BREAKING: Made In India KTM Twin-Cylinder Engine Platform Under Development

A few years ago, the industry was abuzz that KTM was developing a twin-cylinder platform, which would be manufactured in India. But the COVID pandemic and Bajaj management's reluctance to manufacture a twin-cylinder platform given the cost aspect and the fact that the market wasn’t ready for such an expensive bike meant the project was shelved. However, our sources have revealed that the KTM twin-cylinder programme has been revived. 

So what direction will KTM take for its twin-cylinder initiative? The first option is to again redevelop the 490 cc twin-cylinder engine as was first envisioned. While the displacement and power gap between this 490 cc engine and the LC4 engine isn’t very high, the focus of this new engine will be refinement. We expect this new engine to produce around 50-55 bhp, and the twin-cylinder layout will ensure that the motor doesn’t run very stressed, and it will be good for touring and also track performance. The KTM 490 platform can spawn many different genres of bike,s such as a 490 Duke, RC 490 and also a 490 Adventure. This will enable KTM to position its bikes against rivals such as the Aprilia 457 range, Kawasaki Ninja 500, Honda’s CB500X and the upcoming BMW F 450 GS. So as you can see, there’s a lot of competition already in this segment. 

The other prospect is that KTM might develop a 690 twin-cylinder platform, which will have two benefits. First up, it ensures that the 690 range lives on as emission norms become stringent, as the current KTM 690 Duke is powered by a single-cylinder motor, and adhering to future emission norms on this platform looks difficult. The second aspect is that KTM can compete more aggressively in the mid-capacity performance segment, which includes bikes such as the Kawasaki Ninja 650, Versys 650 and Z650, along with other rivals such as the Yamaha MT-07, Triumph Trident 660, Tiger Sport 660 and the Daytona 660. The KTM 690 twin-cylinder platform will also be offered in multiple options and will not be a single product platform like the existing 690 Duke. 

By manufacturing the bikes in India, KTM will be able to ensure a competitive price advantage, as we have already seen with the made-in-India KTM bikes. Given that the brand is coming out of a sticky situation, these twin-cylinder bikes will not only help the brand capture new market shares in India but, more importantly, in the international market. Since the development has commenced recently, we expect the made-in-India KTM twin-cylinder bikes to make their global debut in 2027 at the earliest.