About ten days ago, exciting images emerged of KTM testing what appears to be a new 500cc twin-cylinder platform on an adventure bike and a naked bike. Now, a faired RC has also been spotted out on test, which shouldn’t be a surprise; however, we believe that there is more to this story.
- Twin-cylinder RC looks production-ready
- Appears to be based on the CFMoto 450 platform
KTM RC 490 launch soon?
The motorcycle seen here does look close to production-ready
While the aforementioned twin-cylinder KTM Adventure and Duke appear to be very raw prototypes and still at least two years away from production, the RC seems quite well finished and close to being ready for sale.
One of the key design elements on this bike is that it has a single-sided swingarm, which is something only the CFMoto 450 SR S offers. When you study it closer, you’ll see that not only does the swingarm design look identical to the above-mentioned CFMoto, but what little can be seen of the main chassis also looks just the same as the 450 SR S. KTM has a long-standing partnership with the Chinese firm, although this would be the first time that a KTM is based on a CFMoto instead of the other way around.
While the base platform on this motorcycle appears to be CFMoto’s, the design and detailing are pure KTM. That can be seen in the aggressive bodywork, particularly in the tail section, as well as the WP-branded adjustable suspension and familiar KTM switchgear.
KTM RC 490 engine
The main chassis and engine appear to be of CFMoto origin
Owing to the faired nature of this motorcycle, most of the engine is hidden away, but again, the visible shape of the exhaust downpipes is pretty much the same as the CFMoto. Interestingly, if you were to compare the design of CFMoto’s parallel-twin to the two earlier spied KTMs, you would see that the engine design is completely different, and that includes the design of the exhaust downpipes. Given this, it’s quite possible that this bike might be named the KTM RC 490.
With that in mind, we believe that this motorcycle is, in fact, based on the CFMoto platform and unrelated to the other two spied KTM bikes. Given the fact that the KTM RC 390 still uses the old 373cc engine and has not yet been upgraded to the new 399cc platform, it stands to reason that this twin-cylinder version could serve as its replacement.
KTM RC 490 India launch
Whether this bike will make it to India is presently unclear
The question that remains is what happens in the Indian market, as this bike is likely to be built by CFMoto. Whether it will also be locally assembled in India is unknown at the moment, and that also raises questions about its availability here and potential pricing.
Image source - motorrad-magazin.at
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
