KTM RC25- A 250cc bike to be launched in India by 2014

Austrian bikemaker KTM is doing pretty well in India with its partner Bajaj; the venture together has already sold 8500 KTM Duke 200, their only bike in the country, which was launched last year, for sure, a huge success story for the bike. KTM-Bajaj is about to launch their second bike Duke 390 in the next few months in India. After this, the next big launch that KTM is planning is a toned-down version of superbike RC8; it will be a 250cc heart-winner, which will be a racing replica of the RC8. KTM is also working on the tourer and full faired version of Duke 390.

The current bike might be christened as KTM RC25, which like Duke 125, 200 and 390, will be manufactured at Chakan, and will be sold in markets across the world. Bajaj is also importing a few units of the RC8; although it won't be up for the sales, they will display the bike at selected KTM outlets.

The market of 200cc and above bikes is on a rise these days and the bikes in these sections are doing well. The section has been ruled by the Japanese bike makers with Honda CBR250R and Kawasaki Ninja 250R. We are expecting it to feature a single cylinder 250cc engine, which is expected to churn a power output of around 30bhp and a torque output of about 25 Nm. If the bike would actually deliver this much power, then it has to be the most powerful 250cc motorcycle in the country. The bike will sit between Duke 200 and 390, which means that the bike will also have a price tag somewhere between these two bikes; given the fact that it will be a fully faired bike, it might cost just below the Duke 390. Bajaj-KTM is known for competitive prices and the very thing will be the biggest factor against the likes of Kawasaki Ninja, the Hyosung GT250R and the Honda CBR250R motorcycles.