The KTM 125 Duke so far has been manufactured by Bajaj at its Chakan plant and exporting it to international markets. So far KTM has refused to introduce a 125 Duke in India due to the fact that it would be priced too high and wouldn’t end find any buyers. That being said KTM may now be rethinking their decision and planning to finally introduce the 125cc naked street fighter. The 125 Duke looks exactly like the current generation Duke 390 with minor differences being down to the choice of stickering and maybe colours. It shares similar features like the dual channel Bosch ABS, USD front forks, LED headlamps and a TFT instrument cluster. KTM may plan to introduce this as a sporty commuter as there is currently no real competition in that segment. The small Duke will be powered by a 124.7 cc single cylinder motor that produces 15 bhp of power @ 9,500 rpm and 11.8 Nm of torque @ 8,000 rpm.
Given the current Duke portfolio on hand, this doesn’t sound all that exciting but if priced correctly could be quite a bargain entry into the Austrian brand. We also suspect that the entry of the Duke 125 will be to replace the Bajaj Pulsar 135LS that produces 12 bhp of power and won’t grant as much sporty appeal as the Duke will. Young riders looking for an entry-level product that also aesthetically meets their sporty standards will find the 125 Duke quite appealing. If sources are correct then the 125 Duke will go up against rivals such as the Suzuki Gixxer and the Yamaha FZ.
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Currently, the most affordable offering from KTM is in the form of the Duke 200 which comes in at a price of Rs. 1.43 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai) and is a tried and tested model. If KTM does introduce the 125 Duke then we expect it to be priced much lower than the 200 at somewhere around the 1 lakh mark.