KTM 490 Adventure Snapped Testing: Here's All About The Upcoming BMW F 450 GS Rival

The KTM 490 Adventure has finally been spotted testing overseas, giving enthusiasts a closer look at what could become one of the most exciting middleweight ADV motorcycles for India. The KTM 490 Adventure is expected to sit above the current KTM 390 Adventure range and could take on rivals like the BMW F 450 GS, Honda NX500, and Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 once launched.

Spy shots of the KTM 490 Adventure reveal that the motorcycle is still under development, but a lot of its design and hardware details are already visible. The overall styling of the KTM 490 Adventure looks inspired by the latest KTM 390 Adventure, although the new bike appears larger and more adventure-focused. The test mule seen abroad gets a tall windscreen, vertically-stacked dual-projector LED headlamps, aggressive body panels, and a muscular fuel tank design.

KTM 490 Adventure Spy Shots
Photo Credit: Motobob

The KTM 490 Adventure is also expected to retain the brand's signature steel trellis frame setup. The motorcycle appears to have a tall riding stance along with a one-piece seat, upswept exhaust, rear luggage-friendly grab handles, and spoke wheels wrapped in dual-purpose tyres. Reports suggest the KTM 490 Adventure will use a 21-inch front wheel and a 17-inch rear wheel, making it more capable off-road.

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Suspension duties on the KTM 490 Adventure are expected to be handled by long-travel WP APEX components. The front could get 43 mm upside-down forks, while the rear may feature a monoshock setup. Braking hardware is likely to include single-disc brakes at both ends, along with dual-channel ABS. KTM is also expected to offer advanced electronics like cornering ABS, traction control, multiple ride modes, switchable ABS, and smartphone connectivity through a TFT instrument cluster.

KTM 490 Adventure Spied
Photo Credit: Motobob

The biggest highlight of the KTM 490 Adventure will be its all-new twin-cylinder engine. Reports suggest the motorcycle could use a 490cc parallel-twin liquid-cooled motor producing around 50 to 60 bhp. Compared to the single-cylinder KTM 390 Adventure, the KTM 490 Adventure is expected to offer smoother highway performance, reduced vibrations, and better long-distance touring comfort.

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This new parallel-twin platform is reportedly being developed jointly by KTM and Bajaj and could also spawn future KTM 490 Duke and RC 490 models. The KTM 490 Adventure is expected to make its global debut sometime next year, while an India launch could happen soon after.