I'm the CEO of Krämer Motorcycles USA - Ask Me Anything

I am Jensen Beeler. My cat's name is Cota. If you listened to any of my podcasts when I used to do that sort of thing, this should all check out.

First, I think it's awesome that you're so involved in the sport and with racers at this level. This is how we grow success.

Krämer has a three-year contract with MotoAmerica to provide machinery for the MotoAmerica Talent Cup. We're not in charge of the rulebook, though we talk to Tige constantly about it, but I would only expect rule changes for circumstances where we have a large technical item that needs to be addressed.

The second thing I told Chuck Aksland when we started this conversation was that Krämer was very aware of prior talent cup attempts in MotoAmerica, and very keen on learning the lessons from those series. That wasn't out circus, those weren't our monkeys, but still I know that we have some trust issues in the paddock to overcome with that.

The only thing I would ask is for those interested to talk to Krämer owners, and discuss with them the level of support we provide, how it's been for them getting parts, and how we have stood behind our product (which is sold without a warranty) when it has an issue. Krämer USA (including myself and Joe Karvonen) will be at every Talent Cup round with a truck and trailer supporting all the teams with parts, service, and advice.

 

We love Chris. He's super chill in the paddock, and super fast on the race track. He's also been a huge help with his role at KTM North America.

We'll have the APX-350 MA on display at Vintage Fest. We might race it there too. We'll see.

 

I think it's smart of any company to have a diversity of suppliers, so you're not reliant on a single point of failure in your supply chain. That being said, there isn't exactly a bunch of motorcycle manufacturers who will let you buy engines from them. I think no matter who we used for an engine, someone would complain about that brand.

If I can defend KTM a little bit, I can tell you that the 690 motor is an absolute tank, makes good power, and has positive riding characteristics. I'm biased though, because I used to race one.

The 890 motor found in the RR and '23 & '24 RC8C is a step-up in every way from the 890R street bike motor, and is proving to be very reliable.

The KTM 350 EXC-F motor in the APX-350 MA is a known quantity in the off-road world, and has several years of manufacturing on it now. In our testing, it has been 100% reliable, with good thermal resilience despite the stress of road racing work. Those are all the motors in our current lineup, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find replacements for all of them under one roof.

 

I'm sure this will be fine, and I won't wake up to an email from Germany about it.

 

It compares really well. We were a tenth or two off of the SSP300 lap record at the PannoniaRing last time we were there, and the bike has taken a few steps forward since then.

 

No, but I have a fun story about the time I thought I was going to end up in an Italian prison. That story actually resolves itself two years later with another story about how I thought I was going to get whacked while having lunch at the house of a major manufacturer's CEO. Good times.

 

With the preface of "I'm not in charge of the rulebook" being said (I was a lawyer once...once), my understanding is that there will be some required sponsors that will likely go on the bellypan, and then everything else is open.

No spec riding gear. However, Krämer has partnered with REV'It and KYT, who are making some big investments in discounts, contingency, etc for the series. I'm hoping to have PR out on that soon, but I would say circle your calendar for the NJMP round to at least get measured for a custom suit, in case that's something you want later.

I don't know anything about TC riders being barred from other classes, and I can't see why that would be the case, but I would again refer you to the first line of my reply here.

 

A seat question! Nerd!!!

I love the tail section / seat / fuel cell on our bikes. It such a clever piece of engineering. They are made of cross-linked polyethylene (XPE) that is roto-molded into shape. These have been part of the Krämer design for over a decade now. They are very robust in day-to-day racing use, and in crashing. I don't think we've had a single failure from crash, ever. The plastic has a bit of give, so it bends to absorb the hit, and then goes back into shape.

Back when I was a journalist, we yardsaled an EVO2 during an endurance race, and the tank had marks from where it rubbed against the tire during the crash (that's a big bend). We raced for three more hours with no issue. These are very durable and very proven items on the bike. I'd have to ask the team about alcohol resistance specifically, but if you're concerned about gas with ethanol in it, that hasn't been an issue for the tank itself. I supposed you can dry out the o-ring on the gas cap over a long enough period of time, but we're talking over a season's amount of time.

You are correct that the seat height adjustment is done from the large black round mounting plugs. If you look close at the bottom one, you'll see that it is actually an eccentric plug, and that's how we move the tail section up and down. This is another item that's been part of Krämer design for about a decade and is very proven in application. It is there to compensate from tank deformation.

 

"It’s all change in 2025 for the youngest racers in the MotoAmerica Championship as the brand-new MotoAmerica Talent Cup replaces Junior Cup as the first step in the “Road To MotoGP.” The new class will see up-and-coming racers do battle and hone their skills on identical purpose-built Krämer APX-350 MA race bikes – motorcycles that will be similar to ride as the motorcycles used in the Moto3 World Championship. The fully adjustable Krämer APX-350 MA race bikes weigh just 242 pounds while producing 55 horsepower."
This is a quote from the MA press release. How much does a typical Moto3 bike weigh and how much hp does one make?
Do you have any comparable lap times between a KTM moto3 bike and the APX-350?

 

A typical Moto3 bike makes 60hp, and weighs around 90 kg wet. When you say "KTM moto3 bike" which variety are you referring to?

 

Loyal Evo2r owner since 2019,where's my free f'n tee shirt Joe promised me?

 

Great news on the gear. Many of these kids have been racing for a long time already and have built relationships with gear companies. Nice that they'll be able to dance with the ones that brought them.

 

Will the bike be available to see at the New Jersey MA round?

 

So, the APX weighs 20 kg more and makes 5hp less. That seems really reasonable for its intended purpose and a step up to a Moto3 bike would not seem too difficult for the front runners. Generally, I was referring to the KTM Moto3 bikes that race in MotoGP Moto3, but a more realistic comparison is probably the KTM used in the Rookies cup series.

 

What are the teams going to be able to do with the electronics? I read somewhere things like EB are going to be adjustable. Is it going to be limited to presets like EB 1 through 5, or will there be enough control that teams can find a leg up being better with the electronics?

 

10 pages easy

 

Nothing to add other than I love this thread. Really cool to have this type of dialogue.

 

Will the 'Safety Third' stickers come loose with the delivery of the bike or pre-applied?

 

Thanks for popping in, @cota.kitty .

Backward compatible? My 2022 HKR/EVO2 wants nice parts.

I have also heard some other Kramer owners already mentioning 450cc derivatives of the APX as track bikes. I believe this would be amazing.

-T

 

I was going to ask this same question, but specify a European Swallow.