Bajaj likely to launch KTM 890 Adventure with 890 Duke this year

- KTM big bike launch this year

- 890 Adventure could also be launched

- Will be E20-compliant

Bajaj has finally decided to launch some of the big bikes from KTM in India this year. This development was confirmed by Rakesh Sharma, Executive Director, Bajaj Auto at the investor’s call.

This is the first time the company has spoken in public about bringing the KTM big bikes to India. The company did sell the 790 Duke for a brief period in 2019 but was later discontinued as the BS6 emission norms kicked in and the company didn’t have an engine that complied with that norms. But it looks like the brand is planning to take up the big bike segment a bit too seriously now.

The top honcho didn’t mention the name of the KTM bikes they are planning to launch in India. But we believe Bajaj would launch the 890cc range in India, which includes the 890 Duke and also the 890 Adventure. There’s also the RC 8C in the segment but this is a limited-edition model and as a result of that, it is unlikely to be launched in India. These new big bikes will be launched only in a few cities.

According to our sources, the Pune-based manufacturer has been wanting to launch the big KTM bikes for a while now. However, the E20 compliance has delayed a lot of big bike launches. According to MORTH, all motorcycles above 700cc also have to be E20-compliant – 80 per cent petrol and 20 per cent ethanol blending. While some brands like Honda and Suzuki have managed to develop their big bike engines to meet these norms, a few European brands are yet to do this. It looks like Bajaj is likely to get their big KTM bikes certified sometime this year. Post that, the launch is likely to take place before the end of this year.