A Wild Duke Spotted Galloping Alongside A Husky

(Update: KTM has launched the 2024 390 Duke in India at a fantastic price! More about it in our launch story.)

The last couple of weeks were devoid of KTM spy shots and we were definitely missing seeing the camouflaged 2023 390 Duke. The Duke seems to have now obliged and spy shots have surfaced on the internet once again. Interestingly, it’s been spotted alongside its exotic Swedish sibling, the Husqvarna Svartpilen 401. Let’s tackle them one by one: 

2023 KTM 390 Duke

Talking about the Duke first, we are still in awe of how KTM has made an already aggressive-looking bike look even more menacing. But for a clear picture of its design, check out the bike in its full, uncamouflaged glory here. In fact, the bike was also spotted in a hot orange colour and you can see that here. 

Otherwise, we do have quite some details about the bike. Our teammate Jehan spotted a mule at a petrol pump and he managed to extract a whole bunch of information about its looks, console, electronics and a lot more. But for a closer look at its console, head to our exclusive story. Previous spy shots have even shown that it’ll get an adjustable USD fork and we hope the same makes its way onto the India-spec bike too. 

With all these new updates, the 390 Duke will surely become a whole lot more expensive than the current model’s Rs 2.97 lakh (ex-showroom) sticker price, which  already feels to be on the higher side, now that the Triumph Speed 400 has been launched. Its price could very well be near the Rs 3.5 lakh (ex-showroom) mark given all the new hardware it’ll carry. Bajaj will also be trying to carve out a space for both the Husquvarna 401s and the Triumph Speed 400 below the 390 Duke.

As for launch timelines, we expect KTM to show the mad duke off at this year’s EICMA show in Milan (November 2023), and launch it in India shortly after that. Its rivals then include the QJ Motor SRK 400, BMW G 310 R and the Bajaj Dominar 400. 

Husqvarna Svartpilen 401

Though this is the third time we’ve seen the Husky in India, it’s seen on public roads with alloy wheels for the first time. Because the last test mule had spoke wheels. This time around, it does sport quite a few changes. For starters, there’s no bash plate and it appears to have a split-seat setup. More importantly, while the last test mule had Metzeler tyres, this one appears to have MRF Revz D rubber. Seems like Husqvarna is trying out different tyres but we desperately hope that the new 399cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine is backed by grippy tyres. 

Another aspect of the bike that can be seen is the Svartpilen 401’s square console that seems to be a TFT one and it could get the same one that’s coming on the upcoming 390 Duke. On the whole, in typical Husqvarna fashion, the bike looks compact and minimalistic. Apart from its brake rotors, which seem to be different from the next-gen Duke, expect it to have the same underpinnings as its Austrian sibling. We expect the bike to be here in mid-2024 and could be priced around Rs 3.3 lakh, ex-showroom. 

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