{"id":505,"date":"2026-05-04T10:46:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T05:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/?p=505"},"modified":"2026-05-04T10:46:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T05:16:14","slug":"ktm-490-duke-spotted-testing-new-middleweight-naked-in-the-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/ktm-490-duke-spotted-testing-new-middleweight-naked-in-the-works\/","title":{"rendered":"KTM 490 Duke Spotted Testing \u2013 New Middleweight Naked In The Works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KTM is working on a new range of middleweight motorcycles including RC 490, ADV 490 and Duke 490. Latest spy shots have now revealed what appears to be the upcoming KTM 490 Duke<\/strong>, spotted in an early prototype form. The test mule suggests that KTM is finally preparing to bridge a long-standing gap in its Duke lineup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Slot Between 390 Duke And 790 Duke<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

KTM\u2019s current naked lineup has a noticeable jump between the 390 Duke and the 790 Duke. The 390 Duke produces around 43 hp, while the 790 Duke makes close to 95 hp, leaving a significant gap in the middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The upcoming 490 Duke is expected to sit right between these two models, likely offering around 55 to 60 hp. This positioning will make it a more accessible upgrade for riders looking to move up from the 390 Duke, while also filling the void left by the older 690 Duke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likely To Get A Parallel-Twin Engine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the single-cylinder engine seen on the 390 Duke, the new 490 Duke is expected to feature a parallel-twin setup. The spy shots show a larger and more complex engine layout, which aligns with a twin-cylinder configuration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This platform is also expected to underpin other upcoming models like the RC 490 and ADV 490, although timelines for these projects have shifted multiple times in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardware Details Revealed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even though the test mule appears unfinished, several key hardware components are already visible. The bike is likely to feature WP suspension, including USD front forks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also gets a large front disc brake with a radial caliper setup, indicating strong braking performance. Exposed trellis frame elements can be seen, along with a chunky exhaust system, hinting at a higher displacement engine and performance-oriented setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Design Still Under Development<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The test bike is heavily camouflaged with temporary body panels, making it difficult to judge the final design. However, its riding stance, tank shape and sharp front-end proportions suggest that it will retain KTM\u2019s aggressive Duke DNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The production version is expected to feature a much cleaner and sharper design once development progresses further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India Manufacturing And Expected Launch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The KTM 490 Duke is expected to be manufactured in India by Bajaj Auto at its Pune facility. It could play a crucial role for KTM, especially in markets like India and Europe where demand for mid-capacity performance bikes is steadily increasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no official confirmation regarding the launch timeline yet. Considering the early prototype stage, the bike is still under development and may take time before launch. It could make its global debut at EICMA later this year, with a possible market launch sometime next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expected Rivals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once launched, the KTM 490 Duke will compete in the growing middleweight twin-cylinder segment. It is expected to rival offerings from brands like Aprilia, BMW and TVS, all of which are preparing new products in this space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KTM is working on a new range of middleweight motorcycles including RC 490, ADV 490 and Duke 490. Latest spy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,1],"tags":[280,279],"class_list":["post-505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bike-news","category-news","tag-ktm-490-duke","tag-ktm-490-duke-spotted-testing"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/KTM-490-Duke-Spotted-Testing.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":507,"href":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505\/revisions\/507"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gkonline.in\/car-bike\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}