Should KTM build a scooter? Maybe. And if that happens, maybe it should look like this design, from Kar Lee.

Kar Lee messes around with photography, graphic design, that sort of thing (he spent years as art editor at RiDE, Bike, Performance Bikes, Practical Sportsbikes). Now, in his spare time, he draws motorcycle concepts through his Kardesign Kreative website.

Sporty, but still slightly practical.

That’s where this design for a KTM scooter comes from, based on the 390 engine platform. To be clear, this is not an official KTM idea. It’s just an enthusiast’s drawing.

Having said that, it’s a great look at what a KTM step-through could look like, and there’s certainly been lots of talk about such a two-wheeler. While North Americans turn their nose up at step-throughs, Europeans love them. The OEMs all have wide scooter lines in Europe, even if they don’t sell them in the US and Canada.

Kardesign’s proposed headlight, wheels, indicators and bodywork are all along KTM lines. However, there are some questions. Like, what would KTM use for a transmission?

Honda is killing it in the scooter world right now, thanks to vehicles like the CT125 at the smaller end of the spectrum, and the Forza 750 maxi-scooter at the pricey end of the step-through spectrum. However, the 125 engine still has a shifter, using Honda’s tried-and-true semi-auto clutch design. On the 750 line, these machines were built with dual clutch transmission in mind from the start, as that’s long been optional on Honda’s NC700 series.

It would probably be harder for KTM to build a twist-and-go step-through around the 390, although it’s certainly doable. And, it would make sense; the rest of the moto world seems to have abandoned the “interesting step-through” market to Honda, and surely there’s money to be made there.

For more Kardesign concept drawings, check out Instagram.

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