KTM 390Duke: Bike of the Year...
For the performance starved market that we are, we’ve hit something of a lottery in the
last couple of years. Today, it is easy to walk into a dealership and
ride out in a 1,000cc sports bike or 1,200cc cruiser. Unimaginable just
five years ago.
The only hitch is, most of these superbikes are out of the average buyer’s reach. What we need is an affordable performance bike, with a maintenance bill that wouldn’t burn a hole in your pocket. Enter KTM, the Austrian bike maker that has brought performance biking to the masses in India. Last year, the 200 Duke won our Bike of the Year for its sharp handling, perky performance and bargain price tag. This year, the 390 Duke takes that mantra a few notches up.
Sure, it wasn’t easy convincing the jury that this is actually a new bike, not just an engine upgrade, but opinions changed quickly once everyone took the 390 out for a spin. As with the lesser Duke, the 390’s design is also minimalist. Sure, KTM could have had some small design changes to differentiate the 390, but like true petrol-heads, these guys chose to focus on the mechanicals, instead. Thanks to this trade-off, the 390 is priced aggressively while not compromising on safety or performance.
The only hitch is, most of these superbikes are out of the average buyer’s reach. What we need is an affordable performance bike, with a maintenance bill that wouldn’t burn a hole in your pocket. Enter KTM, the Austrian bike maker that has brought performance biking to the masses in India. Last year, the 200 Duke won our Bike of the Year for its sharp handling, perky performance and bargain price tag. This year, the 390 Duke takes that mantra a few notches up.
Sure, it wasn’t easy convincing the jury that this is actually a new bike, not just an engine upgrade, but opinions changed quickly once everyone took the 390 out for a spin. As with the lesser Duke, the 390’s design is also minimalist. Sure, KTM could have had some small design changes to differentiate the 390, but like true petrol-heads, these guys chose to focus on the mechanicals, instead. Thanks to this trade-off, the 390 is priced aggressively while not compromising on safety or performance.
Speaking of safety, the 390 gets ABS as standard. Plus you get those grippy Metzeler
tyres – that’s a combination that inspires a lot of confidence while
braking. Apart from performance, the 390’s build quality also sets a
benchmark. All of which makes it hard not to ride the 390 aggressively,
whether you’re doing 150kph on an open highway or just keeping the revs
high riding through city streets.With the equipment on offer, we had expected a price of Rs 2.5 lakh (on-road). But then KTM announced an on-road price of Rs 2.14 lakh (on-road, Mumbai), which nicely ticks the value box as well. This is very good value for money. With this kind of extreme performance, wrapped in an extremely usable package and that bargain price, Bike of the Year was pretty much a shoo-in.
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