KTM CEO Gottfried Neumeister confirmed that two new fully-faired motorcycles will be rolled out in the form of the RC 790 and RC 490
Bajaj and KTM are jointly developing an all-new twin-cylinder engine platform which will spawn multiple new middleweight supersport bikes in the coming months. Recently, in an interview, KTM CEO Gottfried Neumeister confirmed that two new fully-faired motorcycles, inspired by the MotoGP programme, will be rolled out in the form of the RC 790 and RC 490. Both these models are likely to break cover in the second half of 2027 globally while in India, the supersport duo could be launched by the end of next year.
KTM RC 450, equipped with a 449cc twin-cylinder engine, is already sold in the Chinese market. It delivers maximum power output of 55 bhp while clocking a top speed of 195 kmph, revealed the homologation documents from China. The fully-faired motorcycle is co-developed by the China-based CFMoto as it is based on the company’s 450SR which has the highest power output of 51 bhp and top speed of 192 kmph with the same engine.
The RC 450 has a better power to weight ratio than the CFMoto SR as it is lighter by 3 kg at 168 kg. However, it is highly unlikely that this supersport motorcycle will be sold in any country other than China. Therefore, the all-new RC 490 will be the brand’s entry-level supersport motorcycle on the global stage. We can expect more details in the coming months.
KTM has refrained from sharing technical specs of the upcoming supersports motorcycles. However, it is quite evident that the RC 490 will be positioned between the RC 390 and RC 790. Also, the European brand might replace the 390 range with the 490 line-up in major global markets as it makes zero to little sense to retail two different models with almost identical power output in the same segment.
Though, in the Indian market, KTM will continue to sell the 350cc engine powered RC, Duke and Adventure motorcycles as they enjoy lower tax benefits. The replacement of the 399cc LC4 engine with a downsized 350cc unit has resulted in a highly affordable pricing. It is learnt that the 490 series of motorcycles could be presented as more premium, upmarket and powerful upgrades for the existing customers of 390 models.
KTM had recently launched the 2027 Duke 790 with minor visual updates, latest features and improved ergonomics. The styling cues have been derived from the bigger KTM models in the naked motorcycle line-up such as the 990 Duke and 1390 Super Duke R. At the heart, the 2027 KTM 790 Duke retains the same 799 cc LC8c parallel-twin engine which delivers top power of 105 hp in the standard version and 95 hp in the A2 license compliant variant.
