The spy shots reveal a near-production motorcycle
KTM is working on a 490 Adventure to compete in the small displacement adventure motorcycle segment. That’s no secret. And according to these pictures taken in India, the bike is already ready to race.
The 490 Adventure is made in India by KTM-Bajaj just as the 390 Duke and other small-displacement KTM motorcycles. And India is the place where these spy shots were taken. We can observe a near-production motorcycle, featuring the already common KTM LED headlight, a windscreen that seems to be adjustable, and a black and white camouflage.
In these photos we observe cast wheels, unlike the previous spy shots where the test motorcycle featured spoked wheels. Also, the front seems to be a 19 and not a 21. There are two possibilities:
- KTM will offer to versions: 490 and 490R. The standard would feature cast wheels with a 19 inches front and a more on-road approach, while the 490R would come with spoked wheels, 21 front, crash-bars and a more off-road purpose.
- the 490 Adventure will feature only cast wheels and will be a direct rival to BMW’s G310GS.
The front suspension seems to be an upside-down WP unit, but we don’t know if it’s adjustable or not.
Also, the spy shots reveal a low exhaust, that doesn’t look very adventurous, but it seems that this is the standard in the small displacement adventure segment.
The KTM 490 Adventure is based on the 390 Duke, featuring a trellis frame and a 44 horsepower engine, with slipper clutch, ABS and ride by wire among the electronics, so we’ll probably find these features on the adventure bike too.
