KTM reveal electric ‘surf bike’

Electric scooter could be the perfect inner-city traffic-buster

Evidently tired of competing in MotoGPs, dominating the Dakar (and pretty much any other off-road race going), KTM have turned their eyes to the hypercompetitive world of e-scooters. Don’t check the date, it’s not April yet, and before you get your pitchforks out, it’s got a numberplate so yes it’s a motorbike.

The simple truth is that urban mobility will soon tip in favour of small electric vehicles and KTM fancy a slice of what will be a rather large pie. The design is reasonably simple, with a steel frame consisting of one downtube. It’s likely the finished machine would be faired in (a bit like a Vespa) to keep the wind off your legs and presumably provide somewhere to put your umbrella. The standing area is clearly where KTM have placed the batteries, which not only keeps weight low down but also means they should pack a decent punch. We’d expect a decent range and top speed of 30mph, which is evidently terrifying hence the full protective gear.

A bit like the Cake Kalk, the KTM blurs the line between mountain bike and motorcycle but this time with added scoot. The front wheel looks like a skinny 19in motorcycle wheel but the brakes and suspension resemble heavy duty mountain bike kit. The rear wheel appears to be 15in as per a petrol scooter, but it houses a hubcentre motor. We can’t see any wheel sensors, so it’s unlikely it has either ABS or traction control. Piloting the machine is clearly similar to a twist-andgo, with a throttle plus two brake levers on the bars. The e-scooter also has a TFT dash, suggesting it will be capable of pairing with a phone as well as providing battery information such as consumption, range and charging time. Electric scooters like this are big business in cities like Los Angeles and Paris. They’ll also be key to KTM continuing to churn a profit into the future.

‘Electric scoots are big business in global cities’