Turning away Obi-Wan and his sidekick may have been a dumb move for their shareholders, but I don't think any of KTM's most hardcore fans, the ones actually buying their bikes, are ruing that decision.Ĭan't imagine what my enduro would look like today if KTM Long Way Rounded it. Need to rebuild the engine after every race/ride.? Check. Two guys take a trip of several months on motorcycles. With Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, David Alexanian, Russ Malkin. Minus the aberrant T700, most of their competition/off-road bikes are top of class where it comes to racing prowess: Long Way Down: Created by David Alexanian, Charley Boorman, Russ Malkin, Ewan McGregor. On the other hand, KTM focused on making harder edged bikes, leaning into it's "Ready to Race" philosophy. Bikes got heavier, less off-road focused and packed with every kind of electronic aid imaginable, no matter whether it pertained to off-road worthiness or not. That kind of popularity forced BMW to making "improvements" to its GS lineup to cater to the Starbucks crowd. Definitely hurt KTM financially, but in the long run, I think it shaped the company and its products away from the direction BMW headed to after LWR.Īfter that series, everyone wanted a GS, regardless of whether they were riding to Peru or just back and forth to the closest coffee shop's parking lot.
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