KTM 390 Duke can very well be counted amongst one of the few motorcycles that brought about a revolution of performance motorcycles in India at a mass-market level. First launched in 2013, the 390 Duke rose to immense popularity owing to its distinct design, a very happy throttle response and it affordable to own and maintain. The new generation 390 Duke was unveiled at EICMA 2016 and made its way to India in early 2017 in two colours – classic KTM orange and white. Now though, the motorcycle was spotted in a new colour scheme – black. The image posted on Facebook page Bikeholic shows the 390 Duke with black paint job at a dealership. However, reader beware! This particular unit seems to be a custom job as the ‘390 Duke’ stickers on either side quite confirm that this is job done at the dealership level. Although the overall appeal looks good, the decals could’ve been done better.
There may be some buyers who, for some reason, aren’t fond of the bright Orange – which actually goes quite well with the 390 Duke’s personality and is a celebrated colour (duh! Orange Day). Anyhow, for those who do not like bright coloured KTMs, Bengaluru dealerships are to the rescue. It comes at a price though, about Rs 10,000 to be precise, which may be a bit of a downer for some.
The pocket rocket from Austria is powered by the same 373.2 cc single-cylinder, 4-stroke engine that produces 43.5 hp of power and 37 Nm of torque, and is paired to a six-speed transmission with a slipper clutch and Ride-By-Wire.
The 2017 390 Duke comes with a coloured TFT instrument cluster with smartphone compatibility, which is a first in the segment. The motorcycle also features a new split headlamp with 20 LEDs and redesigned split seats. KTM has also increased the fuel tank capacity to 13.5 litres.
Images: Facebook/Bikeholic
