Last week was super exciting for those who are planning to buy a new premium motorcycle. While Aprilia’s 457 twins got updated, we also released exclusive details of KTM’s upcoming twin-cylinder engine for India. In case you couldn’t keep track of these developments, here’s a round-up.
2026 Aprilia RS 457 Launched
Aprilia launched the RS 457 in India at Rs. 4.22 lakh. What’s notable is that this price is lower than the post GST 2.0 price of Rs. 4.35 lakh that the 2025 RS 457 was being sold at. This reduction makes the RS 457 more competitive again. Moreover, the price of the Tuono 457 has also been revised and now the bike is sold at Rs. 3.97 lakh. With the price revision, the brand has absorbed the impact of GST 2.0, and the bike is only Rs. 2,000 more expensive than its original launch price.
Vespa Officina 8 Launch
Piaggio launched the new Vespa Officina 8 special-edition scooter with a price tag of Rs. 1.34 Lakh. It is available at select Vespa dealerships across India in a single colour option called matte metallic Blue Officina 8. This special edition model gets its name from Officina 8, the experimental department at Piaggio's plant in Pontedera, Italy. The unique colour of the Vespa Officina 8 scooter takes inspiration from the tools, machinery, and outfits of people working at the experimental workshop. It also features metallic rivets along with brass and aluminium tones on its bodywork to add some flair to its aesthetics.
New KTM 200 Duke
KTM silently updated the 200 Duke in India, and the updated bike started arriving at dealerships last week. It now comes with a new colour scheme and some mechanical changes. The streetfighter now gets an Atlantic Blue colour scheme, which is a dual-tone orange and blue colour scheme. Moreover, it now features a smaller 37mm WP Apex fork, replacing the 43mm forks offered on the previous version. The bike now comes with lighter alloy wheels and a larger 320mm front disc, the same as on the KTM 250 Duke.
2026 KTM 790 Duke leaked
KTM appears to be readying the next-generation 790 Duke for production later this year, as the updated motorcycle was leaked through Chinese government type-approval filings. The leaked documents reveal a comprehensive styling refresh that aligns the 790 Duke with KTM’s latest design language. Mechanically, the 2026 KTM 790 Duke swaps the older KTM-branded J.Juan brake callipers in favour of WP-sourced units. The bike tips the scales at 185kg kerb, making it 2kg lighter than the outgoing model.
KTM’s New Twin-Cylinder Engine
Bajaj-KTM is preparing to take a significant leap in its mid-capacity lineup with the development of an all-new twin-cylinder engine platform. This new engine will mark the third generation in KTM’s sub-500cc category and will be built and developed entirely in India, highlighting Bajaj’s growing role in KTM’s global operations. This is an all-new engine platform and unrelated to the RC 490 prototypes seen in Europe, which are based on CFMoto’s 449cc engine.
