KTM at EICMA 2026 and my embarrassment at the stand

I end up at the KTM stand at EICMA 2026 in Milan twice. On my first walkabout, I go through the range from front to back: from the 190 hp sport touring bike to the rally enduro that drove straight into my heart, all the way to the small Dukes and the off-road bikes KTM has stood for over so many years. One bike I only glance at briefly, dismissing it as some built-up 390. A disgrace, as I have to admit to myself the next day, because this very bike opens up a new universe for KTM. What fascinates me most about this stand is the sheer breadth. Singles, twins, from 125 to 1390 cc: with the folks from Mattighofen, practically every use case finds its bike.

Right at the start stands the 1390 SUPER DUKE GT, and the first thing that catches my eye is the display. The 8.8-inch touchscreen TFT is a monster, as wide as a cinema screen, with offline navigation on board. Next to it, there's still the new SP Connect mount for your phone. The GT EVO has no clutch lever, because its AMT automated gearbox lets it shift either manually or fully automatically. Add to that 190 hp, semi-active WP suspension and a full electronics package. Put bluntly: if you want to smoke your mates and be first to the top of the pass, you have to buy this machine. There's no way around it. The GT has always been bloody fast, and that will be the case this time too. According to KTM, it will hit dealerships in early 2027, a good two years after its first presentation at EICMA 2024.

Whenever I've ridden the GT, recklessness has run away with me every single time. The dangerous part: the engine responds harmoniously to the throttle, the wind protection is good, and so the speed doesn't feel dramatic at all once you're up and running. The only dramatic thing is the sensation of acceleration, and that is unbelievably brutal. Gliding through the bends, you're constantly going much faster than it feels. The truth: you need to be firmly in the saddle on this bike, mentally too, so you don't keep doing stupid things. For me, the new GT remains one of the most fascinating new arrivals in the gran turismo segment. Next to it stands its sister, the 1390 SUPER DUKE R, with a similar display and, according to KTM, optimised Brembo HyPure brakes. Without the fairing, it looks much more compact, and the fascination it radiates is unbroken.

One bike at this stand drove straight into my heart: the 690 RALLY. Not everyone knows it, but in principle KTM is now doing from the factory what aftermarket manufacturers like Rade Garage have made their money with for years. The proven 690 Enduro gets a big tank, 20 litres in total. The single puts out 79 hp, and according to reports it weighs 161.5 kg without fuel. By the way, I research the data quickly on the internet right at the stand, so much for my preparation. Why does this bike fascinate me so much? For me, the 690 Enduros are still the best sweet spot: hard enduro capability with the range and comfort of an adventure bike. It's significantly lighter than a Tuareg or a Ténéré 700 and, in terms of suspension components, can take a lot more punishment. In rally configuration, it becomes a dream bike for the TET or the Hellas Rally. In Austria it costs 14,499 euros.

How broad the Adventure range is becomes clear once you walk the stand. The Adventure comes as a 390 and a 790, the Rally as a 690: single, twin, single. Fascinating, because it means everyone can pick the right one from every world. I climb onto the 390 ADVENTURE. It's more compact and smaller, and yet the wind protection is brilliant. Full adventure feeling in a small 45 hp single. New, according to KTM, is a switch unit on the left handlebar that activates optional cruise control, meant to take the strain off on long transfer stages. For 2027, the 790 ADVENTURE comes in a new black look instead of orange and white. At the top, as usual with KTM, the range goes all the way up to the 1390 SUPER ADVENTURE. There's something for every use case, and that's exactly the strength of this brand.

After that, I look for the Duke. New colours and revised styling run through the range of small singles, according to KTM also on the SMC and Enduro models with 125 and 390 cc. The 125 DUKE shows what has always set the Duke apart: taller riders still find plenty of room, and shorter riders get their feet nicely on the ground thanks to the integrated seating position. For me, that makes it an all-rounder that a great many people can use, with a feel somewhere between supermoto and naked bike. Right next to it stands a tooled-up 790 DUKE on which someone apparently ticked every box in the PowerParts catalogue: bling on the metal parts, different mirrors, the full works. If you like to personalise your bike, there's plenty to sink your teeth into here.

According to KTM, the 790 DUKE for 2027 has been revised more extensively than ever before in its model cycle. The parallel twin with 87 Nm remains; in Europe it produces 95 hp and thus meets the A2 requirements: restricted to 48 hp, you can ride it on an A2 licence, and unrestricted it has twice the power. New are an entirely in-house developed WP braking system, adjustable WP APEX suspension, a more open handlebar shape and a design in the style of the 990 DUKE. What has always been good about this bike: the integration of the electronic rider aids. Engine setup, quickshifter, traction control and ABS work together super harmoniously. That's what makes the 790 so accessible and pleasant, yet still exciting. It's a bike you simply enjoy spending time in the saddle of. In Austria it costs 9,799 euros.

And then the embarrassment. On the first day I did see the 450 RC, but didn't recognise what was actually standing there, because it wasn't properly labelled. I took it for some built-up 390. Only on my second visit does it dawn on me: it's a sensation, a completely new twin-cylinder supersports bike. According to reports, the 450 engine comes from a CFMOTO platform that uses a similar engine in its own 450s. As a KTM, the 450 RC comes with in-house WP brakes, adjustable WP APEX suspension, a single-sided swingarm and a 5-inch TFT. According to reports, the China version produces 56 hp at 168 kg wet weight. The sign says "please do not touch", but I carefully sit on it anyway. The stand says Coming 2027, but according to KTM production won't start until the end of 2027, as a 2028 model year. Featherlight, good components, brilliant display: this is going to be something.

If you're not that into off-road, it's easy to forget how broadly KTM is still positioned there. Motocross, enduro, displacement variants galore: for 2027, according to KTM, the enduro range runs from the 125 XC-W to the 500 EXC-F, technically unchanged and with new graphics. There are a few manufacturers trying their hand at building enduros. But if you want the best chance of making it to the top at Erzberg, you take the 300. There's nothing else to say. Even in KTM's worst times of crisis, these bikes sold well and were hard to come by. For many, many years they've been the standard product for extreme enduro riders. At sister brand Husqvarna I don't discover anything dramatically new; the stand seems smaller than it used to, and the enduro range is as broad as ever. KTM's off-road roots still carry the brand. Also, and above all, with the motocross models. Here, KTM is delivering a 2027 model that is closer than ever to the factory bikes. With oval pistons and insane power. I talked about it in another video interview with Gottfried Neumeister. But more on that later. Here's the link to the 2027 KTM 250 SX-F Factory Edition.

My complete walkabout of EICMA 2026 is available as a four-hour video on the 1000PS YouTube channel. KTM starts after a good two hours; this link jumps straight to the KTM stand. You'll see the huge display of the 1390 SUPER DUKE GT, the 1390 SUPER DUKE R, my sit test on the 390 ADVENTURE and the 690 RALLY, whose data I research live at the stand. Plus the little Duke, the tooled-up 790 DUKE and the off-road range. At the end, I sit on the new 450 RC despite the sign forbidding it and confess my embarrassment from the day before. Keep watching and you'll get more than 40 further stands, from Honda to Ducati to BENDA, with sit tests, stand conversations and clear verdicts. Four hours of EICMA to catch up on, without the crowds and without travelling to Milan.

• 1390 SUPER DUKE GT / GT EVO: 1,350 cc LC8, 190 hp, 145 Nm, 213 kg without fuel, 8.8-inch TFT with offline navigation, GT EVO with AMT, at dealers in early 2027
• 1390 SUPER DUKE R / R EVO: revised 8.8-inch TFT, Brembo HyPure brakes, two new colours
• 690 RALLY: 692.7 cc single, 79 hp, 73 Nm, 161.5 kg without fuel (according to reports), 20 l tank, price Austria 14,499 euros, Germany 13,499 euros
• 390 ADVENTURE R: 398.7 cc single, 45 hp, 39 Nm, 14 l tank, optional cruise control
• 790 ADVENTURE: 799 cc twin, 95 hp, 87 Nm, new black look
• 790 DUKE: 799 cc twin, 95 hp (Europe, A2-compatible), 87 Nm, seat height 825 mm, 2 kg lighter than its predecessor, price Austria 9,799 euros, Germany 8,699 euros
• 450 RC: twin, 56 hp and 168 kg wet weight (China version, according to reports), WP APEX suspension, 320 mm front disc, production from late 2027 as model year 2028
• EXC/EXC-F 2027: from 125 XC-W to 500 EXC-F, new graphics, technology unchanged