ZigOpinion: KTM e-Duke - What CC Bike Will It Take On?

KTM working on an electric naked motorcycle platform was no secret. But, Bajaj assisting the Austrians was a pleasant surprise. Just last week, Bajaj top boss Rakesh Sharma revealed plans of the two joining forces yet again to bring something exciting and electrifying.

In his interview with another publication, he said, “We are also in discussion with KTM (and) there is a joint work going on where we are looking at platforms for high-end electric motorcycles.”

While he has mentioned ‘high-end,’ let’s just calm our imaginations before they soar beyond the wildest imaginations. The high-end motorcycles that he is talking about are to replicate the success of the KTM 390 Duke and operate within that same space.

For India, the performance segment does start off at around 200-250cc and it wouldn’t be surprising to hear that the first of the e-Dukes made in the country will be sort of an electric counterpart of the 250 Duke.

International audiences may feel short-changed as they might be hoping for something even larger, like an e-Super Duke. However, KTM’s documents have suggested that the platform would have a peak power rating of just 10kW and a fixed battery capacity of 5.5kWh.

To put that into perspective, the Tork Kratos R is meant to take on the current crop of 150cc bikes and it has a 4.5kW motor and a 4kWh battery pack. Thus, this new e-Duke platform could be the perfect electric replacement for the 390s.

Lastly, Bajaj and KTM have been pretty successful with smaller bikes. The two have managed to infiltrate quite a lot of markets with competitive prices and thrilling performance. Yes, the current prices might be astonishing considering how attractive the initial days of the brand were, but there are very few bikes that are able to offer as much capabilities as the KTMs at those prices. Only the Yamaha R15 V4 and MT-15 V2 come to mind when you compare them to the KTM 125s.

A ‘high-end’ e-bike for India would definitely be enough and let’s not forget, the 390 Duke is one of the hottest starter bikes in Europe and the Americas. So, discounting the prominence of the electric twin is futile.