The big news is out for all the KTM Duke fans. It was only a speculation last year, but now things have moved ahead so much that the big brothers, KTM and Bajaj, have decided to launch the KTM Duke 390 at the Milan Motorcycle Show which is scheduled between 15th to 18th of November, 2012. Though the name has not been revealed yet, as the naming legacy continues, the company might name it as KTM Duke 390, just like its elder siblings Duke 690 and Duke 990. The production will be done at Bajaj Auto’s facility in Chakan, Pune.
The KTM Duke 390 will be powered by a 375cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 4-valve engine which will produce 45 BHP of power. It will come with an advanced fuel injection system and would weigh just 150 kgs, providing a good power to weight ratio, thus one can call it a lightweight super fast beast. Rest of the features will be shared with its younger brother, Duke 200. It would mean that the KTM Duke 390 will flaunt the same lightweight trellis frame, the lightweight swing-arm and the suspension components from WP. However, one can expect scaled up frame and enhanced wheel-base to give that extra bit of fun to the Duke 390.
The year 2012 had been a big one for the Austrian bike maker and ‘Hamara’ Bajaj. Earlier this year, the duo launched the KTM Duke 200 and few months back Bajaj Auto launched the Pulsar 200 NS. With the launch of the KTM Duke 390, the duo would give tough competition to its rivals. It is expected to be priced between Rs. 1.8 lakhs – Rs. 2 lakhs. Though, the exact time of roll-out will be revealed during the unveil, we can expect it to hit the roads globally by Marh 2013. However, we are more eager to see this motorcycle on Indian roads which is sure to happen sometime next year.
Source – Zigwheels