The KTM RC 390 will be launched in Indonesia next year and will be exported from India attracting higher tax duties, compared to locally manufactured models like the Yamaha R25.
After making a big bang in the middle-weight performance biking space in India, KTM has decided to tap Indonesia, another sports bike loving market and showcased the new RC 390 in the country earlier this week. Ahead of the official launch scheduled in 2015, the KTM RC 390 preview was held at the Sentul International Karting Circuit near Jakarta, feeling pretty much at home for the bike. Rivaling the much loved Yamaha R25 in the country that went on sale earlier this year, the new RC 390 will be priced twice as much as the R25 in Indonesia, being a CBU model.
Exported from India, the RC 390 is expected to be priced at around 110 million Indonesian Rupiah or Rs. 5.59 lakhs, which is almost twice the price of the Yamaha R25 that is priced at Rs. 2.7 lakhs (Indian equivalent) in Indonesia. Being a CBU model, the Indonesian tax system for high performance bikes attracts a hefty sum in the name of luxury tax. While bikes under the 250cc mark are exempted by a huge margin, bikes between 250cc to 500cc face a 60 percent luxury tax that increases to 75 percent for bikes above 500cc, not to forget the 10 percent VAT.
The 2015 KTM RC 390 that will go on sale will not get any changes specific to the market. The model will continue to draw power from the same 373cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine producing 43.5 PS of power and 35 Nm of torque, paired to a 6-speed transmission. Underpinned by a Trellis frame, the full faired bike comes loaded with projector headlights, Metzeler tyres and some outstanding riding dynamics. The RC 390 also gets ABS as standard.
In comparison, the Yamaha R25 is powered by a 249cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin, 8-valve engine that produces 36 PS of power and 22.6 Nm of torque, paired to a 6-speed gearbox. The The RC 390 will be competing against a range of models in the quarter-litre segment including the new Honda CBR300R, Kawasaki Ninja 250R and the likes that are manufactured locally in Indonesia. The Yamaha R25 is scheduled for an India launch in 2015 and will be imported as a CKD unit in the country. It is expected to be priced around Rs. 3 lakhs while the RC 390 is on sale at a mouth watering Rs. 2.35 lakhs.
