"We're not giving up on two-strokes," is something you may have heard KTM leadership say during the OEM's recent dealer meetings.

Now, further underlining KTM's commitment to the engine configuration, KTM CEO Stefan Pierer says the company has initiated the development of even more powerful, quieter and less-polluting two-stroke powerplants — which by design are lighter, easier to work on and less expensive than four-stroke engines.

"At KTM the two-stroke will continue to remain an integral part of the future model planning," Pierer says. "It was always clear to us that the two-stroke engine would play an important role."

Pierer points to the more than 20,000 KTM customers who opted to buy a two-stroke in the past financial year as evidence for the continuing demand for such engines. He also emphasizes the benefit such an engine design has for young riders. "Here we are speaking about a very influential target group of consumers for whom the two-stroke is unbeatable in terms of efficiency and costs," he says.

While some major OEMs are promoting a vehicle lineup comprised entirely of four-strokes, expect KTM to continue to dabble in multiple engine configurations: two-stroke, four-stroke and even electric. "There will be good opportunities for all of this technology," Pierer says. "Also, with the range of engine development, we must consider a market situation that will be more intensely specialized and directed toward niches."

—Submitted by Guido Ebert