KTM is reportedly developing a new small-displacement sportbike for the Indian market, featuring similar styling to its flagship RC8 sportbike. The new model is expected to use a 250cc single-cylinder engine, leading some to label it the KTM RC25 or KTM RC250.

We’ve heard reports of KTM working on a small-displacement sportbike before, most recently in late 2012 with KTM Chief Executive Officer Stefan Pierer saying a faired version of the 390 Duke is on its way, but it now appears a 250 version is on its way as well. The now infamous leaked Powerpoint slide from a KTM North American dealer presentation also outlined a model curiously called a “Moto3 350” for 2014. IndianCarsBikes reports the KTM RC25 will be available in India for 2014 to be built in India by Bajaj Auto which owns a 47% stake in KTM.

KTM’s Moto3 production racer is officially called the RC 250 R, but the Moto3 racer (pictured below) has much different styling than the RC8, and the new model will likely look more like its angular 1,195cc older sibling than the curvier Moto3 race bike. Amit Nandi, vice-president of premium motorcycles for Bajaj Auto is very specific about the new bike’s RC8 roots. Continue Reading »

KTM has confirmed the 390 Duke will be brought to the American market for the 2014 model year, making it the first of the Austrian manufacturer’s small-displacement single-cylinder naked models to arrive in the U.S. This timeframe would put the 373cc  Duke a year behind the 2013 launch date from a leaked Powerpoint presentation slide that said it would be available in the U.S. for the 2013 model year as a 350 model.

Stefan Pierer, chief executive officer of KTM, confirmed the news in an interview with Indian daily Business Standard. The 390 Duke will be produced at a plant in Chakan, India, owned by Bajaj Autos, a 47% stakeholder of KTM. Pierer predicts KTM will sell 10,000 units of the 390 Duke in Europe and the U.S.

“It is a strategic decision with Bajaj to go for sporty, stylish motorcycles, even for the saturated markets, because cars have become too expensive,” Pierer tells the Business Standard. “We are entering the US street-bike segment for the first time and, beginning next year, the Duke 390, built in India, would be sold in the US market.” Continue Reading »

Anyone who has read a comic book has probably dreamed about putting on a mask and going out to strike terror into the hearts of evil-doers. A 43-year-old man in Argentina has been doing just that, dressing up and taking the name “Menganno” and patrolling the streets of Buenos Aires on a Bajaj Pulsar 200.

Menganno has been patrolling his neighborhood since at least 2010, usually in makeshift armor carrying a flashlight, pepper spray and a Captain Amerca-style blue and white shield. He added another weapon to an arsenal recently which has landed him in hot water with (actual) law enforcement, leading to Menganno being unmasked as Oscar Lefosse, a former police officer who served from 1986 to 1996.

In late January, Lefosse and his wife arrived at their home and allegedly came upon three robbers. Lefosse allegedly pulled out a Glock and opened fire at the intruders. Someone posting as Menganno on his official Facebook page claimed the three intruders were also armed and attacking him, posting a picture of his bullet-riddled car. Law enforcement officials dispute this account, according to The Telegraph, saying the bullets were fired from inside the car. Continue Reading »

Indian website Powerdrift has uncovered photographs of what it claims to be a Bajaj Pulsar 375, a faired sportbike based on the KTM 390 Duke.

A Bajaj-branded version of the 390 Duke should be no surprise. The Indian company, after all, owns a 47% stake in Austrian-based KTM, and it released its own version of the 200 Duke in the 2012 Bajaj Pulsar 200NS. Unlike the 200NS and the 390 Duke however, the new Pulsar 375 is a faired sportbike.

We’ve previously reported KTM is working on both a faired version of the 390 as well as an enduro version for 2014. The  Pulsar 375 is rumored to be launching in India this November, which could be around the same time KTM is expected to reveal its own version at EICMA. Continue Reading »

BMW is getting closer to signing a partnership agreement with India’s TVS Motor Company. The partnership, expected to be finalized before the end of March, would see TVS receive access to BMW technology while the German manufacturer would increase its footprint in the world’s second most-populated nation.

TVS is one of India’s largest manufacturers but it has recently slipped to fourth from third behind Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto and Honda. An injection of BMW technology may be what TVS needs to regain its market share. TVS’ competitors all either have links to foreign motorcycle manufacturers.

Hero MotoCorp recently ended its long partnership with Honda and is now working with Erik Buell Racing to develop new products. Bajaj owns a 47% stake in KTM and has begun introducing models that share components with similar KTM motorcycles, such as the Bajaj Pulsar 200ns which is based on the KTM 200 Duke. Baja also has a separate deal with Kawasaki which helps draw additional visitors to its showrooms. And Honda is, of course, Honda, with its own wholly-owned subsidiary recently surpassing TVS as India’s third largest motorcycle producer. Continue Reading »

KTM has carved out a niche recently in the small-displacement streetbike market with its Duke lineup of naked motorcycles. First came the 125 Duke, then the 200 Duke, and more recently unveiled at EICMA, the 390 Duke, which we hope will be the first in the family to make it to the U.S. All three little Dukes have similar chassis and streetfighter styling, with the engine displacement being the main difference between them.

The Austrian manufacturer isn’t done with the small-displacement segment however. Speaking with India’s CNBC-TV18, KTM Chief Executive Officer Stefan Pierer said the company may develop new 200cc, 190cc and 180cc models for the Indian market, as well as a a fully-faired and touring versions of the 390 within the next 12-18 months.

“We expect additional displacements, the 390cc is coming which is a full faired version and the so called tour purpose version,” says Pierer. “By the end, we have a full model range where we can settle in all these and especially the Asian markets.” Continue Reading »

A little while ago, we published a review of a motorcycle Honda produces for the Indian market called the Unicorn Dazzler. Yes, that’s the actual name of a production motorcycle designed by Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, a Honda subsidiary. In his review of the 150cc motorcycle, Rajeev Gaikwad said the Honda Unicorn Dazzler was “a handsome commuter with an enthusiastic and proven engine” though it was underwhelming in terms of performance and handling as the higher-priced successor to the regular Honda Unicorn also sold in India.

To western consumers however, the name “Unicorn Dazzler” may seem a bit odd for a motorcycle. But it’s not the only motorcycle with a peculiarly cutesy name. In honor of the Honda Unicorn Dazzler, we decided we should play a little game called “Actual Motorcycle or My Little Pony Character.”

Here’s how it works. We’ve cobbled together a list of five motorcycles and scooters and paired them up with characters from Hasbro‘s My Little Pony line of toys and cartoons. We’ll give you a pair of names and you guess which one is the motorcycle and which one is the pony. Continue Reading »

KTM and Bajaj Auto will launch a new 375cc member of is entry-level Duke lineup, reports Indian site Zigwheels. Previous reports had KTM developing a 350 Duke as an extension of its 125 and 200 Duke (pictured above) family. The 350 Duke was also listed on a leaked Powerpoint slide from a North American dealer meeting we published in February, so this new model may be the first of the small-displacement Duke family to make it to the U.S.

According to the report, the new 350 will now be called the KTM 390 Duke, following the numerical nomenclature of the company’s larger-displacement models such as the 690 Duke, 990 Super Duke and the recently unveiled 1190 Adventure.

Zigwheels reports the 390 Duke will use a similar trellis frame and WP suspension as the 200 Duke but with a fuel-injected 375cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine. Zigwheels also reports the engine will produce 45 hp while the 390 Duke will weigh in at 331 pounds. Continue Reading »

Austrian manufacturer KTM is reportedly working on a new 375cc Twin-cylinder engine for Indian partner Bajaj.

Bajaj owns a 47% stake in KTM and the two companies have worked together in the past for the KTM Duke 125 and Duke 200 as well as the Bajaj Pulsar 200NS (pictured above). According to India’s Business-Standard, KTM and Bajaj are collaborating on a new 375cc engine at Bajaj’s research and development facility in Akurdi, India, outside of Pune.

Reportedly a Twin-cylinder engine, the new powerplant will be a departure from other Indian-produced motorcycles which are powered by Singles. Not including imported models from outside manufacturers, motorcycles produced in India over the last two decades have primarily been Singles. Continue Reading »

India’s Bajaj Auto has acquired an additional 6.3% stake in KTM, raising its share of the Austrian manufacturer to 47%.

According to Economic Times, Bajaj purchased the latest 6.3% through a Netherlands-based subsidiary. Bajaj first acquired a portion KTM in 2007, purchasing a 14.5% stake.

India’s second-largest motorcycle manufacturer has since been steadily increasing its ownership stake in KTM, though in a recent interview with Economic Times, Rajiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto and a member of KTM’s supervisory board, said Bajaj does not want to gain a majority stake. KTM Chief Executive Officer Stefan Pierer and supervisory board Chair Rudolf Knünz together hold about 51%. Continue Reading »