It's no secret that one of KTM's keys to success has been outsourcing the production of certain models to its partners in Asia. Indeed, KTM and Indian manufacturer Bajaj have had a long-standing relationship wherein the Indian company developed and manufactured platforms for KTM. In a similar manner, KTM and Chinese brand CFMoto have been collaborating on more models, more particularly, the 790 model range.
That said, some of you may be wondering what ever happened to the supposed 490 lineup from KTM. The small-displacement parallel-twin-powered models were highly anticipated, particularly in the Asian market. It was also hoped that these bikes were to be developed and manufactured by Bajaj in India. Unfortunately, Pierer Mobility determined that the 490 segment would not result in the desired returns for the company, and so the project was shelved. What the company saw work for them, however, was the Chinese-made 790 platform from CFMoto, and now, it appears that KTM will be working on a 690 platform based on the same.
