KTM Duke 125

KTM Duke 125 Expert Verdict

KTM Duke 125 Detailed Review

• Duke 125 Looks and Colour Options 10 /10

  The new KTM Duke 125 gets a sharp design language and its distinctive styling is inspired by the performance powerhouse, KTM 1290 Super Duke R. The redesigned KTM Duke 125 has a stunning appearance. Its unusual style was influenced by the Super Duke R, and it is quite similar to the Duke 200. It now adheres to KTM's most recent design tenet and has a redesigned headlight with the brand's distinctive daytime-running LED. It has a sleek profile, all-LED turn indicators, and LED taillamps. Electronic Orange and Ceramic White are the two colour options for the brand-new KTM Duke 125.. At the front, the new Duke 125 gets a new sharp halogen headlamp with a daytime-running LED. It doesn’t get an LED headlamp and KTM could have offered it with this new updated version.

  Moving to the side profile, one can see that the new KTM Duke 125 gets a sharp aerodynamic profile. It gets sharp tank extensions with a dual-tone colour scheme and Duke 125 branding. The motorcycle gets a muscular fuel tank, a split seat setup, exposed orange-coloured trellis frame, a belly pan to protect the engine, etc. At the rear, the bike gets a LED tail lamp and it even gets LED turn indicators. All in all, the new KTM Duke 125 looks really good. 

  Summary

  The new KTM Duke 125 looks very striking and it is a handsome motorcycle. The Duke 125 is available in two colour shades. They are - Electronic Orange and Ceramic White.

• Duke 125 Dimensions and Capacity 9 /10

  In terms of dimension the motorcycle measures, 1993 mm in length, 789 mm in width, and 1083 mm in height make up the new KTM Duke 125. With a seat height of 818 mm and a wheelbase of 1366 mm, the motorbike is on the taller side and won't be at all comfortable for short riders. Additionally, the motorbike boasts a huge 175 mm ground clearance and a 13.5 litre fuel tank. The new KTM Duke 125 BS6 weights about 159 kg, which makes it another big motorbike.

  Summary

  The new KTM Duke 125 has healthy proportions, however, its seat height is on the higher side and is not very suitable for short riders. The Duke 125 offers massive ground clearance too.

• Duke 125 Engine Performance and Mileage 8.5 /10

  The new KTM Duke 125 is powered by the same engine as the KTM RC 125. The 124.7cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine of this bare-bones streetfighter motorbike is BS6 certified and has fuel injection technology. This motor produces 12 Nm of maximum torque at 8000 RPM and 14.PS of maximum power at 9250 RPM. The engine is paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. The most powerful 125cc motorbike currently on sale in India is the new KTM Duke 125 BS6. Given that it just has a 125cc engine, this naked streetfighter performs admirably. However, when we take into account its price, the performance isn't so remarkable because for the same money, one can get motorcycles with much greater power.

  The KTM Duke 125 offers good initial acceleration. The motorcycle feels peppy to ride inside the city limits and it offers good mid-range punch too. But, when you go on highways and try to extract its full potential, it will disappoint you as it doesn’t have that wow factor. Also, with the recent update, the Duke 125 has become significantly heavier than its predecessor and the performance has taken a hit. The Duke 125, however, offers decent fuel economy. It delivers around 35-40 kmpl of mileage in real-world riding conditions which is quite okay for this bike.

  Summary

  The new 2021 KTM Duke 125 BS6 offers decent performance. It is good fun to ride a motorcycle in the city but out on the highways, it lacks punch. The motorcycle offers decent fuel economy too.

• Duke 125 Tyres, Brakes and Features 9.5 /10

  The new KTM Duke 125 BS6 has a bolt-on rear subframe and is built on a trellis frame. The motorbike has high-end hardware, including USD or upside-down forks at the front and a mono-shock absorber at the back, which handle suspension functions. The riding quality of the KTM Duke 125 is respectable. Although the ride quality is a little firmer than average, it doesn't seem particularly unpleasant, and because of the vehicle's high ground clearance, speed bumps are easily over. At each end of the bike, disc brakes handle the braking functions.

  The new KTM Duke 125 gets large disc brakes at either end along with a single-channel ABS. The motorcycle offers decent braking performance but it could have been better. Also, the Duke 125 gets a single-channel ABS only. KTM should have offered the dual-channel ABS unit as it is a premium motorcycle. Now, if we talk about features, the new KTM Duke 125 gets an all-digital instrument cluster that displays a ton of information. It displays a digital speedometer, twin trip meters, tachometer, odometer, a gear position indicator, etc. and gets an orange backlit display.

  Summary

  The new KTM Duke 125 BS6 gets premium hardware components. It is based on a trellis frame, gets USD forks, a mono-shock absorber and large disc brakes at either end with a single-channel ABS. It is quite feature-loaded too and gets an all-digital instrument cluster.