KTM had even updated the 200 Duke with ABS in November last year.
The deadline for the upcoming safety norms is very near and motorcycle manufacturers have been fitting their bikes with ABS and CBS. The latest entry into the ABS community is KTM RC 200.
The safety norms which come into effect in April, 2019 state that all motorcycles above 125cc need to have ABS fitted as a standard feature. It also states that bikes up to 125cc need to have CBS (combination braking system) mandatorily fitted.
The 200cc KTM RC receives no other updates apart from ABS. Design and decals still remains the same. Mechanically too, the RC 200 retains the same 199cc single cylinder that produces 25.8 PS of power and 19.2 Nm of torque and is mated to a 6-speed gearbox.
The ABS itself is a Bosch single-channel unit which means it only functions on the front wheel. The bike is priced Rs 9,000 higher than the non-ABS variant at Rs 1.88 lakh. The non-ABS variant will only be sold till stocks last or the end of March.
KTM had even updated the 200 Duke with ABS in November last year. An additional safety feature on both of these bikes is rear lift protection (RLP) which keeps the bike's rear tyre from lifting off under hard braking.
The KTM RC 200 falls under the entry-level super sport category and rivals the likes of Yamaha R15 V3.0 and the Honda CBR250R.