At the EICMA 2012 International Motorcycle Show, KTM had revealed a model of the KTM 390 Duke which apparently was just a display model. It was in fact a Duke 200 with a higher displacement engine and slight heavier. Recently it has been revealed by KTM CEO Stefan Pierer that the showcased KTM 390 Duke will not be coming to India. Rather, the Duke 390 bound for India will be a fully faired model. Earlier, Mr. Pierer in month of January had talked about a supermotard, a faired sports bike as well as the naked street model of the Duke.
Pierer also mentioned that a touring model will be replacing the Supermotard. This perfectly makes sense because the Supermotard will be one of the costliest to develop in terms of suspension development, engine tuning etc. In comparison to that, a touring based model is relatively easier to develop since over a sports motorcycle or a naked motorcycle, it is just re-tuning the motorcycle’s responses to the throttle and steering inputs. Additionally, some accommodations have to be made in terms of seating, wind protection and luggage options.
However, it has been revealed that the touring model will come later after the full faired model of the KTM Duke 390 arrives. The Duke 390 will be powered by a 375cc engine that produces 47 PS of power. Speculations on the pricing of the Duke 390 has been all over the media who expect it to be in the range between Rs 1.8 and 2.2 lakh (ex-showroom) and we believe the faired motorcycle will still lie in this range but on the high side of Rs 2.0 lakh (ex-showroom).
