Eleven\u00a0years\u00a0on from the Volkswagen \u201cDieselgate\u201d scandal, in which\u00a0the\u00a0German car maker was found to be fitting millions of devices to cheat emissions tests, the\u00a0findings once again highlight vehicle\u00a0makers\u2019\u00a0willingness to evade\u00a0EU and UK rules on emissions\u00a0and\u00a0noise limits,\u00a0said\u00a0French\u00a0Greens\u00a0MEP Marie Toussaint.<\/p>\n
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This investigation was coordinated by Climate Whistleblowers, and published in partnership with Le Monde<\/a>, El Pa\u00eds<\/a>, Der Spiegel<\/a>, Paper Trail Media<\/a>,\u00a0ZDF frontal<\/a>, L\u2019Espresso<\/a>, Der Standard<\/a>, ORF<\/a>, and Centre for Climate Reporting<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThese revelations are extremely serious,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Toussaint. \u201cThey suggest that certain manufacturers\u00a0continue to\u00a0treat European environmental regulations not as collective safeguards for health, safety and the climate, but as constraints to be circumvented in order to preserve\u00a0their profit margins and boost sales.\u201d<\/p>\n The\u00a0scheme relates to\u00a0at\u00a0least 16 models in\u00a0KTM\u2019s \u201cEnduro\u201d\u00a0range, including models within KTM\u2019s sub-brands GASGAS and Husqvarna, which\u00a0are\u00a0designed for off-road-style racing rather than extensive road usage.\u00a0The\u00a0bikes\u00a0still need to be\u00a0approved\u00a0as road-legal:\u00a0arriving at or moving between recreational or competition off-road riding areas\u00a0usually\u00a0involves riding on paved, public\u00a0roads, while\u00a0many unpaved trails used for\u00a0enduro\u00a0riding in Europe are still classed as public roads.<\/p>\n In response\u00a0to the investigation\u2019s findings, KTM said\u00a0its bikes are meant to be used as delivered, and that it is not responsible for any modifications made after delivery.<\/p>\n However, staff at\u00a0KTM dealerships\u00a0told reporters that KTM was aware of the derestricting\u00a0practice, and said that\u00a0KTM supplied parts and training to dealers to modify the\u00a0bikes after they arrived at the dealership.\u00a0On KTM\u2019s website,\u00a0its bright orange and black Enduro\u00a0bikes\u00a0involved in the scheme\u00a0are\u00a0displayed\u00a0visibly derestricted.\u00a0<\/p>\n One\u00a0derestricted\u00a0KTM Enduro model \u2014\u00a0the KTM EXC 300\u00a0\u2014\u00a0is\u00a0over 10\u00a0times\u00a0more polluting\u00a0and\u00a0two times louder\u00a0than\u00a0the limits laid out by the EU\u2019s\u00a02013 regulations<\/a>\u00a0on motorcycle approvals, an independent study<\/a> commissioned by the\u00a0International Council on Clean Transportation\u00a0(ICCT)\u00a0found. The UK has retained similar\u00a0legislation<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0noise and\u00a0harmful pollutants\u00a0such as planet-warming carbon dioxide\u00a0since leaving the EU.<\/p>\n At a motorcycle trade show in Belgium, a KTM employee describes the derestriction process to an undercover reporter as \u2018a bit of a scam\u2019.<\/p>\n The tested bike\u2019s\u00a0levels\u00a0of carbon monoxide \u2014 a highly toxic gas \u2014\u00a0were\u00a0equivalent to\u00a0those of\u00a0a\u00a0small\u00a0diesel locomotive train, the report found.<\/p>\n Europe-wide motorcycle registration\u00a0data at a model level is\u00a0not publicly available, but industry experts estimate\u00a0KTM\u00a0is selling at least 10,000\u00a0derestricted\u00a0bikes\u00a0each\u00a0year.<\/p>\n None\u00a0of the undercover reporters posing as potential customers asked if their bikes could be derestricted.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, during multiple undercover visits, official KTM dealers pointed to already derestricted bikes on display and explained that\u00a0they were expected\u00a0to remove pollution control parts and increase power after delivery. They then said they would still provide\u00a0customers with\u00a0paperwork and number plates stating the bikes were road-legal.<\/p>\n \u201cAs\u00a0soon as [the motorcycles] arrive, KTM tells us to derestrict them straight away\u00a0because the engines don\u2019t\u00a0work,\u201d\u00a0one\u00a0KTM dealer\u00a0in Northern France\u00a0told a reporter.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s just to meet the standards, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s rare to come across something that\u2019s so blatantly unlawful and illegal,\u201d said Remo Klinger, a Berlin-based\u00a0environmental\u00a0lawyer\u00a0who has\u00a0worked\u00a0extensively\u00a0on cases designed to force regulators to take action against manufacturers involved in \u201cDieselgate\u201d. \u201cThe authorities have a duty to\u00a0look into it.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniela Gehwolf, KTM\u2019s head of corporate communications, said\u00a0its\u00a0dealers\u00a0\u201csell the vehicles exclusively to end customers in a homologated [restricted] and road-legal condition\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAt\u00a0the customer\u2019s express request, modifications may be made to the vehicles for competition use through the authorized dealer,\u201d added Gehwolf. \u201cIn the context of such customer-initiated competition modifications, the dealer explicitly informs the end customer that the road registration will be invalidated and the vehicle may no longer be used on public roads.\u201d<\/p>\n Gehwolf also\u00a0said that the KTM motorcycle used in the ICCT study \u201cexplicitly does not correspond to the vehicle\u2019s original delivery state and is not intended for road use in this form.\u201d<\/p>\n Both\u00a0the French and German transport authorities said they are looking into the investigation\u2019s findings.\u00a0The UK\u2019s Department for Transport said it had not received reports of the type of modification described by the investigation, but would \u201cnot hesitate to act where the law is broken.\u201d<\/p>\n A\u00a0European Commission spokesperson confirmed they were aware of the ICCT\u2019s\u00a0report. They\u00a0added that the Commission\u00a0was only responsible\u00a0for\u00a0assessing\u00a0whether\u00a0action taken by EU member states was justified.<\/p>\n If\u00a0proven to be deliberately circumventing pollution and noise laws, KTM\u00a0could face fines of up to\u00a0\u20ac5 million\u00a0(\u00a34.3 million)\u00a0under European\u00a0law, according to Klinger. There is also the potential for\u00a0larger\u00a0fines and even criminal proceedings at a national level,\u00a0according to\u00a0Climate Whistleblowers\u2019 legal\u00a0team.<\/p>\n The Scheme<\/p>\n KTM\u00a0sold around 200,000 bikes in 2025, but its revenue dropped to\u00a0\u20ac1 billion\u00a0(\u00a3860 million)\u00a0from\u00a0\u20ac2.7 billion\u00a0(\u00a32.3 billion)\u00a0two years earlier, according to the latest\u00a0annual report <\/a>published by parent company\u00a0Bajaj\u00a0Auto.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0Indian motorcycle conglomerate\u00a0acquired majority ownership of KTM last year and cut 500 jobs as part of a\u00a0major restructuring process. Sales began to\u00a0increase\u00a0again this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Through interviews with industry insiders, analysis of public records and leaked documents, and\u00a0undercover visits to dealerships and trade shows, the\u00a0Unrestricted investigation\u00a0painted\u00a0a\u00a0picture\u00a0of\u00a0systemic emissions cheating\u00a0by KTM\u00a0in what\u00a0has become an open secret in the industry.<\/p>\n Some KTM\u00a0dealerships\u00a0have\u00a0even posted\u00a0videos\u00a0on YouTube<\/a> and Instagram showing the derestriction process as part of their marketing,\u00a0presenting it as \u201cunboxing\u201d content for motorcycle fans.<\/p>\n It is not uncommon for motorcyclists\u00a0to modify their bikes after purchase,\u00a0for example\u00a0by removing speed limiters or fitting louder\u00a0exhausts. In doing so, they may\u00a0be breaching the bike\u2019s original type approval that it needs to be road-legal.<\/p>\n However, the Unrestricted investigation\u00a0demonstrates for the first time how\u00a0a\u00a0major motorcycle\u00a0manufacturer is actively participating in a derestriction scheme\u00a0in order\u00a0to circumvent pollution legislation.<\/p>\n KTM\u2019s emissions scheme\u00a0begins with the company manufacturing\u00a0restricted motorcycles fitted with features that means Enduro bikes pass emissions and noise tests as part of its type approval.<\/p>\n For example,\u00a0restricted Enduro bikes\u00a0have\u00a0legal pollution control devices\u00a0known as \u201clambda sensors\u201d.\u00a0These measure oxygen levels in the exhaust and send reports to the bike\u2019s computer to adjust the air-fuel mixture.<\/p>\n These features, however, mean that\u00a0the\u00a0bikes\u00a0\u2014 which typically cost between\u00a0\u20ac11,000 and\u00a0\u20ac13,500\u00a0(\u00a39,500 \u2013 \u00a311,660) depending on the model \u2014 don\u2019t\u00a0in fact\u00a0perform\u00a0\u201cready to race\u201d,\u00a0as they are\u00a0marketed.<\/p>\n Instead, the restricted bikes\u00a0arrive\u00a0in store\u00a0\u201ccompletely unusable,\u201d\u00a0one dealership in northern Italy\u00a0told undercover reporters, who were posing as\u00a0prospective\u00a0customers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so tightly laced that it doesn\u2019t work properly at all,\u201d another dealer in northwestern Germany said. \u201cNobody\u00a0would enjoy that, neither the motorbike nor the rider. It\u2019s really just for the registration, so to speak, so that you can get it through.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re the ones who design the bike that way,\u201d the KTM employee\u00a0said\u00a0at the trade show in northern Belgium.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re the ones who design the bike that way\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 KTM employee<\/p>\n With the bike\u00a0\u201cunusable\u201d in its type-approved state,\u00a0dealerships\u00a0manually and electronically alter the vehicles before they are sold.<\/p>\n \u201cSo officially, they are fitted like that, but it\u2019s not very good to\u00a0ride like that,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0the KTM employee.\u00a0\u201cDealers remove those [emissions-limiting] parts and fit the real parts.\u201d<\/p>\n Both\u00a0the KTM employee and three separate dealerships told undercover reporters that KTM supplies the equipment to do this.<\/p>\n Derestriction\u00a0involves\u00a0removing or disconnecting\u00a0the lambda\u00a0sensors, the investigation found. Dealerships may also remove engine air restrictors, remove or swap the catalytic converter for\u00a0one\u00a0that filters fewer pollutants in the exhaust, disconnect the tube that redirects exhaust gases back into the engine, and change the bike\u2019s computer settings with a KTM-owned software.<\/p>\n At one dealership in southern England, a staff member\u00a0told undercover reporters\u00a0that\u00a0their employees\u00a0receive training from KTM on how to derestrict the bikes and have\u00a0to \u201cget tests every year.\u201d<\/p>\n A dealer in southern England explains to undercover reporters how KTM provides equipment and training for the derestriction process.<\/p>\n This\u00a0process differs from the Dieselgate scandal, where Volkswagen fitted so-called \u201cdefeat devices\u201d to cars to make them produce fewer emissions while under test conditions, rather than modifying the vehicle itself after type approval.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nearly\u00a0all (95 percent) of over 250 Enduro bikes listed with Austrian KTM dealers in February this year\u00a0were visibly derestricted according\u00a0to\u00a0the whistleblower, who has\u00a020 years of industry experience\u00a0and analysed images attached to each\u00a0listing.<\/p>\n These modifications\u00a0significantly increase speed\u00a0and power, but also\u00a0dramatically\u00a0ramp up\u00a0pollution and noise.\u00a0Levels often exceeded the maximum range of instruments used during the tests on the KTM EXC 300 Enduro\u00a0bike\u00a0in the ICCT-commissioned study, which was carried out by\u00a0the\u00a0Czech University of Life Sciences.<\/p>\n This means buyers\u00a0are able to ride away from authorised KTM dealerships on public roads with motorcycles\u00a0well over official EU and UK pollution\u00a0limits\u00a0\u2014 despite holding\u00a0a\u00a0\u201cCertificate\u00a0of Conformity\u201d (CoC),\u00a0issued by\u00a0KTM,\u00a0which says the bike has been type-approved to these standards. They also leave with\u00a0a number plate, and vehicle registration\u00a0papers.<\/p>\n At the dealership in northeastern\u00a0Germany, the reporter observed the dealer telling a customer they had disconnected the lambda sensor, but\u00a0had left it in the bike in case the customer was stopped by police.<\/p>\n KTM does not appear to be the only manufacturer engaged in this practice.\u00a0During the course of the investigation, two authorised dealerships for competitors offered to derestrict bikes for reporters. It was not clear whether this was part of a manufacturer-led scheme, or whether these were isolated incidents.<\/p>\n Competitors\u00a0Honda, Fantic, Triumph, Sherco, Rieju, Yamaha, Benelli, and BMW did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n A spokesperson\u00a0for Italian motorcycle manufacturer Beta\u00a0said the\u00a0company could not confirm whether KTM was running such an emissions cheating scheme or whether this gave KTM any competitive advantage. They noted that vehicle insurance was the main reason for restriction, which was linked to road registration. Beta did not respond to questions about whether they also\u00a0run a\u00a0derestriction\u00a0scheme.<\/p>\n An authorised KTM dealer in southern England explains the derestriction process to an undercover reporter.<\/p>\n \u2018Not Fit for Purpose\u2019<\/p>\n Transport and vehicle standards\u00a0authorities\u00a0in Europe\u00a0appear to\u00a0be aware that bikes may be regularly being used on and off-road while breaching their original\u00a0type approval\u00a0conditions.<\/p>\n At least 20 percent\u00a0of motorcycles in Europe\u00a0may have been\u00a0modified\u00a0in some form, according to a November 2025\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0the EU\u2019s\u00a0L-vehicles\u00a0emissions and\u00a0noise mitigation\u00a0solutions\u00a0(LENS) programme.<\/p>\n In\u00a0the UK, the\u00a0Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency\u00a0(DSVA)\u00a0admitted there was \u201cvery little compliance\u201d\u00a0with regulations on\u00a0aftermarket\u00a0motorcycle exhausts\u00a0\u2014 those sold to riders who want to modify a bike they already own\u00a0\u2014\u00a0in an internal report from 2022,\u00a0obtained via a freedom of information request during the investigation.<\/p>\n Both\u00a0the\u00a0EU<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0UK<\/a>\u00a0have recently considered bringing in\u00a0further legislation\u00a0to tackle illegal motorcycle modifications.<\/p>\n So far, however,\u00a0none of these proposals have directly addressed the possibility of a manufacturer running a scheme to modify bikes after they have been type-approved, but before they are sold. \u201cThe European Commission must investigate these allegations rigorously and finally close the gaps that allow manufacturers to game the type approval system.\u201d<\/p>\n Editing by Phoebe Cooke<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Austrian\u00a0motorcycle giant KTM\u00a0is\u00a0systematically bypassing laws designed to limit pollution and noise, it can be\u00a0revealed. During\u00a0a\u00a0year-long\u00a0investigation, undercover reporters visited\u00a015\u00a0trade…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453051,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[273,111,139,69,147],"class_list":["post-453050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/UC-tradeshow-2-1024x638.png\"\/)
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Under EU law, they said, manufacturers\u00a0must\u00a0\u201ctake the necessary corrective actions\u201d\u00a0to ensure their vehicles remain in line with their\u00a0\u201ctype approval\u201d\u00a0\u2014 the regulatory process for checking machines, parts and vehicles have met safety and environmental requirements, including on noise and\u00a0emissions.\u00a0They\u00a0should also\u00a0\u201ctake measures to prevent\u2026modifications\u00a0with adverse effects on\u00a0safety or\u00a0environmental performance\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/A-training-UC-shot-blur-1-1-1024x554.jpg\"\/)
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\u00a0\u201cThis\u00a0is not a small loophole, but a business model built on deception,\u201d\u00a0said German Greens MEP Michael Bloss. \u201cWhat this case really exposes is a European market surveillance system that is not fit for purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n