BMW Z03, the challenge to the KTM Duke 390 and the Kawasaki Z300 has been launched

BMW Z03 – What you see in the photo, released by the specialized site www.visordown.com, is the new small naked motorbike created by BMW, or rather the one that the German brand is developing in recent days, to launch its assault on the market of the so-called sub-500cc.

The spy photo shows a motorbike water-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke being tested in Germany. The new BMW model should have a power of 300 tsp and will be the first model of the German company in its joint venture with the Indian manufacturer TVS. The prototype has a single front light cluster, an upside down fork, alloy wheels with premium Michelin tyres, a single disc front brake and a short jet side exhaust. According to the photographer who took the spy shot there would also be a back-to-front cylinder with the exhaust coming out the back, a similar design to the one used by Yamaha on its YZ450F. The new BMW model will compete with the KTM Duke 390 and the Kawasaki Z300 within a growing market such as that of small-displacement motorcycles.

The code name of the new model under development would be “K03”. In 2013 BMW confirmed it would develop a range of sub-500cc motorcycles and TVS in turn said last May that the first model will be launched this year. Sources suggest that the new K03 platform could be the basis for small-displacement motorcycles GS Adventure and, possibly, also for one faired sports motorcycle. BMW test riders were also seen closely following the KTM Duke 390, presumably, for comparative purposes.