KTM RC 125 launched: Duke-based sportsbike is India’s most EXPENSIVE 125cc bike

KTM India has just launched the Duke-based RC 125 sportsbike. The 125cc fully faired sportsbike closely resembles its bigger engined siblings – the RC 200 and RC 390 – and is India’s most expensive 125cc bike, with an introductory price tag of Rs. 1.47 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. However, the KTM RC 125 is not the most expensive 125cc two wheeler launched in India. That status belongs to the Vespa 946, a Giorgio Armani designed automatic scooter that was launched with a price tag of over Rs. 10 lakhs. Meanwhile, the introductory price tag at which the KTM RC 125 is launched means that the price of the motorcycle could go up in the coming months. Notably, the KTM RC 125 is pricier than chief rival – the Yamaha R15 V3 – despite featuring a smaller engine.

Sumeet Narang, Vice President (Probiking) at Bajaj Auto Ltd. said

KTM motorcycles are built to a purpose of winning performance and handling. It is no different with the RC 125 which will provide a true KTM experience to the motorcycle enthusiast seeking to enter our Supersport world. It carries Moto GP genes from its sibling, the much celebrated RC16.

The motorcycle is powered by the same, 125cc, liquid cooled four stroke engine that is used by the Duke 125. This short stroke motor gets a four valve head, twin overhead camshafts and fuel injection as standard, and makes 14.5 PS of peak power at 9,250 rpm and 12 Nm of peak torque at 7,000 rpm. A six speed manual gearbox with slipper clutch comes standard while braking is handled by disc brakes on both wheels, with single channel ABS as standard. The Yamaha R15 V3, in contrast, offers a dual channel ABS.

Considering these factors, the RC 125 seems quite pricey and the motorcycle may not enjoy the same success as the Duke 125. KTM may use the RC 125 to upsell the RC 200 to customers as the latter is priced at Rs. Rs. 1.91 lakhs. In monthly EMI terms, the difference in pricing between these two motorcycles will come up to around Rs. 1,500 considering a 3 year term of loan. The RC 200 gets an engine that’s twice as powerful, the same styling and also dual channel ABS.

With the introduction of the RC 125, KTM’s premium motorcycle range in India is complete with small capacity motorcycles available in both naked and fully faired forms in 125cc, 200cc and 390cc engines. The RC 125 previously was an export-only motorcycle that KTM used to build at its Chakan factory, and sell mainly in the European market. The same was the case with the Duke 125 until late last year, when it was launched in India. The next big launch from the Austrian motorcycle maker in the affordable segments is the 390 ADV on-off road motorcycle, which will arrive by the end of this year. The ADV 390 will be based on the Duke 390 but will get revised suspension, body work, styling, wheels and will be pricier.