RUMOR: KTM 490 Duke, Adventure Project Shelved?

KTM 490 Duke launch may not happen, ever! A report claims that KTM has dropped this extremely exciting project due to various reasons. We hope it isn’t true!!!

Well, there have been a lot of developments on the KTM 490 project ever since it was first announced by Stefan Pierer, head of Pierer Mobility back in 2018. It was shared that this twin cylinder platform would spawn the 490 Duke, RC490, 490 Adventure among other forms.

According to the deadlines, we should have started receiving concrete evidence, test mules of motorcycles on this platform, however, that hasn’t happened yet. So, what is the delay?

In a surprise development, an Indian news portal now claims that wait a minute… this complete project has been shelved! This is not the kind of news we would like to pass on specially considering the kind of interest this project and the resultant motorcycles had garnered.

490 duke launch
The 490 Duke was to slot between the 390 Duke and this 790 Duke

They reason that COVID, along with Bajaj’s partnership with Triumph (and the mid-capacity motorcycles it would spawn), could be the reasons of this decision. However, we believe electric mobility could be the bigger reason, if et all! May be KTM/Bajaj believe that investing so much of time and energy on an all new platform at this point of time may not be as rewarding as when the 490s would have been ready, the world may have moved to electrics.

SPIED: Next-Gen 390 Duke Caught in India First Time

The 490 platform and the bikes emanating out of it were to be placed between the single cylinder 390s and the 790s – basically a stepping stone for bikers to graduate to – something not as intimidating as the 790 and at the same time saving a lot of grands.

We would love to hear out someone at KTM/Bajaj denying this report and we are considering it to be a rumor for now – a rumor that we hope should never come true!!!

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