No major manufacturer has rolled out an as good as finished electric project on wheels – except KTM. ZEM stands for Zero Emission Motorcycle. And this is where KTM has come up with a real surprise. Most people expected a futuristic, in-the-clouds prototype. The reality is it’s a real motorcycle and one that looks ready to roll off the production line.  A really normal, typical KTM bike: slim, high, purist, completely in the spirit of the “Ready to Race" philosophy.

And that the ZEM doesn’t just look like a real KTM Enduro but also rides like one is well known by someone who should know about these things: Michi Staufer, Motocross top dog and test rider in Mattighofen. First there was the video – but you can trick with a video by the way you cut it and how it sounds. But after he had ridden a couple of laps on the asphalt in front of an audience, Staufer was sure this is no trick.

THE INSIDERS ARE WHISPERING: KTM IS BUILDING AN ELECTRIC ONE. AND THEY ARE CERTAINLY NOT TALKING ABOUT A TRAM. BUT IS THERE ANY TRUTH TO IT? YES THERE IS.

The development criteria were: light, easy to handle, agile, powerful and robust – exactly what KTM stands for. And, let’s not be too serious! Being environmentally friendly doesn’t have to be dead earnest and without any passion. You still have to talk about riding fun amid all the environmental regulations about emissions and noise limits. And finally, it’s not about doing away with performance. A hybrid solution was discarded because it was too heavy. Only a real electro motor offers lightness and power and above all, juicy revs.

This "normal" motorcycle is the result of two years of development – even if some things are missing: an exhaust - and a fuel reservoir (the “tank” is a mock up”. At first glance, to a lay person the bike doesn’t look much different except that where there is normally a cylinder head there is now a 17 kg, removable battery. There’s also no clutch. It’s just a matter of turning the power on and off, just like a Variomatic scooter. The electric power runs over a secondary drive chain to the back wheel. At least that’s normal.

He was able to clearly demonstrate that the ZEM was not some weakling. At the same time, it wasn’t possible to hear anything except the sound of the chain in motion and the hum of the tyres, even if that was more relevant on loose ground. “Good enough to do a wheelie,” those watching wanted to know. Staufer responded by ripping the front wheel in the air and finished it off with a Stoppie.

The ZEM project started two years ago. Harald Plöckinger, board member of KTM Power Sports AG had this to say: “We’ve already thought about it for a long time”. The development partner was and is Arsenal Research, a Vienna-based company that specializes in energy and engine technology. And one that doesn’t just engage in development but also in implementing and realizing projects. In the case of the Electro KTM, this was also done with state support through the Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology.

The background of the electro KTM is on the one hand the increasingly strict emission control requirements, whether it concerns exhaust emissions or noise. Plöckinger: “In the current situation we could no longer shut out the topic of alternative drive technologies.”

Also in the foreground is the fact that is that it is getting increasingly tight for offroad sport – in Austria, Italy, France and Spain and increasingly in parts of Eastern Europe where the former Enduro paradises of Hungary and Croatia are quickly becoming stricter when it comes to environmental protection. To be confronted with the cardinal reproaches made against motor sport – noise and stink - is for KTM, as a specialist for offroad sports bikes, something of the highest priority. Motorcycles that cannot move in the appropriate way very quickly become less interesting. By electrifying the possibility to jump over those muddy hills, it also enhances the possibility of bringing offroad sport “nearer to the centre action" - like in the city and indoors.

The normal performance of the ZEM E-motor is specified as 7.5kw (10.2 hp) but a maximum of up to 25kw (34hp) is possible. And when it comes to torque the electric motor has plenty, a proud aggregate of 500 (!)  on the Newton meter, and with still 40 Nm left on the rear wheel. Proverbially at hand at any time.  In relation to that is the weight: less than 90 kg.

Not yet “normal“, when compared to fuel driven machines, is the range. The existing batteries presently last for 40 minutes. But that is going like hell on the motocross track, so according to Plöckinger, that should be enough for a "normal" rider. They might welcome a breather of the one hour it takes to reload the battery. But in view of the galloping development of battery technology, the topic of range could well be secondary in the future.

So what happens now? Well it’s clear that the ZEM is not going to remain a prototype and that it will become a series, homologated Enduro. Two years are being talked about as an anticipated time frame. Now it’s only a question of price. The official formulation is as follows: “We refer to the price of the current Enduro models.” 

KTM is again playing the pioneer role with the ZEM, but this time in another way. This time it’s not (yet) about being a pioneer in the field of sport, but instead in the field of technology.