UPCOMING KTM DUKE 125 IN INDIA BY 2015

Review

KTM Sport Motorcycle AG is an Austrian company which was founded in 1934 by engineer Hans Trunkenpolz in Mattighofen and deals with the manufacturing of motorcycles, bicycles and mopeds. The company started as a metal working shop and steadily stepped into manufacturing motorcycles in 1954. KTM has proved itself as one of the best off-road motorcycle manufacturer but in recent years, it also has produced some street motorcycles by expanding their business. KTM's joint venture in Indian market has started in November 2007 with two-wheeler manufacturer Bajaj Auto to develop 125cc and 200cc bikes in India and in some other southeast nations. KTM 125 Duke is expected to be available in India by 2015. It is the world's first 125cc motorcycle to feature ABS in it.

Exterior

KTM 125 Duke has some familiar and some new striking features to make your heart desire for it badly. It has the perfect ergonomics to provide you with relaxed touring as well ascommitted cornering with the help of gathered sitting position. Also a great optimum control and perfect feedback is ensured by its large contact surfaces. The sporty two-piece seat is at the base of its long-distance comfort and first-class support for the rider and the pillion. The 800mm seat height ensures both the sporty feeling and a better secured standing position.

It's perfectly placed 11 litres fuel tank provides the rider with a perfect knee contact and support and even provides an enormous range of more than 300kms when ridden on the edge. KTM offers you with an extensive PowerParts range to add your own style to it. It has a compact, three-chamber silencer which is nicely positioned very close to the machine's overall center of gravity to help in centralisation of masses and provides a better handling along with the exemplary emissions with the help of a regulated catalytic converter.

Instrument Console

KTM 125 Duke is equipped with an illuminating and advanced instrument cluster which includes a digital fuel-gauge, a digital tachometer, 2 digital trip meters, a pass light and low fuel, oil and battery indicators, impressive LED tail light with turn indicators.


Engine and Gearbox

KTM 125 Duke has a 125cc, single-cylinder, 4-stroke, water-cooled, DOHC engine with the bore and stroke of 58mm and 47.2mm respectively to provide a maximum power of 15 BHP at 10500 rpm and a maximum torque of 12 NM at 8000 rpm and has a 6-speed claw-shifted gearbox transmission. It is an electric starter and forced oil lubrication is used to lubricate the engine with 2 Eaton pumps. It has a mechanically operated wet multi-disk clutch. Also, it has a contactless, controlled and fully electronic ignition system with digital ignition timing adjustment.

Brakes and Suspension

The 125 Duke is fitted with 300mm disc brake with four-pot brake caliper at front and 230mm floating disc brakes with one-pot brake caliper at rear. It is first time that a 125cc bike isequipped with ABS along with a radially mounted four-piston caliper for a safe and great braking experience. And for the stunt riders, it is worth mentioning that ABS can also be switched off when required. The suspension system comprises of telescopic forks at front while mono shock suspensions are placed at the back along with 150mm front and rear suspension travel.

Ride and Handling

KTM 125 Duke has a steering head angle of 65 degrees and a 5/8 x 1/4" O-ring chain for a comfortable ride. It has an wheelbase of 1367mm that offers a stable ride and an unloaded ground clearance of 170mm for a great off-road experience. It has lightweight yet stable 17-inch cast light alloy wheels with the 110mm front and 150mm rear tire width. Also a great optimum control and perfect feedback is ensured by its large contact surfaces. It also has the lightweight, high-quality, pin-jointed light alloyed swing-arm which is directly linked to the WP shock absorber to provide you with extreme torsional stiffness and great tracking stability.

Expected Shades

KTM 125 Duke will be coming soon to India in Orange+graphics and White+graphics shades.

Expected Price

The ex-showroom, Delhi price of this great motorcycle will be expected to be INR 90,000 which may vary slightly in different states.

Verdict

Overall, KTM 125 Duke looks like a perfect blend of comfortable street driving, adventurous off-road driving, performance, safety, rigidity, speed, fuel economy and price.