690 Enduro gets an R and some welcome tweaks.

KTM have upgraded their popular 690 Enduro dual-sport bike with an R version. 

The R gets an additional 25 mm of suspension travel and new, smaller headlight assembly, a new front fender (with slots to aid cooling to the rad), digital tach, more dirt-aggressive Pirelli MT21 tires and sharper graphics.

Seat height is now a very lofty 930 mm with 320 mm of ground clearance. 'Ready to race' weight (not including fuel) is a claimed 138.5 kg.

MSRP is $10,998.00 which is a chunky $1200 up on the standard version that it replaces.

990 Adventure R

KTM has introduced an "R" variant to the 990 Adventure that's lighter than the base model and more powerful, too.

The R model makes 115 hp, up 9 hp from the standard Adventure 990, thanks to some engine tweaks. It comes without ABS and is also two kg lighter, at 207 kg.

Suspension movement has been increased to 265 mm front and rear and there's now an ignition immobilizer, new clocks and lockable luggage. Oh and fancier graphics and a bright orange frame!

The Adventure R will be available in Canada for an MSRP of $17,198.00.

The standard Adventure also sees a hp increase from 98 to 106 hp, along with the immobilizer, clocks and lockable luggage.

KTM 1190 RC8R

KTM's RC8-R is a slightly improved version of last year's RC8, with a bit more power and a chassis adjustment.

The 1195 cc twin (that's up from 1148 cc of the RC8) produces a additional 10 hp to a claimed 165 hp with 123 Nm (91 lb-ft) of torque. There's also an optional sport kit to boost hp to 180.

Wheelbase, at 1425 mm, has been slightly shortened, and trail is lengthened, for quicker steering and improved stability. Forged Marchesini wheels help to drop 4 kilos to give a new claimed dry weight of 196 kg (432 lb).

It's available in black and white with the usual R-style bright orange frame but although it was originally slated to come to Canada, for some reason KTM have nixed that idea. 2010 maybe?

It won't be the same without the "neeeeeeeeeeee" sound.

Competition-oriented KTM have announced that they've actually built a battery-powered, competition-ready race bike!

In co-operation with Arsenal Research (an Austrian high-tech firm specializing in drive technology), KTM says it's build a zero-emission “sport-enduro” bike.

On top of all that, it’s actually a claimed 10 kg lighter than the company’s 200 or 250 XC models, with, they say, “performance that rivals a light Enduro with a combustion engine.”

Not having an exhaust system, fuel tank, air box, or clutch offsets the weight of the lithium-ion batteries.

Or the smell of two stroke in the morning ...

The drive system from the battery, to electronics, engine itself, and necessary software was arrived at working with Arsenal, while the usual KTM high-end suspension and chassis bits are used.

KTM says it’s serious about producing the bike for sale, and says that it has enough juice on board to run a 40-minute event and will recharge in about an hour. They also say that it produces 29.5 ft-lb of torque ... a 250 four-stroke makes 19.2 ... 

Wow.