KTM’s Off-Street Product Supervisor, Fabian Gusta, presents a captivating and candid perception into the ‘stiff body idea’ design philosophy behind KTM’s landmark new 2024 enduro fashions.
Whereas a variety of consideration has, understandably, been targeted on the first-time look of a closed-cartridge WP fork on KTM’s 2024 enduro fashions, probably the most vital change to those landmark new fashions is arguably the all-new ‘stiff body idea’, and the opposite design adjustments made to accommodate it.
On the current worldwide media launch for KTM’s 2024 EXC and EXC-F fashions in Lesotho, Transmoto’s Andy Wigan sat down with KTM’s Off-Street Product Supervisor, Fabian Gusta, for a captivating and candid perception into the design philosophy behind these new-generation machines, and the brand new realm of efficiency potential Gusta says it has paved the best way for.
Fabian Gusta
TM: First up, simply clarify what your position as Off-Street Product Supervisor entails.
FG: Effectively, I’m a part of KTM’s product administration crew. My official title is Off-Street Product Supervisor, which suggests I’m accountable for KTM’s off-road technique. That features motocross, cross-country and enduro fashions, plus our line-up of mini fashions. I’m the man who does all of the work earlier than the bikes go into manufacturing, which is when the advertising and marketing guys take over. Mainly, my key position is to align our design, growth and enterprise targets with our R&D groups, observe them all through the event course of, after which hand over the entire undertaking as soon as it’s accomplished and prepared for manufacturing to the advertising and marketing and communication crew. I additionally be sure that all of the design parts of the bikes are communicated in the correct approach and that our gross sales colleagues are conscious of what we’re going to put out in the marketplace and the way we carry out in comparison with our rivals. In my youth, I raced a variety of motocross, in order that helped give me a connection to a variety of our check riders and growth colleagues. And the connection with these folks is essential to your entire course of.
So, let’s discuss massive image for a second, Fabian. After KTM launched a brand new era of motocross fashions a 12 months in the past, it was broadly anticipated that your 2024 enduro fashions would undertake a lot of these sweeping adjustments – particularly due to KTM’s deal with ‘standardisation’ of parts throughout their off-road mannequin ranges. Is it honest to say that the 2024 enduro fashions share extra componentry with their MX counterparts than ever earlier than?
This isn’t the primary time KTM has constructed bikes utilizing a shared platform technique. However, sure, you might say now we have taken that standardisation technique a step additional with these 2024 enduro fashions. For instance, our motocross and enduro fashions have totally different gasoline tanks, however they share the identical seat and bodywork – other than the headlight, after all. Take one other examples. Up to now, we had totally different footpegs for our motocross and enduro fashions, however they’re now the identical. Equally, the enduro and motocross fashions had a special body geometry, however now they’re the identical. We have now unified many elements, however now we have solely carried out that the place it is sensible.
“With this new design idea, the stiff body is there to create dealing with stability, whereas the shock can do what it’s imagined to do: independently take up rear wheel impacts.”
“We have now taken the anti-squat chassis design a step additional with the 2024 bikes. And we have been solely ready to try this as a result of the brand new closed-cartridge fork ends in a much less nervous front-end really feel, which was crucial for the brand new anti-squat chassis to work.”
Talking about part standardisation, what actually jumped out to me with the 2024 enduro fashions was how related the fames seem to their motocross counterparts. Up to now, KTM’s enduro-model frames had a special geometry, totally different wall thickness in a number of areas, and visibly much less gusseting across the steering head when put next with the MX bikes – all aimed to offer them a extra forgiving and compliant journey. So, are you able to clarify the way you’ve adopted the extra inflexible MX body to the enduro fashions with out shedding that off-road compliance.
We have now created a extra forgiving body for the enduro fashions – or that “compliance” you discuss with – differently for 2024, and we’re assured it’s a significantly better answer. Quite than constructing further flex into the body itself, we’ve now focused a couple of different areas the place that flex might be managed higher. For instance, the enduro fashions’ frames are just a little extra versatile across the swingarm pivot and higher shock mount as a result of that works far more successfully with the PDS shock absorber. Plus, parts such because the triple clamp meeting and engine mounts on the enduro bikes are extra versatile. Additionally, every capability has its personal particular person traits. And that’s the reason, for instance, now we have the cut-outs in the midst of the two-stroke fashions’ engine mounts, however not for the four-strokes. For riders who wish to change the flex of their particular mannequin, there’s the choice to get the choice engine hanger from our PowerParts program.
Visually, the obvious distinction between the MX and enduro fashions’ frames is that new lateral bridge that homes the PDS’s higher shock mount.
Sure, that bridge, as you name it, is important to adapting the body so it really works in concord with the PDS shock. It permits us so as to add, in a managed approach, the longitudinal flex into the body. Additionally, as that flat cross-member is not linked straight with the body’s principal spine, rather a lot much less of any rear wheel and shock absorber influence is transferred to the steering head. And that’s key in making a extra planted really feel from the brand new chassis. With this new design, the stiff body is there to create dealing with stability, whereas the shock can do what it’s imagined to do: independently take up rear wheel impacts.
Identical to KTM’s latest-generation MX vary, there are three frames for the 2024 enduro vary: one for the 150EXC two-stroke, one for the 250 and 300EXC two-strokes, and one for the 250, 250, 450 and 500EXC-F four-stroke fashions, proper? However the place can the foremost variations in these three frames be seen?
The one actual distinction between the three is the form of the dual cradle tubes that sit underneath the engines. The remainder of the principle body – and subframe, for that matter – is identical as a result of we adopted the identical goal of stiffness and rigidity throughout the entire capability vary, and retained the identical positioning of the engines throughout the frames to reap the benefits of the anti-squat chassis idea that has proved so efficient on our 2023 motocross bikes. In fact, on the two-stroke EXC frames, additionally, you will discover the cut-outs for the positioning of the separate oil tank, which isn’t in place on our SX mannequin vary.
“We had extracted all of the efficiency the earlier design idea allowed, so it was time to develop a very new era of machine; one which had extra potential to evolve into a fair quicker package deal.”
Including body rigidity to your enduro fashions is a very totally different philosophy from, say, the 2012 EXC and EXC-F fashions, which had one thing like 30% extra longitudinal flex than their predecessors.
Sure, our 2024 enduro fashions use a really totally different design philosophy. In contrast with the 2023 enduro fashions, the brand new body is between 20 and 30% extra inflexible, relying on which axis you’re speaking about. This inflexible body is designed to create the platform for straight-line stability, whereas now we have improved handing and chassis compliance in different, extra controllable, methods. We are actually firstly of this new era of enduro fashions, however we knew we wanted to take a special design path to permit additional development within the bikes’ efficiency.
Clarify what you imply by that.
Effectively, our earlier era of enduro fashions have been refined over a few years, however it grew to become obvious that they’d bought to a degree the place they have been nearly as good as they might be. Put merely, our check riders and racers have been telling us that they have been unable to proceed getting any quicker on the previous-generation bikes. We had extracted all of the efficiency that that design idea allowed. Which confirmed for us that it was time to develop a very new era of machine; one which had extra potential to evolve into a fair quicker package deal.
“You could possibly say now we have taken that ‘standardisation’ technique a step additional with these 2024 enduro fashions. We have now unified many elements, however now we have solely carried out that the place it is sensible.”
Is there a threat which means it’s important to take a step backward earlier than taking a number of steps ahead?
There may be all the time that threat. The necessary factor is the ‘a number of steps ahead’ half [laughs]. We’re firstly of this new era of enduro fashions. In case you examine lap instances now, outdated towards new, the brand new will be the similar and even barely slower in some circumstances. However the general potential of the 2024-model era is considerably greater. And with ongoing growth, we all know we can get far more out of the brand new package deal.
‘Able to Race’ has been the hallmark of KTM as a model for a few years. So, why has it taken so lengthy to introduce the race-ready closed-cartridge fork to your enduro fashions – significantly as KTM owns WP? It’s been obvious for some years now that the design limitations of the open-cartridge XPLOR fork was holding quick riders again.
To be trustworthy, it’s a balancing act for us as a result of WP Professional Parts can be an necessary a part of our enterprise. With the earlier era of enduro bikes, the XPLOR fork labored very properly for a better majority of riders (and you might argue that the open-cartridge fork is definitely higher for excessive enduro driving), whereas quick riders and racers fitted one of many aftermarket choices out there from WP. With the 2024 bikes, nonetheless, we knew we wanted a higher-performance closed-cartridge to raised complement the stiff body idea and create a extra snug journey throughout a wider vary of terrain and obstacles. The WP XACT Closed-Cartridge fork now fitted to the 2024 bikes could be very related in its design and efficiency to WP’s present aftermarket possibility, the XPLOR Professional 6500 Cartridge Equipment. It permits the bike to keep up and even enhance that preliminary plushness over small bumps, however it additionally has significantly better management via the stroke and extra resistance to fading and bottoming out. And it really works hand-in-hand with the brand new body idea.
The ‘anti-squat chassis idea’ was central to KTM’s all-new 2023 MX fashions (which use a rising-rate linkage), so what was required to adapt that design idea to those 2024 enduro fashions (which use a no-linkage PDS rear shock)?
With a chassis, you have got two approaches: both you observe a squat or anti-squat idea. The previous is when the bike squats (that’s, the shock compresses and the rear wheel is pulled up) underneath laborious acceleration and the chassis geometry turns into extra raked out. With the anti-squat idea, the other occurs underneath acceleration; the rear wheel pushes down onto the bottom for higher traction and fewer tendency to wheelie. Our earlier era already had an anti-squat design, however now we have taken {that a} step additional with the 2024 bikes. And we have been solely ready to try this as a result of the brand new closed-cartridge fork has a plusher preliminary motion and extra planted really feel. That ends in a much less nervous front-end really feel, which was crucial for the brand new anti-squat chassis to work. And it’s also why the enduro fashions are ready to make use of the identical body geometry because the motocross fashions. To reply your query, it was positively a problem to adapt this design to the PDS set-up on the enduro fashions, primarily as a result of we wanted to cowl many capacities and since there are implications for the scale of the each the countershaft sprocket and rear sprocket. So, it’s a compromise for some fashions. However each time we discuss internally a few compromise, it signifies that the impact isn’t damaging to any particular mannequin; extra that it doubtlessly might be much more helpful to another fashions.
“Quite than constructing further flex into the enduro fashions’ frames, we’ve now focused a couple of different areas the place that flex might be managed higher.”
With the first deal with these 2024 bikes’ all-new closed-cartridge fork, PDS shock and chassis, are there another new options that you simply suppose have been ignored because of this, and deserve extra consideration?
Sure, a lot of them [laughs]. Critically, there are such a lot of issues. The LED headlight alone is value mentioning as a result of it’s now thrice as robust as final 12 months’s. In reality, the entire electronics package deal on the bikes has come ahead a good distance. Then there’s the utterly new sidestand, which not solely works very properly, but in addition seems nice. I imply, what else? The chain information and chain sliders are each harder. There’s now a lip on the swingarm and rear brake calliper so the rear wheel sits in place with out the axle inserted. The brand new plastics are much more sturdy, and so they give your legs a greater grip on the bike. There are numerous extra examples. It’s all these particulars – which we took from colleagues in many alternative departments at KTM – that add as much as make an enormous distinction. And I feel this is among the principal issues that makes KTM so profitable as an organization.
Thanks on your time, Fabian. It’s been fascinating to get an perception into the philosophy behind the 2024 fashions’ design.
You’re welcome, Andy. We are able to’t cowl every thing on our web site or brochures, so it’s necessary for us that riders perceive what our aims have been with these bikes, and the important thing design parts we’ve used to attain them.
