KTM showcased two never seen before quarter-litre motorcycles at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show recently. The two motorcycles – 250 Duke and RC250 are equipped with a 250cc, four-stroke, liquid-cooled engine that is KTM. The engine is reported to be a sleeved down version of the very potent 373.2cc engine found on the Duke and RC390, by Japanese news website – responsejp.com.
The KTM 250 Duke shares the same chassis, design and suspension seen on the Duke motorcycles in India. The KTM RC250 also shares all components with the RC motorcycles in India apart from its 250cc engine.
If KTM does bring this motorcycle here, it will rival quarter-litre motorcycles in the sportsbike segment which currently has a diverse crop of single-cylinder and twin-cylinder motorcycles in the sportsbike segment. However this still remains questionable as the KTM 200 Duke and the RC200 sold in India are capable enough to compete in this segment that sees naked and faired motorcycles alike. KTM and Bajaj Auto may manufacture the motorcycles here and export them to foreign markets with Japan being the major importer. What remains to be unveiled are future plans from the Indo-Austrian partnership for India.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
