KTM India and its dealerships are currently in the process of clearing existing stock and the 2016 Duke and RC models will be available across the country by the end of this month or by February. Essentially, the company has removed the on/off switch seen on the right handlebar located between the engine kill switch and the electric start button. As a result of this, the owner cannot switch off the headlamp when the bike is turned on which will help in improving overall visibility. DRLs are mandatory in several developed markets and the made-in-India KTM models exported overseas already receive this feature.
The Government of India is serious about introducing safety norms on future vehicles and has proposed a host of features in order to improve two-wheeler safety in the country. In addition to daytime running lights, new motorcycles will have to also come equipped with ABS (on 125cc and above bikes) from next year onwards, while the proposal includes introducing an emergency warning sound as well. That being said, rivals like the Kawasaki Ninja 300 and Yamaha R3 are already equipped with DRLs in the segment.
Apart from DRLs, KTM India will also be upgrading the RC 390 for 2016 with new hardware including a slipper clutch, bigger disc brakes and refinement of the 373.2cc single-cylinder engine. The side mounted exhaust and Ride-by-Wire technology seen on the international version though has been given a miss in India since the features were added specifically to comply with the Euro 4 emission norms.
The outgoing KTM lineup will end its production run later this year with the new generation models set to arrive in 2017. Prices are expected to see a mild revision for the updated model range when it goes on sale.
