KTM show off new EV motocross bike

We told you about the KTM EV MX bike in June 2009 and here are the first pictures released of the production version named "freerider".

The idea of the Zero Emission Sport Motorcycle, says KTM CEO Stefan Pierer is primarily to allow sporting motorcycles to be accepted back into urban areas. By eliminating the high noise emissions, it should be possible in future to install off-road parks in close proximity to population centers.

KTM Sales Director Hubert Trunkenpolz says that the purchase price will be at least Euro 10,000. They consider the cost of Li-ion battery to be volatile so a firm price has not been released.

The big task for the development team was to achieve the same performance of the conventionally powered motor cycle with an electric bike. With the help of the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) based in Vienna, the team developed a bike with a weight of less than 100 kg and performance similar to a 125 cc two-stroke engine.

Frame and suspension are the current state of the art so are equal to conventional motorized competition. The electric motor delivers 22 kw (30 hp) at 6000 rpm with maximum torque of 43 Nm at 500 rpm. The large spread of the two main points of a power curve should be key to a genuinely fun ride.