KTM will have an injected two-stroke line-up in its 2018 range, with the EXC models due to be revealed in May.
The Austrian firm has long stuck to the two-stroke format for some of its off-road machines despite emissions pressures to move to four-strokes. Fuel injection could go some way to ensuring two-strokes retain a place for the foreseeable future even against tougher regulations.
The company’s new injected two-stroke will have transfer port injection (TPI), whereby the fuel is injected into the intake air inside the transfer port. That differs from other concepts, like the direct fuel injection used by Bimota’s Vdue, and gives a better chance for the air and fuel to mix.
Although KTM has yet to make any claims regarding emissions, it says the engines will have ‘drastically reduced’ fuel consumption. That inevitably points towards similarly drastic emissions improvements.
There’s also no longer a need to premix oil with the fuel. Since the fuel will no longer be drawn through the crankcase, the new engines will need a separate lubrication system.
Jetting changes also won’t be needed, as the injection will automatically compensate for changes in conditions.
As well as these benefits, KTM is promising a revolutionary improvement in rideability from the injected two-stroke. More information will be available on May 15, 2017 when the bikes are launched.
Joachim Sauer, KTM Product Marketing Manager, said: “This is an incredibly exciting development for KTM. We have been developing 2-stroke fuel injection for some time, and our goal was to create competitive motorcycles with all the benefits of fuel injection, while fitting into our READY TO RACE mantra. There has been extensive testing and considerations for our Research and Development team to take into account during this process, so we are very motivated by this next step and world first in technology, as we take a major step forward in this segment. We are certainly looking forward to unveiling the new 2018 KTM 250 EXC TPI and KTM 300 EXC TPI machines in May. In Europe the bikes will arrive at the dealer floors in early summer. In the USA and Canada, the new 2018 KTM 250 XC-W TPI will be available in very limited quantities in late fall.”