KTM shows a new all-wheel-drive motorcycle under development

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KTM is not quite as bullish as Yamaha about the advantages of 2WD, though it plainly sees the system becoming available ona KTM at some stage. “At the moment the advantages and disadvantages of 2-wheel drive compared to a conventionally driven off-road motorcycle pretty much balance each other out,” said Felber.

Kurt Nicoll of KTM Motorsport also sees some immediate advantages. “When you ride with the 2-wheel drive system, you notice that it’s so much better when accelerating out of corners,” he said.

“With two driven wheels it’s more difficult to take the inner line around a curve. Therefore you usually take the outer line, as when both wheels are powered, the bike tends to want to straighten itself.

“You also feel the improved acceleration in the upper body, arms and shoulders.

“When you are riding very slowly, for example at the Erzberg, where it’s seriously up and down over rough ground, the rear wheel often breaks traction and spins – but not with the 2-wheel drive, which keeps on pulling with the front wheel. This way you can accelerate in situations where others are already bogged down.

Nicoll also sees the 2wd system as offering more advantage to average riders. “I think that the system has advantages for the hobby rider,” he said. “The advantages for competition riders will be less, as they already have a very good feel for traction – moreover they’re already used to steering the bike with a slipping rear wheel.

“But if someone has problems with steep climbs or often gets bogged down, then I think 2-wheel drive will yield great rewards.

“2-wheel drive helps more on a wet surface than a dry one. When it’s dry, the rear wheel hardly ever spins, but when it’s wet it does so continuously. With 2-wheel drive one simply twists the throttle and the bike accelerates because the power is distributed to both wheels. When it’s wet, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s wet sand or asphalt, 2-wheel drive makes riding much easier.

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