KTM 125 Duke: All You Need To Know

Here’s everything you need to know about the motorcycle which has just started the 125cc performance segment in India!

In a commuter bike-filled 125cc market, KTM has optimistically launched the 125 Duke. This makes the motorcycle a first-of-its-kind in the segment. Does it really make sense for India? We round up some of the highlights of its features, so that you can decide for yourself:

Design & Features:

Unlike the international-spec motorcycle, which is designed like the current-gen 390 Duke, KTM has opted for a simpler styling, presumably to keep the costs low. To achieve this, the brand has chosen to slap on the current-gen 200 Duke’s bodywork. However, to differentiate it from the 200, the new bike gets different graphics. The LCD instrument cluster is also carried over from the 200 Duke. It’s quite info-laden with range readout, fuel consumption, gear indicator, clock and the likes. This is apart from the regular trove information like speedometer, tachometer, dual trip meters, coolant temperature and tell-tale lamps. These features aren’t present in any of the 125cc bikes in the country. Even in the 150-160cc segment, very few motorcycles have their instrument clusters as sophisticated as this one.

Powertrain:

The 125 Duke employs a 124.7cc single-cylinder, DOHC liquid-cooled engine. It works in conjunction with a six-speed transmission, and belts out 14.5PS at 9250rpm. A peak torque of 12Nm arrives at 8000rpm.  These power figures are more comparable to the 160cc bikes like Suzuki Gixxer (14.8PS & 14Nm), Honda CB Hornet 160R (15PS & 14.5Nm) range and the likes.  Having a sixth cog will help extract more speed out of the motorcycle. Currently, other 125s in the local market mostly have four or five-speed ones. Even the 160cc motorcycles only have 5-speed gearboxes at present.

Underpinnings:

KTM hasn’t cut any corners on this baby Duke. Its underpinnings are the same as the 200 Duke. That means you get a trellis frame, inverted front forks and rear monoshock, both sourced from WP. The swingarm is alloy too, and brakes include 300mm front and 230mm rear disc, with a single-channel ABS. The 17-inch alloys are shod with 110-section front and 150-section rear MRF Revz tyres. Fuel tank capacity stands at 10.2 litres which should be enough considering it’s a small motor. That said, the KTM 125 Duke tips the scale at 148kg, which is quite heavy for a 125cc.

Pricing and Competition -

At a price of Rs 1.18 lakh and a power output much higher than its segment,  the KTM 125 Duke competes against the against the likes of the Honda CB Hornet 160R, Suzuki Gixxer, TVS Apache RTR 160 4V, Bajaj Pulsar NS160 and Yamaha FZ-FI.

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