KTM’s upcoming streetbike, the 390 Duke was revealed at the 2012 EICMA show in Milan earlier this month. The KTM 390 Duke comes with a single-cylinder, four-stroke, liquid-cooled engine mated to a six-speed gearbox. The engine sits on a tubular space frame made from chrome molybdenum steel and is powder-coated. KTM claims that the 375 cc engine churns out 44 HP at 9500 RPM and 36 Nm at 7250 RPM. The new 390 Duke weighs in at less than 150 kgs fully fuelled.
Visually, the motorcycle looks similar to KTM’s Duke 200 and the frame is exactly the same, from the 43 mm upside-down forks up front to the 150-section tyre at the back. The rider will be seated in an upright position and will have a sporty yet upright riding posture. The seat height is actually lower and the tank does hold half a litre of fuel more than the Duke 200. The form factor of both the motorbikes is same with the 390 Duke featuring new graphics.
The 390 Duke is offering the safety of ABS. There’s a radial mounted 300 mm disc in front and 230 mm rear disc brake. Low-profile, tubeless radial tyres are provided on both lightweight, alloy rims. The 390 Duke will be locally produced in India from Bajaj Auto’s Chakan facility on the outskirts of Pune. The motorcycle will also be exported to global markets including Europe. We expect the 390 Duke in Bajaj’s KTM showrooms by March 2013 with a price tag of around Rs. 2,00,000/-.
