KTM Duke 390 India Launch Confirmed

Published: Tuesday, January 22, 2013, 15:50 [IST]

The KTM Duke family is set to expand soon. Bajaj Auto, which owns the Austrian motorcycle brand has confirmed that it will be launching the new KTM Duke 390 in India this march. The Duke 390 was first displayed at the 2012 EICMA show in Milan. This more powerful and upgraded version of the KTM Duke 200 will deliver a stronger and more exhilarating performance.

The KTM Duke 390 will be powered by a liquid-cooled, four-stroke, single-cylinder 373.2cc fuel injected engine with a DOHC layout. The power output of the engine is expected to be 44PS at 9500rpm and the maximum torque figure will be 35Nm at 7250rpm. The engine will be paired with a six speed manual gearbox.

KTM has made every effort to keep the Duke 390's weight low. It has used a light weight tubular space frame made from chrome molybdenum steel, an under belly exhaust and a light-alloy swing arm. These light parts have contributed in keeping the motorcycle's weight at just 150 kilos with a full tank of fuel. The reduced weight will also improve the KTM Duke 390's handling.

Bajaj Auto will be assembling the KTM Duke 390 at its Chakan plant where the Duke 200 is already being built. Both the bikes share several parts. Even the styling elements are similar. This will help keep the production cost of the Duke 390 low.

The KTM Duke 200's price is now INR 1.30 lakhs. We expected the Duke 390's price to be around the INR 2 lakhs mark.