Stefan Pierer, head of KTM, was recently up for an interview with a foreign media house, and he has revealed KTM 500cc motorcycle’s launch time frame for the first time…
It looks like the Bajaj-KTM duo wants to capture every segment in the sports bike world, at least the entry and mid capacities! We say so because after establishing their strong presence in the 125-375cc single-cylinder engine category, the company is now looking at venturing into the 500 cc segment with a twin-cylinder engine!
First sneaks of this were revealed by Stefan Pierer himself, the head of KTM AG Group, in February 2019. You can read that story here.
Pierer recently spoke at length about the company’s plans for the future, and in the process, he has revealed quite a few interesting bits. When asked if COVID-19 has slowed down the development of the new range of 500 cc twin-cylinder models, he revealed that they have, in fact, accelerated their efforts to develop these products.
Pierer notes that there is a lot of demand for products in this segment, especially in the emerging markets. He sees these bikes will offer an ideal upgrade for KTM customers who currently use models like 125, 200, and 390 Dukes. He also shared that the new 500 cc twin-cylinder engine will be similar to the 790/890cc counterparts, and will be developed 100% at the Bajaj R&D center in Pune.
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KTM 500cc Motorcycle’s Launch
However, the biggest revelation has come in, in the form of the launch time frame! Pierer revealed that it would take them around two years to launch the products based on the new 500 cc twin-cylinder engine ie in 2022, he will be ready with at least the first motorcycle(s).
Next-Gen KTM RC390 – Speculative Render Pic
So far, Bajaj has used all the three smaller capacity engines from KTM on its own motorcycles. It is not clear if this twin will also spawn Bajaj-branded motorcycles but if it does, we can expect some spectacular twins at throwaway prices, like it was the case with the Dominar 400 initially! Let us know if you think it makes sense for Bajaj to use this engine on their bikes.
– Moin Ahmed
Source: Le Repaire
