CEO of KTM...

it is a marketing stunt (it is so good it can't be ridden in the street).

I'm sure I will be branded a heretic, but in my opinion ...200HP superbikes don't really belong on the street. There I said it...

From a business POV, KTM is not selling a ton of RC8 bikes today and would have to make a HUGE investment to materially displace or cannibalize new SBK sales from Yamaha, Ducati and the forthcoming new Gixxer, not to mention Kawa, and BMW. They don't have a competitive presence today in SBK like Aprilia, so can't even leverage that absent meaningful unit sales. Their growth markets are India (e.g. RC390) and the hooligan/ ADV tourer market. I imagine their bread and butter is still in the dirt.

so if the choice is to compete in MotoGP or enter the already bloodied ocean of street legal superbikes, it's not hard for me to understand his motivation (and business rationale)

Is it somewhat disingenuous to not make a RC8 but continue to sell a superduke... maybe... but I would dare say that there probably aren't a ton of people out there who buy both of those bikes for street use, so from his POV, he may not be losing much in unit sales by pursuing such a strategy.

Superbikes too dangerous??????

Hmmmm, 40+ years ago I bought the superbike of the time, Norton 750 Commando. Put out around 50 HP at the wheel, on a good day. Seemed like it went fast enough to kill me. Not really sure why it didn't. Got to 100mph easily but the brakes were totally inadequate. When the devil makes me do that now it takes much less time but feels "safer" on the Panigale. I have yet to encounter a situation where she takes control of her own throttle. I guess I don't understand how this guy thinks.

bjorgens said:

I'm sure I will be branded a heretic, but in my opinion ...200HP superbikes don't really belong on the street. There I said it...

From a business POV, KTM is not selling a ton of RC8 bikes today and would have to make a HUGE investment to materially displace or cannibalize new SBK sales from Yamaha, Ducati and the forthcoming new Gixxer, not to mention Kawa, and BMW. They don't have a competitive presence today in SBK like Aprilia, so can't even leverage that absent meaningful unit sales. Their growth markets are India (e.g. RC390) and the hooligan/ ADV tourer market. I imagine their bread and butter is still in the dirt.

so if the choice is to compete in MotoGP or enter the already bloodied ocean of street legal superbikes, it's not hard for me to understand his motivation (and business rationale)

Is it somewhat disingenuous to not make a RC8 but continue to sell a superduke... maybe... but I would dare say that there probably aren't a ton of people out there who buy both of those bikes for street use, so from his POV, he may not be losing much in unit sales by pursuing such a strategy.

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KTM is certainly free to make whatever decision they believe is financially advantageous to their company; however, the primary point of contention here resides in the fact that the CEO of this company has explicitly stated this move is not being influenced by any market incentive, but is instead being driven by the company's belief that superbikes are simply too fast and powerful for use on public streets.

How many street legal vehicles produced today are only sufficiently fast or powerful for use on public streets? Of those vehicles that could be arbitrarily deemed only sufficiently powerful, what percentage of those could still be dangerous if used irresponsibly?

a 250 can be deemed dangerous if used irresponsibly
so can a hammer..
a big mac
your hand..
the list goes on..

KTM is choosing not to compete in this class of motorcycle. They have a good history in dirt and super nakeds; but, with scarce resources, they choose to dedicate those resources to bikes other than super bikes because that is where they are strongest (dirt and super nakeds).

So, racing a v-4 super bike can act as a halo as it does for the other brands and KTM can incorporate all of the R&D from racing into their other products; but they have chosen not to invest in bringing a super bike to market that is street legal. He thinks he can get the halo brand effect from racing, without all of the expense of bringing a street bike to the market. And what is KTIM foregoing from such a choice? Not much; they forego a piddly little revenue stream in a market segment where their brand is barely breathing.

Now, if that is their business strategy, then the best thing they can do is begin to take on the position that such bikes do not belong on public roads. Having made the decision not to produce them, this only harms their competitors. Hastening regulation (or even lobbying for it) is standard business practice if you have a competitive advantage from such regulation or if it harms your competitors more than it harms you. And THAT is exactly what he is doing.

Again, the 1290 is awesome in its power and torque; but its not a super bike. The thing is, it is not about power or torque, its about trying to erode a revenue stream from one's competitors and quash future earnings from all of their investments in this class of motorcycle. It is about taking away market share through regulation instead of competition.

I understand the calculated business logic completely; but, I think he underestimates the ability of the motorcycling community to see through the ploy of taking a position AGAINST a specific market segment because your competitors are strong there and you are not. It ignores the feeling of betrayal in the motorcycling community that such a stance might foster, particularly of when it is so self-serving. It is one thing to choose not to compete in a market segment, and it is totally another thing to try to kill a market segment because doing so harms your competitors. The latter is a slap in the face of the motorcycling community.

I am no longer a fan of KTM. Count me unsubscribed to the brand.

My Honda CRF450r sits in the corner collecting dust. It's a pain to start, and it isn't street legal.

When I go camping, or any kind of vacation that includes my truck not airfare, I load my plated Suzuki DRZ400s into the bed, not the Honda. Because I can park the truck and ride to all the local trails. Being able to hit the streets mid day for lunch or fuel is priceless. Can't do that on the Honda.

I can ride my Panigale to trackdays. My truck is at a nearby campground or hotel. Only on harshly hot days do I need an Easy Up and my truck. Sorry, but even if Superbikes make sense only at the track, it's still fun riding them there. And sometimes, there are times where my Panigale is loaded into my truck instead of the DRZ. Can't do that with the race only KTM.

One could go a step further and say that track only bikes are useless. They have no practical use.

KTM guy is eating his shoe. Did he really suggest a twin in Moto GP? Good luck with that. Why not just tell the truth. The Rc8 is an obsolete, ugly, sales flop. So our next bike is going to be a track only detuned $200,000 GP bike. No need to bash sportbikes. It's not our fault that KTM couldn't build a decent competitive sportbike.

Ps: Where exactly are my balls supposed to go on the RC8? Anyone else have that problem? Stock Panigales like to crush them under braking, but the RC8 had no room for them at all. Was I riding the girls only model? Does KTM guy think that no sportbikes should be made for men? Are functioning ...... too dangerous for city streets?

Fair points... Transporting track bikes IS a pain... And one of the reasons I like my KTM 500EXC is because it is still street legal...not because it is a good street bike... It isn't with dirt rubber... But because it makes getting from trailhead to trailhead a non issue.

On the 200 HP Superbike comment, I'm expressing an opinion not a judgement... What others believe or choose to do is their own. Hell I'm surprised no one has piped up and said 200HP for the track is superfluous too... Certainly is easier to go fast with less on some tracks

I went and read the interview from cycle world that this article says those quotes originated from and didn't find anything along the lines where the CEO says the won't make street super bikes. Anyone else read the interview find it?

MotoPsycho said:

I went and read the interview from cycle world that this article says those quotes originated from and didn't find anything along the lines where the CEO says the won't make street super bikes. Anyone else read the interview find it?

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It was in Cycle News, actually - I read it a couple of months ago and was surprised it didn't raise more of a stink at the time.

Cycle News 2015 Issue 7 February 18

Styler's on the button here; they're simply devaluing a market segment where they're not competitive, and one where Pierer doesn't want to put money because the sales numbers would be too low even if they had a competitive superbike. They have a great halo effect from their Moto3 effort, which will sell a bunch of small bore bikes around the world, and seem to think a similar strategy will work in MotoGP. Can't see that happening at all without much bigger rules changes than any foreseen to date; a customer bike like they're talking about will never be able to compete with the front runners.

Understand his being shy about EU regulators, but this is really more about branding and focusing resources on where the most return is.