KTM Motorcycles

KTM began in 1934 as a small metalworking and motor-repair shop in Mattighofen, Austria, founded by engineer Hans Trunkenpolz and initially selling DKW motorcycles and Opel cars rather than building its own. After the Second World War, with repair demand falling, Trunkenpolz built his own motorcycle prototype, the R100, using Rotax engines, and began small-scale production. Entrepreneur Ernst Kronreif then bought a majority stake, and the company was renamed Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen - the source of the KTM initials still used today. KTM won its first racing title in 1955, taking the Austrian 125cc national championship, and racing success - particularly in off-road disciplines like motocross and rally-raid - has remained central to the brand's identity ever since. Now part of the Austrian Pierer Mobility group alongside Husqvarna and GASGAS, KTM has grown from that single repair shop into one of Europe's largest motorcycle manufacturers, still built around the same orange-liveried, performance-and-off-road-focused character.