New KTM Rival Coming Soon – All Details Here!

KTM has thrived in the Indian two-wheeler market with its street naked bikes, sporty faired bikes and ADVs. However, it looks like a Japanese brand is working on something special to take on the KTM bikes. So, here’s everything you need to know!
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Yamaha R2 In The Making?

That’s right! Yamaha has just trademarked the name “YZF-R2” in India, along with other international markets like Europe, New Zealand, Australia and the Philippines. So, it is possible that Yamaha is working on a bike which will take on the likes of the KTM RC200, Bajaj RS200, Hero Karizma and a few others. The Japanese brand had applied for the trademark of the name YZF-R2 in November 2024, and the status now says “Accepted and Advertised”. So, will this bike replace the existing R15?

Well, that is highly unlikely. The 150cc segment in India is quite competitive, and the R15 is one of the most popular bikes in that segment. Plus, the R15 is well-established in the Indian market alongside its naked sibling, the MT-15. So, we expect Yamaha to sell the R15 and the R2 alongside each other. This will also allow Yamaha to bridge the gap between the affordable R15 and the overpriced R3. So, let’s take a look at what Yamaha could offer with the new R2.

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What To Expect?

We expect Yamaha to use the tried and tested 155cc engine from the R15 and increase the capacity up to 200cc. So, the R15’s peppy performance, along with its popular VVA, will also be carried forward into the R2. As it will be competing with the likes of the RC200, we could expect the R2’s 200cc engine to produce around 22-24bhp and 19-20Nm of torque. Even today, the newly launched KTM Duke 160 competes directly with the Yamaha MT-15 and is on par in terms of performance. So, it is safe to say that the Yamaha R2 will have neck-and-neck performance when compared to the KTM RC200. Similar to other Yamaha sports bikes, the YZF-R2 will likely be the bigger motorcycles like the Yamaha R6 or the R1 in terms of design, which means that the R2 will sport a menacing design.

The sharp angular fairing, a projector LED headlamp, and much more will likely improve the sporty appeal of the bike. Currently, the R15 is one of the most feature-loaded bikes in its segment. It gets features like a quickshifter, traction control, dual-channel ABS, a 5-inch TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity and much more. The YZF-R2 will surely get all these features and some more to add more value to the package. That said, the Yamaha R2 will be quite an exciting bike in the Indian market, and it will be interesting to see how the bike fares against its rivals. We expect Yamaha to price the R2 anywhere between Rs 2.40 Lakh to Rs 2.50 Lakh (on-road, Mumbai). Yamaha may bring the bike into the Indian market by 2027.

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New KTM Rival Coming Soon – All Details Here! read on MotorOctane.