KTM 390 Duke to be launched in June 2013

The KTM 390 Duke is undoubtedly among the most highly anticipated launches in our country this year in the performance bike segment. With major auto scribes being invited to Salzburg, Austria, to have a go at KTM’s latest offering for our country (KTM 390 Duke: First Ride), euphoria surrounding the bike has gone a notch higher. Still, the one question on every Indian two-wheeler enthusiast’s lip is when is the bike launching and how much would it cost? According to ZigWheels’ sources, the KTM 390 will be launched in June 2013, (Update: KTM 390 Duke to be launched on June 25th) and in all probability will sport a price tag of around Rs 2 lakh! 

If Bajaj does manage to price the 390 at this price, then they surely have a winner in hand since its core rival, the Honda CBR 250 ABS, is significantly under powered besides carrying a Rs 1.76 lakh price tag. The 390’s other closest competitor in terms of performance is the recently launched Kawasaki Ninja 300 but it sports a steep price tag of Rs 3.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). 

The KTM 390 Duke will be powered by a newly developed 375cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled mill capable of pumping close to 45PS of power and 35NM of torque. These are numbers which an average two-wheeler enthusiast who’s on a budget has never experienced, which makes the 390 Duke all the more desirable.