KTM Duke 125 Review
Bike Tested: KTM Duke 125; Road Test No. 1040; Test Location: Pune
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 1,38,200/-
The 2019 KTM Duke 125 is like a newbie back in an elder brother’s clothing
So the news of the KTM Duke 125 struck as soon as Diwali ended. Literally, everyone was talking about the baby Duke getting an even smaller engine. And within a few weeks, KTM India announced the Duke 125 and within no time it reached the showrooms as well. We did a quick video on how it felt and it made us greedy enough to have a test ride. But then, KTM India sent us an invite to the Chakan test track for a first ride experience. What better place to ride the mad Duke than a test track! I was quite familiar with the track, I knew I was gonna have fun with the newest baby Duke.
Motor Quest: The KTM Duke 125 shares its design elements as well as the mechanical parts with the Duke 200. Even the 125cc motor is a smaller bore of the Duke 200’s engine. However, the international model shares its design and parts with the new Duke 390 which has an edgy and fresh look.
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Looks similar to the Duke 200 with newer graphics all over
Styling – The KTM Duke 125 looks identical to the Duke 200. If you park both the bikes next to each other, without the stickers it would be very difficult to differentiate. However, the Duke 125 gets a fresher livery and has 125 written all over. The headlight cover is black in all the variants and the colour options are White, Orange and Black. It gets the same orange wheels and trellis frame from the Duke 200. A noticeable difference is that the trellis frame is black and the engine head and the exhaust pipe are thinner. Even after being a 125, this KTM looks like a bigger Duke. It does grab quite some attention just like its siblings.
[flickr size=”center” float=”medium”]http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorbeam/46353472832/[/flickr]
It gets the same instrument cluster which also does duty on the Duke 200
Instrument Cluster and Switchgear – The KTM Duke 125 gets the same instrument cluster we had seen 6 years back on the Duke 200. The tachometer isn’t clearly visible but the console is loaded with a lot of information. It shows distance to empty, mileage, twin trip meters, odometer, gear position indicator, engine temperature, fuel gauge and a clock while it also gets a shift light. Although the meter feels dated, it still goes well with the bike. The Duke 125 also gets the same backlight switches from the Duke 200. The switchgear has a piano black finish and the fit & finish levels are quite good.
