Since the official KTM site put a “Coming Soon” below the pictures of RC 200 and RC390, people have gone crazy speculating how soon we will be able to see them on the streets. As much as I would love to see one of the KTM RC bikes screaming past me tomorrow, there’s still a long way to go before actual deliveries begin.
Yesterday I went to pick up my Duke 390’s service booklet and tax receipts. There I got chatting with the manager and he said the RC bikes aren’t coming anytime sooner than July 2014. I was surprised at his observation, but it makes sense.
KTM won’t launch the bike before showing it off at the Auto Expo in Feb 2014. Even after we see it there, there will be a gap before bookings open, then another few months before deliveries begin. So the July estimate might not be wrong after all.
Another pointer that you can take is from the recent price increase of the Duke 390. The bike now costs 7,000 more, but that isn’t enough. The RC series bikes are expected to launch at a premium of around 30,000 bucks and be over 2.5lacs. Keeping that in mind, the Duke 390 will see another price rice before the RCs are launched. This second price increase can’t be too quick either.
So people, if you are waiting for the RC 390, it might be a while before you get to scratch your ass with its headlights. I am sitting cozy with the Duke 390, which I bought before the price hike (hurray!), and I am not waiting for anything but weekends!