KTM Planning 800cc Honda Africa Twin Rival

KTM boss Stefan Pierer confirmed that the company is working on a new 800cc parallel-twin which will rival Honda Africa Twin.

It was rumoured that the Austrian automaker, KTM, is working on a new 800cc parallel-twin platform. A naked sport test mule based on the same was also spotted earlier. However, this is not what we are going to talk about here. The company has officially confirmed that it is bringing a new parallel twin soon and this should spell good news to all adventure motorcycle lovers.

In a recent interview with MotorcycleNews, Stefan Pierer, CEO, KTM, said, “The new mid class is on the way, with the 800, and we will see a naked model first, the Duke – but this will be closely followed by an adventure bike, so the Africa Twin should be aware that a serious competitor is coming.”

With this, KTM boss confirmed that the company is planning to give the Honda Africa Twin some sleepless nights. The new 800cc machine will be the entry-level motorcycle in KTM's adventure range and it will challenge not only the Africa Twin but other middleweight ADVs like the Triumph Tiger 800 and the BMW F 800 GS as well. 

The new adventure tourer will also get input from KTM's vast experience in the adventure motorcycle segment and championships like the Dakar Rally. The 800cc adventure model is said to be introduced soon after the naked version and we can expect its entry sometime in 2017.