2017 KTM 390 Duke Picture Emerges, India Launch in 2017

The KTM 390 Duke is among the most important motorcycles to be launched in the Indian market in the past few years. In the form of the 390 Duke, Indian buyers finally had a fast and fun to ride motorcycle which didn’t request them to loot a bank to own one. And unsurprisingly it has gained a sort of cult status among Indian bikers and still remains among the most popular performance bike on sale in the Indian market. Despite its popularity and the fact that competition is still finding it difficult to compete with the 390 Duke be it pricing, performance and hardware KTM officials had said that they would be updating the 390 Duke in 2017. The 2017 KTM 390 Duke was also spotted testing in Spain but under heavy camouflage but now a clear picture of the upcoming motorcycle has been posted online. 

And from the picture it is clear that the 2017 KTM 390 Duke has undergone major cosmetic updates. The headlight unit has been redesigned with a much sharper and petite unit with a slit to separate the multibeam headlamp. The fuel tank also has been redesigned while the tank extensions are longer and overlap the USD forks. The switchgear has also been changed and do seems to be the all-digital instrument console which we feel will be based on the new 690 Duke’s unit. The frame of the bike has also been redesigned while the rear section is smaller in comparison to the existing model with integrated taillight unit which was seen in the test mule. Also instead of the underbelly exhaust, the 2017 KTM 390 Duke will feature a conventional exhaust muffler as seen on the updated RC 390 that was showcased at 2016 EICMA motorcycle show.

There are no details on the powerplant but we can expect it to have more horsepower and torque while ride-by-wire maybe introduced in the new model. Refinement has never been the forte of the 390 Duke and it is expected that the new motorcycle will feature a second balancer shaft in the cylinder head similar to the new KTM 690 Duke and this should help in reducing the vibes from the motor. Also the engine management system will be tuned to make the bike Euro-4 compliant. The USD forks, mono-shock suspension, braking hardware, slipper clutch and Metzeler tyres seem to have been carried forward from the older model. We can expect the next generation KTM 390 Duke to be unveiled at the 2016 EICMA motorcycle show in Italy later this year. The 2017 KTM 390 Duke will be launched in India in early-2017 and expect the price to rise by around Rs 15,000 to 20,000 over the current 390 Duke.