Though KTM’s entire compact displacement portfolio is being manufactured in India for global consumption for several years now, the Austrian brand has refrained itself from testing the local waters with its 125 cc offerings. The Duke and RC 125 which share their top-shelf equipment with their bigger engined siblings were deemed to be too expensive for the price sensitive Indian small displacement market.
Fortunately, Bajaj-owned KTM got bold last year and went ahead with the launch of the Duke 125 with a price tag of INR 1.18 lakhs (ex-showroom). As it turned out, a lot of budding riders have been waiting exactly for such an offering and the 125 cc street fighter become a hit overnight.
Buoyed by the response for its entry level Duke, KTM has decided to field its fully faired RC 125 as well. The KTM RC 125 for the Indian market has been undergoing trials on public road for quite sometime now. The small displacement sportsbike is set to be launched in India in June. Bookings are expected to commence in the coming weeks.
Like the Duke 125, the RC 125 will derive its trellis chassis, WP suspension system, rims, tyres and equipment from the RC 200 and RC 390 variants. The engine is the same 124.7 cc liquid-cooled unit which also powers the Duke. Mated to a 6-speed gearbox, the motor produces 14.75 hp and 12 Nm of torque.
Considering that the motorcycle tips the scale at just 135 kg (dry weight of international spec variant), the RC 125 will have enough grunt to give the best of 150 cc motorcycles in the market a proper run of their money. The India-spec variant, as seen on the spy shots, will opt for an underbelly exhaust (like RC 200) instead of the international-spec model’s conventional exhaust canister (seen on Duke 390). We also expect the domestic model to make do with a single-channel ABS with rear lift mitigation as seen on the Duke 125.
The KTM RC125 is estimated to be priced at around Rs 1.4 lakhs (ex-showroom). At that price point, it would be the most expensive 125 cc offering in the country by some margin but for that money one gets premium hardware and a razor sharp package. The entry-level RC emerges an excellent learning platform for budding motorcycle enthusiasts. It will take on the Yamaha R15 V3, which is priced similarly.
