SMALL DUKE, BIG BITE

KTM's new 160 proves you don't need big cubes to have big fun... just a big wallet

- By Manaal Mahatme Photographs Kaizad Adil Darukhanawala

For over 13 years in India, KTM never chased anyone. It didn't have to. The Dukes weren't built to outperform the competition, they were the competition. They were the benchmark every rival wanted to beat. But now, for the first time, KTM has done something different. It built a motorcycle with one objective — overthrowing the reigning king of the 160cc streetfighter segment, a Japanese machine that's long had it easy. Of course, having the bigger Dukes — the 200, 250 and 390 — in the game for all these years made things easier.

The first time I laid eyes on the 160 Duke, it felt fresh yet familiar. The silhouette is pure KTM — sharp, crouched, with more attitude than the '160' sticker plastered on the tank should legally allow. The bodywork is straight off the current 200 Duke and second-gen 390 Duke, but the wheels, brakes and console are from KTM's newest design language, giving it just enough sparkle to look like more than a budget parts-bin exercise. In fact, standing still, it looks every bit a Duke — just one that's been told to behave in public.