Get Ready For Larger Small Capacity KTMs In 2020

[Update: KTM has officially confirmed that it will be launching a bunch of 500cc motorcycles by 2022. Know which motorcycles are coming your way here.]

• The new 490 platform could give us five new models in the near future.
• It’ll most likely be a parallel-twin engine unlike KTM’s 390 motor.
• Expect KTM to showcase the 490 concepts at 2020 EICMA.

KTM’s 390 engine platform has been around for nearly seven years. It made its debut with the 390 Duke, bringing in accessible yet mind-blowing performance for those who were crying out for something cool and fast. Even though we have had to wait until this year to get something bigger from KTM (the 790 Duke), we are confident that the next wave of new power-packed KTMs is not far away. And one such wave will be with the new 490 engine platform.

Also Read: Here’s What The New KTM RC 390 Will Look Like

KTM has a legacy of the ‘90’ nomenclature for its motorcycles and the 490 series is no different. The engine is likely to be a sub-500cc parallel-twin engine which would act as the spiritual successor to the 690 Duke. With Euro 5 emission norms kicking in from 2021 (2020 for new models), the 690’s large single-cylinder engine has finally reached the end of its line. Hence, this new engine will fill its void and act as the stepping stone from the mental singles, like the 390 Duke, to the even more mental twins, like the 790 Duke and the 890 Duke R.

This new 490 engine will give birth to five motorcycles, each of them already familiar to KTM loyalists. While it is obvious that we will get a 490 Duke, the platform certainly suggests the arrival of a RC 490 and a 490 Adventure. Much like their 390 siblings, these 490s will retain the traditional KTM ‘Ready To Race’ DNA but also bring in a new level of sophistication and refinement to the fandom. The other two motorcycles are likely to be a part of the supermoto series, so the chances of them making it to India are rather slim.

With the arrival of the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650, the KTM 390 Duke has lost a bit of following. KTM would hope that the 490s would again turn around the fortune for the Austrian brand, just like 2017 when it brought the current-gen 390 Duke.