KTM RC 250 sportsbike spied in India

KTM was spotted testing the RC 250 sportsbike in India. The Austrian bike maker builds the KTM RC 125, 200, 250 and 390 in India but only sells the RC 200 and 390 here. The rest of the bikes are meant for exports. It is likely that an export-spec RC 250 was being tested near Lonavala. KTM has already revealed that the RC 250, if launched in India, will cannibalize sales of the RC 200, which is why it won’t be launched here.

Comingto the motorcycle itself, it features a 250cc liquid cooled, four stroke engine with power and torque figures rated at 31 Bhp and 24 Nm respectively. It features a 6 speed foot operated manual gearbox, upside down frontforks and a monoshock rear. The bike is basically a bigger engined version of the RC 200, mainly meant for the Europen market where new riders have power restrictions until they clear the next level of licensing.

KTM’s next bikes for India will be an Adventure version of the Duke 390 and the Husqvarna retro twins. These bikes are expected to be launched next year. The Adventure version of the Duke has been long anticipated by bikers here, who find the Duke 390 not very comfortable for long distance touring. The RC 390 doesn’t even come into the picture as it is a proper track tool.

The Duke ADV will take on the Royal Enfield Himalayan and the BMW GS 310R. It is expected to be priced under 3 lakhs. Two more interesting bikes are the Husqvarna Vitpilen and Svartpilen 401. Both these bikes hope to crate a new, niche market for retro-modern motorcycles. These bikes will compete with Royal Enfields in terms of positioning but will bring high performance that KTM promises. The Husqvarna bikes will be built in India, and exported to markets around the world. They are also expected to be priced under Rs. 3 lakh.

Via xBHP