The Middleweight Adventure Bike That Has KTM Tech Without The KTM Price
Riders who want KTM’s parallel-twin punch in an adventure bike tend to assume the orange badge and the orange price tag come as a package. Want the engine, pay the Austrian premium. That is how it has worked for years. It doesn’t have to anymore. One brand already builds KTM’s latest middleweight twin into a long-travel adventure bike, and it got there before KTM did. It costs $12,499, exactly what Aprilia charges for a Tuareg 660 with a 659cc twin.
KTM’s Adventure Tech Has Always Come At A Premium
KTM built its adventure reputation on rally-bred hardware, and its pricing reflects that across the range. The 2027 690 Rally, the newest KTM adventure bike, starts at $14,199 plus $800 freight for a 78-horsepower single. The 890 Adventure R costs $16,299, and the 890 Adventure R Rally climbs to $22,649. At the top of the range, the 1390 Super Adventure S Evo sits at $22,699.
Those bikes earn their money. The WP suspension, the electronics, and the Dakar pedigree are all real. They also put KTM’s most capable adventure twins well beyond riders shopping around $12,000 — unless one of those riders knows where to look.
New KTMs Even Keep Simple Features As Optional
The sticker is only the start. KTM sells several features as paid upgrades that rivals often fit as standard. On the 690 Rally, the Tech Pack that bundles the Rally riding mode, the Quickshifter+ and cruise control costs another $649. The 890 Adventure R Rally gets its Tech Pack as standard, but on the regular 890 Adventure it is an add-on. Even the 990 Duke, the bike whose engine matters most to this story, lists its Performance and Track riding modes as optional extras. A properly equipped KTM, in other words, costs more than its base price suggests.
The 2027 Ibex 950 Puts Midweight KTM Ingredients In A $12,499 Adventure Bike
The Ibex 950 is CFMoto’s new US flagship. It sells overseas as the 1000MT-X and is due at US dealers toward the end of 2026. At $12,499, it matches the Tuareg 660 to the dollar while bringing nearly 300cc more displacement and 32 more horsepower.
How A KTM-Derived 946cc Twin Ended Up In A CFMoto
CFMoto and KTM have run a manufacturing joint venture in China since 2017, and that venture builds KTM’s LC8c parallel twins. CFMoto produces the engine under license, and the Ibex 950 gets the latest 990-generation version, the same platform found in the 990 Duke and 990 RC R.
In the 990 Duke, KTM tunes this engine for 123 horsepower. CFMoto calibrates it for the dirt instead, trading peak power for midrange pull. The Ibex makes 112 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and 77.5 pound-feet at 6,250 rpm, which is still more than the 105 horsepower KTM claims for the 890 Adventure R. The real twist is timing. KTM has yet to launch a 990 Adventure, so CFMoto put KTM’s newest twin into an adventure bike first.
The Hardware List Is Equally Premium By Midweight Standards
The Ibex 950’s spec sheet reads like an options list. It gets a fully adjustable 48mm KYB fork and rear shock with 9.1 inches of travel at each end, Brembo brakes with dual 320mm front discs, an adjustable steering damper, and 21/18-inch spoked wheels wearing Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires. A 5.9-gallon tank sets it up for long days between fuel stops. The electronics are just as complete. Cornering ABS, traction control, multiple ride modes, a bidirectional quickshifter, cruise control, and tire-pressure monitoring all come standard, along with heated grips and an eight-inch vertical TFT touchscreen.
Against its natural rivals, that list looks even stronger. The Yamaha Ténéré 700 remains the cheaper and simpler choice, but it makes 72.4 horsepower and still goes without cruise control. The BMW F 900 GS makes 105 horsepower and starts at $14,495 before options, which is $1,776 more than the Ibex for less power.
But Dealer Network And Resale Are The Honest Compromises
On paper, CFMoto’s US footprint is large, with more than 700 dealer locations. That network was built largely on ATVs and side-by-sides, though, so it is worth confirming that your nearest store can actually service a big adventure twin before you buy one. As an all-new model, the Ibex 950 also has no track record on parts supply yet. Resale is the bigger unknown. There is no used market for the Ibex 950, and CFMoto is still building its reputation among adventure riders. Until one develops, owners of the Ibex 800 and Ibex 450 are the best gauge of how the brand handles parts and long-term support.
The Ibex 950 Asks You To Trade A Badge For 112 Horsepower
The Ibex 950 does ask for compromises. There is no KTM name on the tank, a dealer network that varies in adventure-bike expertise, unproven resale value, and all the uncertainty of a first-year model. What it offers in return is the hardware that makes a KTM adventure bike special. It gets the newest LC8c twin, fully adjustable suspension and a complete electronics suite, all for $12,499. That is $1,700 less than a single-cylinder 690 Rally and $3,800 less than an 890 Adventure R. For riders who judge an adventure bike by what it does on the trail rather than the badge on the tank, no other new adventure bike at this price carries KTM’s newest twin.
Sources: CFMoto, KTM USA
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