KTM confirms 500cc engine being developed completely in India

For a long time now, we have known that KTM has been working on a sub-500cc motorcycle to rival the similar bikes from the Japanese markets. But now there is confirmation from KTM that the engine is being developed right here in India.

In an interview to Le Repaire des Motards, KTM CEO, Stefan Pierer, revealed that the new 500cc engine was being developed alongside KTM engineers at the Bajaj R&D facility in Pune. What’s more is that the engines are based on the current Duke 790 and Duke 890 engines.

Essentially, KTM is working on building an all-new 500cc parallel-twin engine. Pierer also said that the engine would be used in multiple bike platforms across KTM and Husqvarna. So, again just like the 790 and 390 Duke, we could see an adventure tourer as well as the sportbike RC series.

According to Pierer, the coronavirus pandemic has forced KTM to focus on the middle-weight segment and hence speeding up work on the project. The company says that following the economic losses suffered due to the pandemic, the demand for middle-weight bikes will go up as compared to that of bigger bikes.

Given that this is still a work in progress, Pierer says that the first bike could only make an appearance in the year 2022. But given that the bikes are being developed completely in India, we could be one of the first markets to get the bike. For now, we can look forward to a prototype showcase at the EICMA 2021.