[giri1.8]

As a owner of first gen Duke 200, specs seems quiet dull ! 14ps power and 141KG dry? Duke 200 first gen was just 125KG dry with 25bhp, even that feels only adequate outside of city limits, this just wont have the torque needed.

Models like this will have lots of takers in Europe, were they have license based on power limitation, there is no need for such a well equipped and underpowered machine here.

KTM could have saved some money and launched ADV390 to take all the attention RE and Jawa has been receiving.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

What's this bike? This is not the Duke 125!

KTM learning from the old Maruti Suzuki? They didn't refresh the 200 for India, citing cost concerns - but now we get a brand new old bike for India?

Diluting the brand, just like Bajaj has always been known to do.

[ramji_or]

Disappointing to say the least. 14.1 PS is definitely not worthy of a KTM tag. Cost/BHP is defnitely not in the league of other KTMs. Old design is another major turn-off but could have been overlooked if the power figures were satisfying.

[Sebring]

I'm in the market for a 125-150 CC two-wheeler and hopped across to the nearest KTM showroom in Bangalore for a test ride. The KTM 200 engine has good power and the ride was so engaging that I had no use for the speedo console at all. They will call me as soon as the 125 reaches them. It's good they did not use the stunning headlights from the 390, since that would have diluted the premium offering.

[ashwin1224]

Bajaj has been making this particular version of the 125 for quite sometime now and the bike is a premium 125 the world over. It was quite obvious for it to be priced similarly here too. However, the model we get has been superseded by a newer version follows the new 390 duke in terms of design and features.

The 125 does make for a great learner bike and in places where there are power restrictions on various driving licence categories, the duke gives learners a feel of the bigger bikes. And thus the bike enjoys decent numbers. In India though, the same 18 year old(or younger), with (or without a licence) can ride anything from this to an H2 legally, so would bajaj find enough "sensible" buyers to sell the duke 125? IMO, its highly unlikely.

Objectively it is a great motorcycle, low on power, high on fuel economy, doesnt skimp on quality and provides immaculate handling, easily making it the best 125cc bike currently on sale.

[R-Six]

As per the latest report from Rushlane, the Duke 125 will be equipped with a segment first “Rear wheel Lift Protection (RLP)” feature!

Even though the Duke 125 comes with single channel ABS on both front and rear, they have fixed a second ABS ring at the rear. And as per the makers, this is installed to avoid the bike from lifting the rear if someone hits the front break really hard.

Link to the news article: https://www.rushlane.com/ktm-duke-12...-12289438.html

While this is a great safety feature, I’m not sure what all the stunt folks out there would do?

Ride Safe,
R-Six

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Reviews -

https://youtu.be/_lo3TF8yQhM

https://youtu.be/ijlVym5hFm8

https://youtu.be/t40MdJlrVQ8

https://youtu.be/ooDFKUoOz_Y

https://youtu.be/KWsqkg8Igok

[Nilesh5417]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

What's this bike? This is not the Duke 125!

KTM learning from the old Maruti Suzuki? They didn't refresh the 200 for India, citing cost concerns - but now we get a brand new old bike for India?

Diluting the brand, just like Bajaj has always been known to do.

And 125cc - why?? Given the image, higher capacity dukes would make more sense. I know there are no volumes there but this 125 is not even a serious attempt. It's just taking Indians for a ride hoping the brand image built so far pulls this through. Is this Bajaj's (nth foolish) attempt at cracking the 125cc segment?

[SoumenD]

Visited KTM showroom on Bannerghatta road today to check out this baby Duke and managed to get a short 2kms test ride.

Observations:

Pros:

1. Looks chic. This is ought to be the single largest factor for anybody going for this.
2. Build quality exudes class. I came to this just after test riding the FZ25 and IMO the quality on this baby Duke feels superior.
3. Single channel ABS. Although the brakes could do with a slight better bite.
4. Sitting position is upright. Compared to my 2007 RTR 160, the posture seems relaxed.
5. The engine is smooth. Couldn't feel any vibrations even at higher revvs

Cons:

1. Outright punch felt missing. You need to wring the throttle to extract performance. I couldn't cross 70 but even at 2nd and 3rd gear I had to revv it hard to get it going.
2. The seat felt hard.
3. The brakes can do with a bit more bite. Feel spongy.
4. At ~1.5L OTR, it is EXPENSIVE.
5. It felt heavy compared to my RTR. I expected it to be lighter. Didn't check the weight on the spec earlier and that kinda surprised me.

Overall I feel this bike is a good starting point for college goers and newbies who look for a good looking machine with adequate performance. It doesn't have the mad performance which can prove fatal and then the ABS(although single channel) makes things that much safer for the youth. I feel this strikes a balance for parents who are worried about handing out high powered machines to their young kids & the kids who need a showoff tool. It will be the iPhone of 125cc segment. Rich kid's toy







As for myself and others like me (30+), this won't cut it unless ofcourse if you are looking for a smaller second bike. Couldn't get to test ride the 200 Duke which already is a stretch for my 1.5L budget. FZ25 felt good enough for my needs however missing ABS is a deterrent. Guess I will wait it out till March 2019 for the mandatory ABS law to kick in.

[tabrez]

The first month sales figure are out and stand at a respectable 457 units as claimed by this article
https://www.rushlane.com/ktm-duke-12...-12291527.html

Will be interesting to see how it holds up in days to come.

[SoumenD]

Wow, this little duke sold 3000+ in February. I do see quite a few of them around these days. So this proves Indian market indeed doesn't mind paying premium for good products.

Source

Though not sure if this was just a blip or is this sustainable?

[payeng]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Wow, this little duke sold 3000+ in February. I do see quite a few of them around these days. So this proves Indian market indeed doesn't mind paying premium for good products.

Source

Though not sure if this was just a blip or is this sustainable?

Those (SIAM) are WHOLESALE numbers... NOT Retails.

Real picture of the market can be ascertained after 2 years of launch of a new product.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by payeng

Those (SIAM) are WHOLESALE numbers... NOT Retails.

Real picture of the market can be ascertained after 2 years of launch of a new product.

Ofcourse everyone knows those are despatches and not actual sales. But still sudden jump in shipments after first couple of mediocre months can't be just like that. There's got to be some demand. And atleast in Bangalore they seem to be selling more than what was anticipated.

2 years is way too long to judge anything. By then midlife facelift test-mules would be doing rounds. I would say 6 months is a good time to gauge the market response. Never the less, hope this trend continues and gives KTM enough confidence to launch more international products here

[payeng]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Ofcourse everyone knows those are despatches and not actual sales. But still sudden jump in shipments after first couple of mediocre months can't be just like that. There's got to be some demand. And atleast in Bangalore they seem to be selling more than what was anticipated.

2 years is way too long to judge anything. By then midlife facelift test-mules would be doing rounds. I would say 6 months is a good time to gauge the market response. Never the less, hope this trend continues and gives KTM enough confidence to launch more international products here

My observation of the industry says that it takes about 2 years to paint an accurate picture.

1st year mostly is about dealership push.. the second year is about meeting/balancing the market demand.


There are many 2 yr sales wonders (in our Indian market) which are now part of history

[jpcoolguy]

The little Duke once again managed to sell more than 3K units in the month of March 2019 and is now the highest selling in the KTM Duke series. Surprisingly, the Duke 200 seems steady at around 2K units (though it used to sell in the range of 2.5K - 3K units) and Duke 250 doing its regular 400-500 units. However, unfortunately the Duke 390 sales seems to be on a downward trend, though it could be due to various other reasons, primarily the launch of RE 650 twins.