AND THE AWARD GOES TO...

KTM 200 Duke wins coveted Indian Motorcycle of the Year Award

THERE ARE PLENTY OF INDIVIDUAL BIKE of the Year awards out there, given out by almost every automotive magazine in the country, but what makes the Indian Motorcycle of the Year (IMOTY) Award special is that a significant chunk of the motoring fraternity comes together, supported by JK Tyre, to decide the winner. The jury for the IMOTY Award comprises senior journalists from India’s leading auto magazines — Vikrant Singh and Rahul Ghosh of Auto Bild, Aspi Bhathena of Bike India, Bertrand D’souza and Shubhabrata Marmar of Overdrive, Girish Karkera of Top Gear India and Pablo Chaterji of BSM. Among them, they have a lot of years of experience of riding a motorcycle, so you know there’s some solid backing behind the winner!

The IMOTY was the KTM Duke 200, beating the Bajaj Pulsar 200NS, Bajaj Discover 125ST and Honda Dream Yuga. All the contenders were judged on criteria such as design, price, fuel efficiency, comfort, safety, performance and riding pleasure, with environmental factors and technological advancement also playing a considerable role.

The awards were presented at a glittering ceremony in Mumbai last month. While congratulating the winners, Raghupati Singhania, Vice-chairman and Managing Director of JK Tyre & Industries, said “The ICOTY and IMOTY Awards represent India’s best on wheels. The nominated cars and motorcycles compete under strict and rigorous guidelines, which are a hallmark in the making of the most coveted awards in the auto industry.”