KTM RC 200 vs KTM RC 390 [2020]

The motorcycle is better on many fronts, which we verified not only in the real world but also at Bajaj’s testing track. As for those looking for a quick summary, here are the pros and cons of the new RC 200.

A few days after its India launch, Bajaj invited us to ride the new RC 200 on its testing track and it felt better on almost all fronts. But the truth is most of the RC 200s will spend their lives in the city and on the highway and that calls for a comprehensive real-world test, doesn’t it?

This is the 2021 KTM RC200 –an update to the brand that enabled a lot of young Indians to own an affordable supersport motorcycle. With this new model, KTM aspires to bring in more people into the brand but at the same time continue to make it stronger.

From its design and features to chassis and engine, almost everything has been revised with an aim to make it more versatile. In that case, have these changes played their part and made it more desirable?

This is the first major update for the sharp, slim and tempting KTM RC390. The obvious change on the new bike is the new colour scheme; it's still black and white but it now gets an extra splattering of orange. The new-for-2017 RC390 also gets a new belly pan courtesy an all-new exhaust system. The underbelly exhaust gives way to an aluminium end can, which may not be to everyone's taste, but personally, I think it looks fine. It makes the 390 sound better too, especially at full clip. The new RC390 also gets adjustable levers for both clutch and brake.

Does it live up to the hype? And does it make sense over the current market leader- the Yamaha R15? We rode it for a short while to find out.