Sharpened scalpel

The all-new third-generation KTM 390 Duke debuts with the LC4c engine and a whole suite of electronics and makes more power and peak torque. We head to Bajaj's test track in Pune to see how much has changed

- Dipayan Dutta

When it comes to the KTM 390 Duke, there’s only one thing that you need to know, it is the undisputed king of the middle-weight streetfighters.

There has been, up until very recently, almost no real competition that could lay question to the sheer value that comes as part of the 390 Duke’s package despite being the most expensive bike in the segment by a fair margin. But as stakeholders in the 390 Duke’s legacy, there is one subject that needs to be addressed, the second generation of the KTM 390 Duke wasn’t the redefinition of the segment we had expected. To be fair, it still had an advantage over the competition, it simply wasn’t enough of a step forward in performance or handling that we’ve come to expect of the 390 Duke. Now though, there’s a new 390 Duke in town, and it debuts with the highly acclaimed LC4c engine that drives up the displacement to 399cc and with it the peak outputs, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. The question is, is this the segment disruptor it has gained a reputation for?

Likes

Styling, kit, price

Dislikes

Refinement