KTM CEO Stefan Pierer has gone on document to substantiate that the extensively reported 490cc parallel twin-cylinder engine platform has been shelved. It’s mentioned that the Austrian agency is hedging its bets on a 690 twin as a substitute.
Visordown first reported on the information again in 2019, and on the time the engine was regarded as touchdown in a brand new 490 Duke, RC490, 490 Journey, 490 Supermoto, and 490 Enduro. For KTM followers throughout the globe, it was an thrilling prospect, taking KTM right into a mid-capacity area of interest available in the market with a really complete vary of fashions.
Sadly although, the dinky twin-pot appears to be no extra, and all earlier than it even turned a wheel. The information comes from Autocar India, who sat down with Pierer for an replace on the Bajaj-built fashions. On this interview, he confirmed that the 490 vary was lifeless, and it appears the price of the event of an all-new engine at such a small capability was the rationale for the change.
To fill its place, KTM will now change its focus to constructing an engine of round 690cc in capability, with an approximate output of 70 to 80bhp. That slots this potential new bike into the combo with different entry-level middleweight machines just like the Triumph Trident, Yamaha MT-07, Kawasaki Z650, and CFMOTO 700 CL-X.
Autocar experiences that its new vary of 690 bikes shall be able to hit the highway in 2024 and that manufacturing of the machines shall be dealt with by its technical associate CFMOTO in China.
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