KTM 125 Duke
We waste no time and hop on to the most exciting 125 in the market
The smallest Duke to go on sale has arrived. Does it have the go to match its looks?
It was exactly seven years ago, in the January 2012 issue of Bike India, that we reviewed an orange austrian motorcycle that revolutionized Indian performance biking. I am, of course, talking about the KtM 200 Duke which, when it was launched, gave us speed-starved Indian bikers 25 Ps to play with in a bike that weighed a mere 148 kilograms wet — unheard of figures at the time.
the performance game has since moved on; we now have the 43.5-Ps 390 Duke and enthusiasts are clamouring for the 105-Ps 790 Duke. KtM however, in an unexpected move, have gone ahead and redefined entry-level performance biking; seven years after the launch of the original orange hooligan, I find myself back at Bajaj’s testing facility near Pune to ride the newest, littlest entry into to the orange family, the 125 Duke.
Visually, not much is new. after all, this bike shares a platform with the 200 Duke and that athletic stature, sharp, chiselled fuel-tank, under-slung exhaust and in-your-face headlight are all familiar — it’s only the sticker job that differentiates this bike from the 200. the newest bit on this bike is the 124.7-cc liquid-cooled engine suspended from the steel trellis frame, which is a scaled-down version of the mill on the 200, with bore reduced from 72 millimetres to 58 mm and stroke from 49 mm to 47.2 mm.
the engine fires up promptly, settles into a relaxed idle and I immediately notice how easygoing this powerplant feels when compared to the rest of the Duke line. I had expected the bike to be like the other KtM singles I’ve experienced — peaky, rev-happy, and lumpy at low revs — but was pleasantly surprised at the smooth spread of power and torque, coupled with a relaxed and predictable throttle response. the 125 Duke is designed to punch above its weight class and an aggressive right hand will yield 14.5 Ps at 9,250 rpm and 12 Nm of torque at 8,000 rpm — enough to keep up with most 150- to 180-cc bikes available today.
the engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox with well-spaced ratios that see
the baby Duke breach 80 km/h in about 10 seconds while still in fourth gear. shifts need to be timed correctly in the lower gears, else you will find yourself bouncing off the limiter, just north of 10,000 rpm, without warning. Banging through the gears to keep the engine in its 7,000-to-9,500-rpm sweet spot as I made my way around the testtrack was great fun and extremely engaging, while the smooth throttle response allowed me to be aggressive with my inputs, without unsettling the motorcycle. acceleration slows down considerably beyond 90 km/h and, although I did achieve a top speed of just over 110 km/h, this motorcycle feels liveliest between 60 and 100 km/h.
there were no surprises in the handling department. the Bajaj testtrack is a combination of fast-flowing corners as well as a tight section of esses, and the 125 Duke proved to be extremely entertaining as I threw it from side to side. that steel trellis frame is extremely stiff and the suspension did a great job of keeping the wheels in constant contact with the road, as I shot from apex to apex. the MRF rubber that the bike comes shod with is also up to the task and it was only at extreme lean angles that I felt the front end get a little light. apart from that, there were no hairy moments and the bike felt extremely planted no matter what.
although I didn’t get to ride the baby Duke in an urban environment, it feels smooth and responsive at low revs. cruising around at 30 to 40 km/h in fifth gear isn’t accompanied by any
It seems that the baby Duke is opening up a new entry-level sporty segment for riders who want a capable and fun commuter
knocking, and the spread-out mid-range means that the bike can pull from here all the way to triple-digit speeds without the need to shift. this will translate into less tap-dancing through the gears at city speeds, making for a hassle-free daily bike that can dart accurately through traffic without much thought.
the 125 Duke also does not suffer from the overheating issue that plagues its larger cousins; the wide radiator that struggles to cool the bigger 390 Duke, especially when stuck in traffic, does an admirable job of keeping this 125-cc mill from overheating and we didn’t see the bar-type temperature gauge fill up even when we left the bike idling in the sun for extended periods of time.
so far, the 125-cc segment has been dominated by commuter-style machines, with a focus on urban mobility and stress on comfort and fuel efficiency. It is only in the 150- to 180-cc class that we have bikes with sportier intentions. It seems that the baby Duke is opening up a new entry-level sporty segment for riders who want a capable and fun commuter for urban use, but also desire a dose of style and sportiness.
with its forgiving, beginner-friendly power delivery, the 125 Duke is a viable option for young, brand-conscious teens as a first bike, and would be a safe stepping stone to polish one’s skills before moving on to bigger and more powerful motorcycles.