KTM RC 250R coming soon to India

Showcased at the 2012 Milan Motorcycle Show there is high possibility of the KTM RC 250 R hitting showrooms by 2014 as the third model to be launched by the Austrian outfit after the 390 Duke

Now here is some inside information which will set the pulse racing of many bikers in the country. At the 2012 EICMA a.k.a Milan Motorcycle Show held in Italy late last year, KTM displayed a very interesting product line-up of new models which will soon be added to its product portfolio in 2013. While aam biker junta went gaga over the India-bound 390 Duke, there is something that caught our eye from the models unveiled by KTM at the show. We are talking about the production racer displayed at the event, the KTM RC 250 R, which is directly based on KTM’s highly successful 2012 Moto3 Championship winning race-machine.

Early this year the Austrian company announced that a production racer based around its Moto3 factory machine will go on sale for teams and privateers to go racing and this is the first time that the motorcycle has been unveiled to the world. Speaking at the unveiling KTM’s head of customer racing support, Wolfgang Felber said, “The basis of the Production Racer is not much different to our Grand Prix motorcycle (Moto3).” And that is indeed true as the 2012 Moto3 regulations have been price capped compelling factories to build machines with engine and other parts in a form that it can be sold to any and everyone who wants to compete in any racing series which conducts a 250cc 4-stroke racing class. Keeping that in mind, KTM has developed the RC 250 R as a production racer.

For India though, KTM has a slightly different strategy for the RC 250 R machine. The Bajaj-KTM tie-up is focusing on developing a street-going production version of the RC 250 R, which will be launched in India by 2014 – a full-fledged 250cc race machine for the road. And the company is heavily banking on it as that will be their flagship product in the Indian space, albeit at an affordable price point as the bike will be fully localized and made at Bajaj Auto’s Chakan plant near Pune. While the basic engine specifications will remain more or less unchanged, there will be a few downgrades in terms of equipment in order to keep the costs under check for the Indian market.