It seems that there’s been some buzz about the discontinuation of the KTM 125 Duke and RC 125 in India, but there’s more to the story. KTM is gearing up to introduce new 160cc motorcycles tailored specifically for our market, aiming to fill the gap left by the outgoing models. KTM confirms this story and had responded to our query two years about the same by repeating its famous lines, “never say never”. As visible, that has now materialized. The 160cc for Indian market is an engine made by Bajaj-KTM together and Bajaj plans to use it as well in their on way. If you remember our Bajaj Pulsar RS 160 report from couple of months ago.
This strategic move is primarily aimed at competing with the popular Yamaha R15 V4 and Yamaha MT-15, which together deliver impressive sales figures of around 20,000 units every month.
Here’s what we can expect from the new KTM 160 Duke and RC 160:
– **Performance Boost**: The new 160cc engines are expected to outperform the Yamaha 155cc, producing around 19-20hp, significantly higher than the current 14.5hp from the KTM 125 models. This means the bikes will not only be more powerful than Yamaha’s offerings (18.4hp) but will also sit comfortably between that and the 200cc KTM models, which deliver 25hp.
– **Advanced Features**: Expect the same high-quality components as found in their 200cc counterparts, with a trellis frame, 43mm USD forks, and a monoshock rear suspension. Additionally, dual-channel ABS and LCD displays are on the radar.
– **Pricing Insights**: While the new 160cc models are likely to be competitively priced relative to the Yamaha lineup—ranging from Rs 1.83 lakh to Rs 2.1 lakh for the R15 V4 and Rs 1.69 lakh to Rs 1.74 lakh for the MT-15—it’s not expected they will undercut the current designs priced at Rs 1.81 lakh for the Duke 125 and Rs 1.92 lakh for the RC.
– **Design **: The 160cc variants will be built on the foundations of the existing 200cc models. The Duke will feature the snazzy second-gen Duke design akin to the 200 Duke, while the RC will adopt the latest design that are set to come in late 2025 at Milan motor show with 390cc engine inside.
– **Launch Timeline**: Keep an eye out for these models to hit the market mid-2025, just in time for the festive season or early in 2026. This evolution will surely excite those looking to enter the KTM family. Bajaj and KTM both plan to attack Yamaha with atleast four models in this space and take away whatever little share Honda has. Suzuki seems to be holding on some how and there is ofcourse Hero and TVS who will also be targeted with premium 160’s.
