KTM Duke 125 is exclusively manufactured in India, since many years now. But, it was only recently, that the bike was launched in India. There is no doubt that the bike has been a success. Ever since launch, Duke 125 has been in solid demand. So much so that it has now replaced Duke 200 as the best selling KTM in India.
One of the biggest reason behind Duke 125’s sales success, was its aggressive pricing. Launched at just Rs 1.18 lakhs, it brought down the entry price point for buyer to enter a KTM family by more than Rs 40k. And with looks, which were a lot similar to the Duke 200, many buyers opted to buy D125, instead of the D200. Where sales of Duke 125 were growing, sales of Duke 200 were declining.
But the Duke 125 is no longer available at Rs 1.18 lakhs. One 1st April 2019, KTM India increased price of Duke 125 by about Rs 7,000, which brought the price of KTM Duke 125 to Rs 1.25 lakhs, ex-sh. This was done a few days after the launch of Yamaha MT15, which was priced at Rs 1.36 lakhs ex-sh.
Now two months later, price of Duke 125 has been increased once again. This time by another Rs 5,000. Ex-showroom price of new KTM Duke 125 is Rs 1.3 lakhs, which is Rs 12,000 more than the launch price that was revealed just 6 months ago. It is not clear as to why the prices have been hiked so steeply, in such a short period. Surprisingly, sales of rival Yamaha MT15 have been higher than that of Duke 125. Apart from getting a more powerful engine, MT15 is low on features as compared to the Duke 125.
Seeing the success of KTM Duke 125, KTM India will next launch the RC125. A fully faired version of Duke 125. It is also produced in India, at the same plant, which is operated by Bajaj. The KTM RC125 will become the most expensive 125 cc motorcycle in the country but for that money it offers razor sharp styling, LED DRL, projector headlamp, trellis frame, WP inverted telescopic front fork and WP rear monoshock, 17-inch alloy wheels, fully digital instrument console, LED taillight, front and rear disc brakes and so on. The Indian version is likely to adopt a single-channel ABS with rear lift mitigation system like the one available on the Duke 125.
The fully faired motorcycle shares its 124.7 cc liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine is tuned to deliver 14.5 hp and 12 Nm of torque. Gearbox is a 6-speed unit. The bike is less powerful than than its similarly priced primary rival, the Yamaha YZF-R15 V3.0 but the RC series has its own fan following.
