After a significant hiatus, KTM is gearing up to re-enter the big bike game in India. To this end, we have received intel that the company is doing things differently this time by setting up a dedicated dealer network for its big bikes.

1. KTM big bikes will be sold through exclusive showrooms at first 
2. Existing KTM showrooms will be upgraded 
3. 990 Duke, 890 Adventure seem likely candidates for India

KTM big bike showroom details

KTM sold 100 units of the BS4 790 Duke in India in 2020, with the final 20-odd units being sold at a mouth-watering price. However, despite the significantly higher price than locally manufactured KTMs, the 790 was sold and serviced through existing dealers which diluted the premium experience. 

Now, KTM India seems to be making a concrete, long-term game plan for its big bikes in India and the first step is setting up an exclusive premium dealership network in India. These will only be in select metro cities and limited in number. At first, KTM’s large-capacity models will only be sold through these select showrooms, but further down the line, select existing KTM dealers will also get an opportunity to sell these premium machines, subject to the location.

Speaking of what KTM big bikes will actually come to India, this is unclear at the moment.  However models like the 890 Adventure and the 990 Duke are plausible options. If KTM decides to go super premium, we could even see the mad 1390 Super Duke R on our roads, although it will have a price tag well north of Rs 20 lakh (ex-showroom) due to it being a full import from Mattighofen, Austria. As for the 790 Duke, that bike is now entirely manufactured for worldwide distribution by KTM’s Chinese partner, CFMoto and is now the entry point to its big bike lineup. The European-spec bike also makes less power than before and to read more about that, tap here. It is unlikely that KTM will bring it back to our market given the slow sales when it was first launched here. 

This move also opens the door to Husqvarna’s big bike portfolio making its way to India in a similar fashion to how the small-capacity Huskies are sold alongside their KTM counterparts. Hisqvarna’s big bike lineup consists of the Svartpilen 801 which is essentially a 790 wearing a suave suit, similar to how the Norden 901 is based on the 890 Adventure.