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

https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/motoamerica-talent-cup-day-two-test-results-from-texas/

I'm a bit biased here, having been at the track for the test, but I think 1,206 total laps over two days, between 8 riders, and zero engine issues across the board shows the efforts by Kramer to resolve the valve train issues were a resounding success.

The only times I saw a bike needing help coming back to the pits from a session was from a few of the riders forgetting to come back on their own and running out of gas after nearly 30 lap stints.

 

Bravo! Thank you for offering up your first-hand perspective, Michael. I'm sure you, Jensen and everyone there was glad to get this important first test in so successfully. I'm guessing you learned a lot on the data side of the equation, that was shared with the teams.

What bike was Taylor Knapp riding? Guessed he was testing tires for Dunlop there. How many different tires did Dunlop have to test on the Kramer APX 350's?

 

Moving my reply over to the 2025 Talent Cup thread to consolidate.

 

Started the other one so this thread can remain dedicated to questions for Jensen as the season progresses.

 

When are we going to see more Kramer T-shirts in stock? I'd like to get one of these, but I'm guessing there will be new MA/Kramer shirts at Barber.

 

We're only making size smalls from now on. Krämer owners need to cut weight, it's almost race season.

 

Dang...

 

That made me snort out loud.

I forgot to get my hat, dangit. Not like peeps were busy or anything.

 

I've already cut down from a 2XL to an L. Is this what you want?

 

^^^ That clip smells like emotional scars. Let's keep it professional here, @cota.kitty!

Good Luck at COTA boys, you're killing it!

-T

 

I see that the GP2-890R has been removed from the website. Has it been discontinued in favor of the RR, or are we about to see the launch of a new generation?

I've heard that there will be a kit available to upgrade the electronics from the 890R to match those of the 890RR. Could you confirm these rumors and offer some more technical details? I'm kinda hoping it offers the ability to have wheelie control or some kind of gear dependent throttle strategies.

 

Technically, the GP2-890 R left our lineup last year. We left it on the site though because we had a couple unsold units left, but since those are gone now, it's off the site. The GP2-890 RR was our send-off for the 890 platform, and we will transition to the 990 platform for 2026.
For racers, the 890 is going to fit into more rulebooks and I think is going to be the better race bike overall than the 990 (especially how they make their power, even though the performance numbers are very similar). We have a handful of RR's still available from the factory, but I don't expect to have those for much longer. Price is $42,995 plus taxes and tariffs.

We do have an upgrade kit for the GP2-890 R (as well as the '22 KTM Rc8C) that upgrades the electronics to the Mectronik ECU from the GP2-890 RR. Price is $6349.00, and we should have that listed on the website soon. This provides traction control, independent wheelie control, more adjustability in the engine brake control, and pretty much anything else you want to tinker with in the ECU parameters, since it's an open ECU.

 

Watching. Intently.

 

All good to know. I have a small collection of toys, but all of them are used, older generation bikes. Glad to hear I'm not breaking the mold with the 890!

I'm gonna have to race with take-offs, and probably sell a bike to be able to afford that. Good thing I'll have TC, cuz I'm gonna need it. If I install the upgrade, what components is it going to replace that I can try and sell to recoup some of the costs? I don't guess there's any market for the original Bosch ECU or wiring harness, but hopefully I can sell the dashboard. I don't expect an answer to that question just yet. Unless you have one

I kinda figured the next generation would be based on the 990. Has Kramer gotten hold of a 990 engine for testing yet over in Austria?

 

Question on the “+ tariffs” comment below. Are you intending on showing current msrp, taxes, etc and then add a “tariff surcharge” like to the price so it’s visible to customers what the actual amount is?

I know a company that’s going to do this so if/when tariffs are removed they can just remove that line item and move along.

not for me to say what company but a friend that’s senior at a non-motorcycle company told me this is how they’ll be handling tariffs as a direct pass-through.

 

We have been testing the 990 for a while now, and I think it's an obvious successor to the 890. With the factory shutdown and restart...and shutdown again, we will see how availability is affected. KTM is will likely prioritize restarting dirt bike production over street bike, and that will obviously affect our production schedule.

 

That's how we've been handling it.

 

Today is officially my last day posting in this thread as the CEO of Krämer Motorcycles USA -- you can still ask me anything, but it will be less official, and possibly less insightful.

Three years ago, Krämer Joe brought me into the brand to help grow it in the USA and also globally, and I did just that. I tripled sales in the USA, doubled the size of the dealer network, and was responsible for bringing the GP2-890 RR, GP2-890 XX, and APX-350 MA to market, along with the spec-class with MotoAmerica, and a dozen other things I'm probably forgetting (like the company's first international press launch in Brno).

I'm pretty proud of what the teams in Germany and USA have done during this time period, because at the end of the day, we are a very small company with nowhere near the resources of the larger brands. We've been punching above our weight class, while kicking ass and taking names in the process.

At the beginning of the month, with the KTM factory closing now for a second time, it was clear that we weren't going to get the supply of bikes that we needed from the factory in Germany to hit our numbers. The market uncertainty with the tariffs has also greatly diminished the demand for bikes as well. This means we've had to write a new business plan that accounts for these realities. This also means a reduction in expenses, of which payroll is by far the largest expense.

So as the highest paid employee, I fired myself.

I've spent the last 30 days writing a business plan for Krämer Joe, so he can operate the business without me and in these new conditions, which will focus on customer and product support. I've also been talking a bit with the factory in Germany. Some of the fruits of that labor is that we will have a factory customization "Krämer Exklusiv" program to announce in the next few weeks, which will be the cornerstone of new Krämer sales for the foreseeable future. Joe and the team will continue to support the MotoAmerica Talent Cup trackside with parts, and we continue to expand the entrants coming into the series. The factory will begin 2026 model year production some time later this summer.

It's been fun sharing this journey with you guys here on the forum, and meeting many of you in-person at the races. For the short-term, I plan to recharge my batteries over the next few weeks, and then in the medium-term begin consulting on a few motorcycle-related projects. I'm still looking for that long-term project, however. Maybe its two-wheels, maybe it's not -- we'll see.

Stay fast.

-- Jensen

 

Wow, so sorry to read this. This stuff has been arrived on small businesses with foreign suppliers. I hope you find a population at a fulfilling long-term project. Mad respect for you as a business person. I think you made a bunch of fans here, even among people like me who would have never been customers.