Bajaj Motorcycles has confirmed to launch the KTM adventure bikes in India. This news was confirmed by Rajiv Bajaj, CEO, Bajaj Motorcycles at the launch of the 2017 KTM RC200 and the RC390 yesterday.
The head honcho went on to say that the 390 Adventure is in the last phase of development. The final design of this highly anticipated bike was seen by the Bajaj top management recently. While there was confirmation on other big adventure bikes as well, the exact models weren’t revealed. We remember Stefan Pierer, CEO, KTM showing his interest in introducing the KTM 1050 Adventure in India but that was three years ago.
The Austrian maker is developing a new 790 Adventure which is powered by a new parallel-twin engine. There is a high chance of this motorcycle making its way to India because of its displacement, which is more appropriate for the Indian market. However, being under 800cc, this motorcycle will need to undergo homologation. Also, the company might have to assemble this bike in India to price it right. The 1050 Adventure on the other hand, won’t require homologation, but being a completely-built-up (CBU) unit, it will attract heavy custom duties making it expensive.
We’re expecting Bajaj to introduce either the 790 Adventure or the 1050 Adventure first, followed by their entry-level model – the 390 Adventure. The latter will be made in India, so the pricing will be affordable and there will be easy availability of spares too.
Stay tuned as we get you more details on the upcoming KTM adventure bikes.
Image source:Cycleworld