KTM Duke 125, RC 125 to be discontinued in India from this date. Know more

KTM Duke 125 and KTM RC 125 have been two of the popular high-performance 125 cc motorcycles in India. However, KTM has decided to stop selling these two 125 cc motorcycles in India. Both the Duke 125 and RC 135 will be discontinued in the country from April 1 onwards. The 125 cc engine working onboard these bikes won't receive the OBD-2D updates as the bike maker thinks this upgrade is not economically viable.

KTM launched the Duke 125 in India in 2018, followed by the RC 125 a few years later. At that time, the two-wheeler giant believed there was a market for premium and sporty 125 cc motorcycles in India. In fact, the company managed to sell in decent numbers. However, direct rivals like the Yamaha R15 and MT15, were selling in extremely high numbers.

KTM tried to push the Duke 125 and RC 125 bikes in the Indian market through some model year updates. However, this strategy didn’t work for the brand. Instead, the bikemaker continued to emphasise on the 390 series models, which gained popularity owing to a bigger engine churning out more power-packed performance than the 125 cc models. The Indian consumers' evolving interest towards the bigger and premium bikes too played a key role in the decline of the 125 series models' popularity.

Considering all these, the company has realised that it is pointless to invest and upgrade the 125 cc range of motorcycles. With this, the brand is aiming to streamline its product portfolio in the country.

While KTM is pulling the plug on the Duke 125 and RC 125, availability of these bikes in dealerships may remain for some time as it won't be possible to phase out the stock as early as possible. In that case, expect good deals like cash discounts, insurance benefits and warranty offers on the 125 cc models.

Update: KTM has released a statement regarding the discontinuation of the 125 Duke and RC models. Here’s what the company has to say, “We would like to clarify that neither KTM nor Bajaj Auto has officially announced this news. It is a case of misinformation and is unrelated to KTM’s financial restructuring."

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