I don't get it.
I don't understand it. How could a company as large and powerful as KTM, who's parent company also encompasses GasGas, Husqvarna, and MV Agusta, screw up a debut so badly? How could you see the demand for small displacement motorcycles so steeply rise, to the point where your own models are practically keeping the company afloat, and then screw up the debut of a set of motorcycles that the internet was a tizzy over for weeks?
I just don't get it. Yet, that's exactly what happened at EICMA this year with the brand's new 390s. Honestly, this is likely to go down as one of the most bone-headed moves any motorcycle manufacturer has done. It's right up there with Harley's purchase of Alta.
OK, that might be being a little dramatic, but come on, KTM, this was dumb.
The new 390s were set to debut at EICMA, something which was teased endlessly by both KTM and leaks happening from the show floor. It set everyone, including myself, salivating for details. And, indeed, I was waiting on those details as though manufacturers usually send these out ahead of time for writers and journalists to use to write stories, KTM chose not to send out embargoes. Fine, I don't need info ahead of time, but that only made my anticipation for the bikes all the much more hyped.
And I wasn't alone, as Reddit's KTM threads, as well as the main motorcycle groups, were all talking about the 390s. Pictures and leaks and everything was being discussed to such a degree, it made every other KTM drop feel like it meant nothing to them.
But then the show started and the bikes were dropped onto the floor. They were real, they were there, you could touch them! Well, I couldn't, as I was stuck at home, but others could and they assured me that they weren't figments of my imagination. Yet, while KTM released info on all its other big bikes, including the 1390s and 990s, it didn't release any specs on the 390s. It just said, here they are, and then seemingly peaced out. No details on the engine, suspension, tech or anything like that.
It existed, sure, but did it? Only on last Friday did KTM send out a statement about the new 390s. It read, "Limited product info due to homologation status."
Now, that's sorta fine, right? Manufacturers have to go through governmental regulations and homologations before it can release motorcycles. They do so for each and every motorcycle they make. But if they didn't have those things in place ahead of EICMA, why tease the motorcycles? Why bring them, display them on the show floor, and get everyone excited? Why screw up a launch of one of the most important, if not the most important, motorcycles KTM makes? How could you screw up a launch so badly?
Honestly, this is becoming a pattern with Pierer, KTM's parent company. Over the last few years, it's put more and more emphasis on its big-bore bikes and less on its small displacement ones, even though the 390s and lower are what's driving a lot of its sales. Most even. Yet, it almost seems as if KTM is ashamed of this fact, given the company made its bones in big bikes.
But this, again, flys in the face of reality. More and more people are trading in, or buying their first, motorcycles and they are by and large small displacement bikes. Triumph's seen a banner year for its 400cc, as has Royal Enfield, BMW, Honda, and a host of others. Yet, the manufacturers that have put more emphasis on expensive big bikes have floundered, lost sales, seen profits evaporate, and had to cut staff in bids to save profitability. And that most definitely includes KTM.
Which is why this fiasco feels like a massive unforced error.
I will say this. At least the bikes exist, so there is hope. From pictures, the 390s including the Adventure R, SMC, and Enduro R look amazing. They look light, nimble, and packed with the sort of ready to race parts that you'd expect from KTM. Each looks ready to just conquer their markets. And I'd love to have the Adventure R in my garage.
But it's sort of put a damper on my enthusiasm. Maybe I'll get excited again once they debut for real.
