KTM 125 Duke

Is the 125 Duke the perfect pocket-rocket for teenyboppers?

- Abhay Verma

The 200 Duke was the stepping stone into the KTM world till recently, but a price tag of Rs 1.50 lakh typical ex-showroom is steep for the Indian father when it comes to buying his son’s first motorcycle. Not to forget, the apprehension given its 25PS output. Even then, the idea of the 125 Duke would have been laughable for India until not so long ago. 125cc bikes have traditionally been simple looking, fuel efficient motorcycles rather aggressive ones offering high-strung performance. But not anymore, with KTM launching the 125 Duke here. But priced at Rs 1.18 lakh ex-showroom, is it a good idea in a price-sensitive market like ours? Shumi’s first impressions about the 125 Duke at Bajaj Auto’s test track were interesting, but he only rode it on track. Time to tell you how it feels in the real world!

I won’t harp too much about the design – we know that the 125 Duke launched in India is wrapped in the older design and looks identical to the 200. But before you cry foul, let’s admit – if KTM were to bring the updated 125 Duke to India, it would have been too expensive to make sense and I’m talking about more than just the design. And the older design still looks neat, though obviously it is no match for the new 390 Duke.

I’m also sure a lot of riders who have moved on to bigger machines (from the 200 and 390 Dukes) will have a bit of a spark in their eyes on seeing the 125 Duke. What’s more, the 125 Duke is a premium, performance oriented machine that has 150cc bikes in its cross hairs given its 14.5PS output, so the aggressive styling works. It has the street-cred buyers would look for, especially with the upside-down forks (first for a 125 in India), the aggressive street fighter stance and fat tyres.