It seems that MV Agusta’s middleweight adventure bike project is on hold. In other words—no Lucky Explorer 5.5, for now at least.

The news comes courtesy of British outlet MCN, who quizzed MV’s big boss about the company’s plans as they strengthen their ties with KTM. CEO Timur Sardarov told MCN that the MV Agusta Lucky Explorer 5.5 R&D is on “temporary stop” as the company works out its new partnership with the Austrians.

This should come as no surprise. Back in May, we told you Stefan Pierer (the leader of Pierer AG, the conglomerate that includes KTM) was not a fan of the Lucky Explorer project:

… he says the Lucky Explorer adventure bike is a bad idea for KTM. Is he talking about the made-in-China Lucky Explorer 5.5? It sounds like it. But stay tuned. Even though Trunkenpolz says the goal is to keep everyone working at MV Agusta, it does indeed sound as if big changes are on the way for this Italian company.

As it turns out, MV Agusta’s Lucky Explorer 9.5 is reportedly coming to market in the near future in three different variants, and it is the 5.5 that is likely going to get the axe.

Why? The Lucky Explorer 5.5 was supposed to be a made-in-China adventure bike with a middleweight parallel twin engine. KTM made a similar move itself recently, when it canceled its plans for a low-priced 500-class adventure bike powered by a parallel twin engine. The made-in-China origin isn’t the problem, as KTM is already doing plenty of business there. Instead, it’s all tied to profit margins and changing global economics, and of course, the new future for MV Agusta as a long-term partner of KTM.