Climate Whistleblowers' Investigation on Motorcycle Giant's Emission Evasion
Date Published: 27 May 2026
WIN membership organisation Climate Whistleblowers' press release 'Unrestricted: Motorcycle Giant KTM Is Facilitating Widespread Emission Evasion' published 26/05/26
Whistleblower testimony brings to light systematic scheme to bypass regulations meant to protect climate and public health
(Paris, 26 May 2026) – Unrestricted, a year-long investigation by Climate Whistleblowers (CW) and a consortium of European media shows KTM facilitates the systematic derestriction of an entire line of its motorcycles before they reach customers, drastically increasing pollution and noise, with serious consequences for public health and the climate. Ten years after the Dieselgate scandal, the scheme shows vehicle manufacturers continue to engineer their way around emission regulations.
CW supported the whistleblower and led a cross-border investigation in collaboration with Le Monde, Paper Trail Media, L’Espresso, El País, Der Standard, Der Spiegel, Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), DeSmog, the Centre for Climate Reporting, and ZDF Frontal. The investigation reveals this open secret is facilitated throughout the entire production and sales chains of KTM’s enduro models, which are motorcycles used both on and off-road. KTM, which is owned by publicly traded Bajaj Mobility AG (listed in Switzerland and Austria), rejected the findings, stating it sells all enduro models in road-legal condition and that any subsequent competition modifications are made by dealers only at customer request.
“Unrestricted shows the scheme is an open secret in the industry, but is still left unchecked by the authorities,” said Laura Paquemar, programme manager at CW. “If a leader in the industry like KTM dares to do that, especially after Dieselgate, there is a real risk that non-compliance is far more widespread.”
Research independently commissioned by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) shows a derestricted motorcycle emits pollutants and noise at levels vastly exceeding legal limits, emitting, for example, as much carbon monoxide as an old diesel passenger train. These excessive emissions worsen climate change, air pollution and ecosystem damage while also posing respiratory, cardiovascular and quality-of-life risks to riders, road users and nearby communities.
The investigation was sparked by a whistleblower who has chosen to remain anonymous. A motorcycle rider his whole life and involved in the motorcycle industry for 20 years, he decided to speak out to promote positive change in the enduro industry: “I would like to see innovations on the market. Innovations would be motorcycles that have less air and noise pollution, and I think it’s possible to do that, but it’s not possible if we are focused on cheating the system.”
European law strictly regulates motorcycle derestriction because modifications that increase performance beyond legal limits can unlawfully raise emissions and environmental harm. If KTM or its official dealers bypassed these regulations, the practice would be – as German environmental lawyer Remo Klinger said – “so grossly unlawful and illegal that you rarely come across anything like it”. It would be a blatant disregard of environmental rules and global efforts to lower emissions, which are even more important to make in the transport sector, one of the largest sources of direct greenhouse gas emissions.
CW calls on national authorities to open investigations into KTM’s practices and on the European Union to strengthen emissions regulations, including better enforcement mechanisms to prevent this type of behaviour.
Find out more on:
- Climate Whistleblowers, Le Monde, Paper Trail Media, L’Espresso, El País, Der Standard, Der Spiegel, Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), DeSmog, Centre for Climate Reporting, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
About Climate Whistleblowers:
Climate Whistleblowers is an NGO dedicated to protecting individuals who expose wrongdoings that worsen the climate crisis and ensuring their disclosures are impactful. Even a single act of whistleblowing can make all the difference. With individualised support, we believe a new generation of climate whistleblowers can catalyse the change the world desperately needs.