Photo: motorbeam.com
House Mattighofen is said to be working more or less secretively on a new family of small-displacement motorcycles, rumors in the Indian motorcycle industry say. These new bikes are however, going to be twin-cylinder models, with the first machine in the new class claimed to be a quarter-liter one.
The new small bike line-up will allegedly be developed for the Indian and Asian markets, but with a twin also created for the European customers. The new twin engines are to be built in Bajaj’s plant in Chakan and the bikes powered by these new power units are said to arrive with price tags so low that they will put the competitors’ machinery to shame.
Obviously, these new twins are scheduled for 2016, so there is plenty of time for spy shots until they will hopefully make appearance at Intermot or EICMA next year. At the same time, it will be extremely interesting to see if KTM will retain the Duke attire or is planning to introduce a completely new range.
So far, the Duke-RC combination was very successful, as both riders in search of naked simplicity and those who favor the sporty full-faired looks had a choice. While we are tempted to believe that KTM has all the reasons in the world to retain the naked-faired duality, we’re curious to see how the shapes will be upgraded.
A new attack on the small-displacement front
KTM’s new twin machines are said to be a part of a massive move to get a bigger share in the Asian markets, especially as the engines are rumored to range between 200 cc and 373 cc. It is yet uncertain whether the Europe-bound twin-cylinder bike will remain within these rumored confines or KTM will go proper middleweight with it. Anyway, in case Mattighofen actually delivers a middleweight twin, it could get them an extra slice of A2 cake in Europe.Obviously, these new twins are scheduled for 2016, so there is plenty of time for spy shots until they will hopefully make appearance at Intermot or EICMA next year. At the same time, it will be extremely interesting to see if KTM will retain the Duke attire or is planning to introduce a completely new range.
So far, the Duke-RC combination was very successful, as both riders in search of naked simplicity and those who favor the sporty full-faired looks had a choice. While we are tempted to believe that KTM has all the reasons in the world to retain the naked-faired duality, we’re curious to see how the shapes will be upgraded.
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