KTM, the Austrian bikemaker, recently unveiled two motorcycles - 250 Duke and RC 250 at the 2015 Tokyo Motorcycle Show. Both the bikes will be launched in the Japanese market in June. According to Response.jp., the RC 250 is tagged at ¥ 620,000 (INR 3.25 lakhs) and the 250 Duke cost ¥ 550,000 (INR 2.88 lakhs). That said, there is no clarity on these bikes coming to India.
The 250 Duke and the RC 250 are powered by a 250cc, four-stroke, liquid-cooled engine. This engine is probably a stripped down version of the powerful 373.2cc engine that powers the Duke and RC 390. The engine is capable of producing 31bhp of power at 9,000rpm and a peak torque of 24Nm at 7,250rpm. The Duke 250 weighs just 139kg, while the RC 250 is around 8 kg heavier than the Duke.
The KTM 250 Duke shares the chassis, design and suspension mechanism with other Duke motorcycles in India. Like the 250 Duke, the RC 250 also shares components with the RC series available in the Indian auto market. If both bikes make their way to our market, they will compete against the quarter-litre motorcycles in the sportsbike segment. This segment currently has several motorcycles powered with single-cylinder and twin-cylinder engines. However, the company is already selling the 200 Duke and RC 200 in India.
Both the bikes are expected to be manufactured at Bajaj's Chakan production unit, and will be exported to foreign markets including Japan.
