The 125 Duke is the baby of the Duke lineup. It exists because of the licensing laws in markets like the European Union, which allow 125cc motorcycles to be ridden with a car drivers licence. The 125 Duke shares everything with its bigger siblings, which means great cycle parts. They include a trellis frame, upside-down front forks, a radially mounted front brake calliper with four opposed pistons, a six-speed gearbox, and an all-digital instrument cluster that shows a lot of information. The 125 Duke also gets a single-channel ABS system, which makes the first product in the country under 125cc to offer an ABS system instead of a linked braking system
The KTM 250 Duke is a new entrant to the party. The current small Duke platform has engines that range from 125cc to 373cc, and the 250cc engine originally catered to a few markets in Asia where there are higher taxes for motorcycles that displace more than 250cc. With the price gap between the 200 Duke and 390 Duke expanding to approximately Rs 80,000, the 250 Duke offers performance that splits the other two Dukes at a price that splits them as well. It is a bit of a mix-and-match with the 250 Duke; it gets the new headlamp shroud and LED running lamp from the bigger brother, but a bulb-and-reflector setup like the smaller one. It also gets the bolt-on subframe and larger fuel tank from the 390 but the smaller front brake from the 200.
The 250 Duke is for those Duke customers who find the 200 Duke too slow, or find its powerband too frenetic to access; it is also for those who want a Duke with performance but cant stretch their budget to the new, upmarket 390 Duke
The 2017 KTM 390 Duke hasnt got a bump in power or torque. That is just about the only thing that hasnt changed about it. What has changed, is everything else. It looks the part, having derived styling from the 1290 Super Duke. The chassis, is a split one with a bolt-on subframe and the bodywork is even more minimal. The front brake is a 320mm one, meaning better bite, progression, feedback and resistance to fading. The exhaust canister has grown thanks to the Euro 4 emission regulations, which the export models have to comply with. This has also contributed to the 11kg more that it weighs over the outgoing model. The biggest changes besides the new front brake, though, are a 13.5 litre fuel tank, meaning better tank range; a ride-by-wire throttle that eliminates the jerkiness at low revs of the previous 390 Duke; an all-LED headlamp that has a split design like the Super Duke, and a colour TFT LCD instrument display that has Bluetooth connectivity, and that can be controlled via buttons on the handlebar.
The 390 Duke is significantly more expensive than the outgoing model, but the pricing can be justified, given the many upgrades it has had, both cosmetic and mechanical. It still remains a value-for-money product, but in a segment above the outgoing model
The KTM 200 Duke was updated for the 2017 model year, but the only mechanical change was its compliance with the BS4 emission norms. The power and torque figures remain the same, and the rest of the differences are cosmetic. The paint schemes are different, with three new ones in the lineup, and the wheels are orange.
The price has climbed, keeping up with the times; it remains decent value when you consider what your get for your money, but if youre in the market for something that can do relaxed motoring, look elsewhere. There is now the option of dual-channel ABS for a premium of Rs 8000 over the non-ABS version, ex-showroom
