Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM has launched its most affordable bike in the form of the 125 Duke. The KTM 125 Duke is priced at Rs 1,18,163 ex-showroom (Delhi). The 125 Duke from KTM comes with ABS as standard and is the most expensive 125 cc motorcycle currently on sale in India.
Powering the all-new KTM 125 Duke in India is a liquid-cooled 124.7 cc single cylinder engine with dual overhead camshafts. The engine of KTM 125 Duke produces 14.3 Bhp at 9,250 rpm and 12 Nm of torque at 8,000 rpm. The engine is paired with a 6-speed gearbox.
The KTM 125 Duke features a Trellis frame chassis and an aluminium swingarm with 43 mm inverted front forks handling suspension duties up front and a mono shock with 10-step adjustment dealing with the rough roads at the rear.
Braking duties on the KTM 125 Duke are handled by a 300 mm disc up front and a 230 mm unit at the rear. The new 125 Duke sits on 17-inch alloy wheels which are shod with 110/70 and 150/60 MRF REZ-FC tyres at the front and rear respectively.
The new KTM 125 Duke is 1,993 mm long, 789 mm wide and 1,083 mm tall. The wheelbase of the 125 Duke is 1,366 mm long and the bike has a ground clearance of 175 mm. The seat of the 125 Duke sits 818 mm above the ground and the fuel tank can hold 10.2-litres of petrol. The KTM 125 Duke has a kerb weight of 148 kilogrammes.
In terms of design, the 125 Duke resembles its larger naked sibling, the 200 Duke, with its split headlamp design and a stubby tail section along with the sculpted fuel tank and the trellis frame setup. The KTM 125 Duke is offered in three different colour options – orange, white, and black, though all three feature the same distinctive orange painted alloy wheels.
Speaking on the occasion Amit Nandi, President (Probiking) at Bajaj Auto Ltd. said
KTMs are always about high performance, edgy design and a thrilling ride. The 125 Duke will be the new stepping stone into the KTM brand for riders starting out in the world of racing.
The KTM 125 Duke does not have any rivals in India as the 125 cc segment is ignored by Indian motorcycles manufacturers as a segment for performance motorcycles. In fact, with the output from its 125 cc engine at 14.3 Bhp, the 125 Duke is, in fact, more powerful than the 150 cc Bajaj Pulsar, which is rated at 14 Bhp. However, the Bajaj Pulsar 150 is a lot cheaper though, with a starting price of just around Rs. 65,000. The Bajaj Pulsar is aimed at city commuters.
If the Duke 125 is successful, it could spur more motorcycle makers to launch such offerings. Like its siblings – the Duke 200 and 390 – the 125cc version is built at Bajaj Auto’s Chakan factory in Pune. While KTM has been exporting the Duke 125 for many years from India, this is the first time that the baby Duke has been introduced in the Indian market.
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