The story of KTM starts in 1934, long before high-performance racing bikes and supercars were even imagined. Austrian engineer Hans Trunkenpolz opened a car repair shop in Mattighofen. Within three years, Trunkenpolz’s shop began selling DKW motorcycles, and by the next year, Opel automobiles had been added to his offerings. The shop became known as Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen: Kraftfahrzeug (German for motor vehicle), Trunkenpolz (from its founder Hans Trunkenpolz), and Mattighofen (the shop's location). This was the origin of the KTM brand.
During World War II, KTM survived through diesel engine repair jobs, with Trunkenpolz’s wife managing the business. In 1951, Trunkenpolz built his first motorcycle prototype, the R100. The R100 used mostly in-house components, except for the Rotax engines sourced from Fitchel & Sachs. In 1953, production of the R100 began with a team of 20 employees (including Johann Trunkenpolz). The team produced 3 motorcycles daily. That same year, businessman Ernst Kronreif joined as a major investor, and KTM was renamed Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen. Over the next two years, they introduced three new products: the R125 Tourist in 1954 and both the Grand Tourist and Mirabell scooter in 1955.
KTM made their racing debut in 1954, winning their first title in the Austrian 125cc national championship. In 1956, they competed in the International Six Days Trials (the oldest off-road motorcycle event sanctioned by the FIM), where Egon Dornauer won a gold medal on a KTM bike. In 1957, KTM launched their first sport bike, the Trophy 125cc, named after their Austrian championship win three years prior. That year also saw the debut of KTM’s first moped—the Mecky—followed by the Ponny I in 1960, Ponny II in 1962, and the Comet in 1963. While the Mecky and Ponny became reliable urban transport options, the Comet became a favorite for off-road racers. KTM secured their first FIM Motocross GP title in 1974, with Russian rider Guennady Moisseev winning the 250cc class on a KTM 250. This victory was the first of over 260 world championships that KTM would claim over the next 40 years.
By 1971, KTM had grown to 400 employees, offering 42 different models. They were also manufacturing race-only motorcycles for the industry. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, KTM expanded into producing radiators for European car manufacturers, a business that contributed significantly to their income. In 1978, KTM founded its US subsidiary, KTM North America, based in Lorain, Ohio. Back in Austria, the company was rebranded as KTM Motor-Fahrzeugbau KG in 1980, and by 1981, it employed 700 people. That year, their income reached $750 million, with international business making up 76% of that.
In 1992, the product portfolio developed by KTM in the '70s and '80s was divided into four entities: bicycles were produced by KTM Fahrrad GmbH, radiators by KTM Kühler GmbH, tooling by KTM Werkzeugbau GmbH, and motorcycles by KTM Sportmotorcycle GmbH.
In 1995, KTM acquired Sweden’s Husaberg AB, and in 2013, added Husqvarna to its portfolio. By 2015, KTM had become Europe’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, generating over 1 billion Euros in income, and had reintegrated three of the four divisions created after the 1992 split.
KTM now holds 96 MXGP, MX1, and MX2 world championships since 1974, along with 114 titles in E1, E2, E3, and Super Enduro categories since 1990. The company has claimed 260 world titles and secured three consecutive AMA Supercross championships from 2015 to 2017. KTM entered the Dakar Rally in 1994 and dominated from 2001 to 2018. KTM has also competed in the Atlas Rally, Rallye du Maroc, and holds 37 cross-country rally world titles, including 15 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championships.
In 2003, KTM entered road racing, competing in the 125cc and 250cc classes. KTM won the 2005 Grand Prix constructors' championship, Moto3 manufacturer’s titles in 2012, 2014, and 2016, and the Moto3 world title in 2016. KTM also competes in MotoGP and Moto2, and raced in the Superbike International German Championships from 2009 to 2011. In 2008, KTM introduced the X-Bow, an ultra-lightweight hypercar designed for street and racetrack use. The X-Bow won the supersports class of the 2009 British GT Championship, the GT4 class in 2011, and a GTS championship in the 2016 USAC-sanctioned GT World Challenge series.
KTM specializes in high-performance motorcycles for street, off-road, and racetrack use. Their off-road lineup is divided into Motocross, Cross-Country, Enduro, and Free Ride categories. Motocross bikes include the 105, 126, 150, and 250cc SX series (50, 65, and 85cc for youth), and the KTM SX-F. Cross-Country models include two-stroke 150, 250, and 300cc bikes, and four-stroke 250, 350, and 450cc versions. The Enduro EXC line features 250, 350, 450, and 510cc four-stroke motorcycles, and the Enduro R has a 690cc engine. The Free Ride series includes the Freeride 250R and the electric Freeride E-SX, E-XC, and street-legal E-SM (available in Europe).
KTM’s street bike lineup dates back to the 1994 Duke 620. These bikes fall into six categories: Supermoto (690 SMC R, 625 SMC, 560 SMR), Adventure Tourers (1090 Adventure and 2190 Super Adventure), Sports Tourers (1290 Superduke GT), Naked Bikes (stripped-down Duke and Superduke versions), Supersport (RC 390, RC16 race bike), and the now-discontinued 1190 RC8 Superbike.
