Remember Ducati's gorgeous little Superquadro Mono big single-cylinder engine? It was clearly a gauntlet thrown over international borders, from Bologna to Mattighofen—and it looks like KTM is ready to respond in kind.
Yes, even though it's going through insolvency proceedings right now. Remember, motorcycle R & D is cyclical and ongoing. Projects start back in the labs and on the dynos months and years before they ever make it into public view, so it's highly likely that KTM has been working on this since well before its business problems first became public.
Moto-Austria is a motorcycle industry trade show that takes place in Austria each year, and it's here in 2025 that KTM chose to show off its engine evolution. The engine in question is the next iteration of its tried and tested LC4 big single-cylinder engine, which you might remember from such hits as the 690 Enduro R.
Peak horsepower on the latest version of the LC4 is claimed to be 79 horsepower, with torque dropping ever so slightly, from 73.5 newton meters (about 54.2 pound-feet) to just 73 newton meters (about 53.8 pound-feet). The news comes from Motorrad, the German motorcycle magazine, which was on the scene at the show. Additional changes are expected for both the 690 Enduro R and the 690 SMC R, but no official details for either have been spelled out just yet.
It's always great to see advancements made, particularly if you have an engine (and bikes) that riders already love. And one clear throughline that's flowed throughout all of KTM's difficulties has been the general consensus that it's best for everyone if the company keeps going. I mean, I can't disagree; I don't want KTM to suddenly not exist anymore. It'd be bad for the industry, and for riders, and I only want good things for all of us.
But still, I can't help but wonder how much this improvement will matter in the long run. Assuming that KTM pulls through, most likely with an infusion of cash from new investors, it'll still have a lot of work to do to get back on its feet. I'm no development expert, but logically it should be less expensive and resource-intensive to iterate on an engine you've already been using than it would be to design something entirely new from scratch. So in that way, a project like this should help.
However, it seems unlikely that Ducati will let this tiny bit of one-upmanship stand. So, I fully expect there will be an improved version of the Superquadro Mono not too far in the future, probably making over 80 horsepower. That'll leave KTM no choice but to crank up the ponies it's coaxing out of the LC4 in another future iteration, and on and on it goes. Will it be an all-out big single-cylinder arms race? Your guess is as good as mine.
As KTM stands on an important precipice regarding the future direction of the company, will this LC4 evolution be part of that future? Or will it be one of those stories where, years from now, fans remember hearing about this cool new evolution that was introduced at a trade show where only a fraction of people saw it, but it ultimately never materialized in bikes that people were able to buy?
I'm hoping it's the former, but it's a weird time we're in. What do you think about this slight LC4 power bump, and/or a potential big single war between KTM and Ducati? Let me know in the comments.
