Less is beautiful
If looks are meant to kill, then the the KTM Duke125 is not one with any mercy for its competitors. Poised as KTM’s entry level bike, there’s nothing in similarity if you put the Duke 125 and other 125 cc bikes in the Indian market on the same podium, except the engine. And despite boasting an engine smaller than Yamaha’s stylish YZF R15, it’s appeal is no less than the R15 which stole many hearts when it was launched in June 2008. But like they say somethings look good in less, the Duke 125 with its naked fairing, has already become a hit among auto enthusiasts.
The little Duke which made its international debut at the INTERMOT 2010 in Germany earlier this month in KTM’s traditional orange colour, will be the Austrian motorcycle manufacturers first bike to be made in India. And it has already been generating a lot of interest in the country, especially the race-driven starters looking for a stylish and sportier ride.
The 125 cc engine of the learner roadster (doesn’t mean an underachiever) is reported to offer 15 hp power at 10,500 rpm and generate a torque of 12Nm torque at 8,000 rpm. It weighs just 127 kg fully fuelled. “The engine might not be the best in category but what will set it apart from others will be the six-speed gearbox, chain drive, and signature chromoly trellis frame borrowed from its bigger brothers, the 690cc and 990cc Dukes,” says Vicrem Singh, a bike enthusiast. And as KTM says, Duke 125 retains the designing cues of its big brothers and carries in it advance technology that comes straight from KTM’s Development Centre at Mattighofen, Austria.
KTM is offering a whole range of exciting Duke variants of the standard 125 Duke in Germany under 4,000 euros, and the same variants are expected to be available in India as well. “The price however, could be an issue, while reports claim it to be at above `1 lakh, it would never be a commuting bike. But nevertheless it will be a prized possession,” says Rajeev Ranjan, who has been closely following the bike’s development.
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