Second Generation KTM Duke 390 rendered

The arrival of the Dukes was like an adrenaline shot to our two-wheeler industry. It showed the world that India is ready for a higher class of bikes, and thus, the flood gates opened. Leading this march was the top dog in KTM’s Indian stable, the Duke 390. While many bikes have tried to establish themselves in the segment, the Duke has remained a force to be reckoned with.

The bike is powered by a 373cc engine which puts out 44 HP of power and 35 Nm of torque. Add to this the low kerb weight of 154 kgs, and the KTM Duke 390 has a power to weight ratio of 272 HP per tonne. That is Porsche 911 territory. So you can obviously understand that when an icon like this is scheduled for an update, the expectations and speculations are running wild.

An artiste by the name of Valerio Polifroni has just released some renders based on the spy shots of the KTM Duke 390’s 2017 avatar. Since they are based on the non-camouflaged images that were seen earlier, what we see, might very well be what we get. At first glance, yes, it does look weird. But once you soak in the design, it does start to grow on you. But, does it tick all the check boxes for a KTM? Hell yeah it does!

The bike will be powered by an updated 373cc engine, with an additional counter balancer shaft which will aid in eliminating the vibrations associated with a single-cylinder engine of this capacity. KTM has also ditched the underbelly exhaust for a more conventional unit.

The tail section has been pulled up and made sleeker (our condolences for the pillion), and the headlight now gets a twin setup for better illumination. Its Indian launch might happen somewhere in mid-2017, and as for the pricing, it is expected to go upwards of Rs 2.3 lakhs.