As we reported earlier than KTM is working on a twin-cylinder 490 cc engine, reports now reveal that it will power the Duke, RC and Adventure motorcycles.
A couple of months back, we reported that KTM and Bajaj are working on a new 500cc parallel-twin cylinder engine for the global as well as for the Indian market. However, it was not known which motorcycles will get the new engine.
Now, reports reveal that KTM is planning for five models based on the new 490cc parallel-twin engine. KTM Duke, RC, Adventure, SMR R and Enduro R, all will get the 490 cc engine onboard. Out of these five, the first three are available in India.
Further, we might see these bikes or hear some information about them at the oncoming EICMA 2020 in November. We were expecting the new engine to be shown at the 2019 EICMA, but KTM bought in another blockbuster there; the 390 ADventure.
Also Read: KTM Duke 200 To Receive An Update In Early 2020 – Report
The 490cc engine will be a liquid-cooled 8-valves DOHC unit, that should produce somewhere around 55-60 BHP worth of power. In comparison, the Duke 390 produces 43 BHP. The engine tuning will be different for all, but the power figures are likely to stay the same.
Talking about the Indian market, the KTM Duke 490 and RC 490 might be a superb addition to the family. As far as the fully-faired motorcycle goes, it will be one of the few middleweight capacity motorcycles in India.
Duke 490 would not many competitors in India, but with the help of Bajaj, it will be priced very competitively. Both will be built on the same steel trellis frame, but the platform will be tweaked to accommodate a larger engine.
Also Read: Five Things to Know About the KTM Duke 790, the newest flagship from KTM
Other than that, KTM has recently unveiled the 390 Adventure in India, with its launch scheduled to happen early next year. After that, KTM will also launch the more affordable 250 Adventure. It recently launched the 790 Duke “Scalpel” in India, for Rs 8.63 Lakhs, as well.
