Canadian bikers have to sit back and watch the rest of the world enjoy
their new 125cc KTM Duke this year, since they won’t import it here. But
don’t feel so bad – the rest of the world will also have to look on
enviously at India, where they’re getting an oddball 200cc version of
the bike.
Why does India get a more powerful version of the new small-displacement Duke? Apparently it has something to do with KTM’s deal with Indian importer Bajaj; according to www.indiancarsbikes.in, the feeling was that the 125cc bike cost too much for its intended market.
Small naked bikes may command a premium in the developed world due to their novelty, but such bikes are standard day-to-day transportation in India.
The 200cc upgrade is supposed to make about 20 bhp instead of 15, and feature top-of-the-line components to justify its higher price. Supposedly the bike will feature DOHC and water cooling and cost about twice as much as other bikes in its engine range from Bajaj.
It’s rather doubtful that this version of the bike will ever make it to Canada, but KTM fans around the world must be wondering: Is this bike the first step to an already rumoured 250 Duke?
The 200cc Duke is also coming to Brazil, but I believe it will be too expensive when compared to the 300cc Honda we have around here.
I read in the french magazine L`Integral the estimated price for the KTM 125 Duke is 4200 Euro, that means around 5500 $CDN.
If anything stops new riders, its going to be the insurance … Not the price of the bike.
You can add the Suzuki GZ250 to that list of cheap new bikes … $2999
I am sure there’s not many machines where you frame size will not feel cramped … 🙂
I love small bikes for the urban use and in 23 years of motorcycling I owned several of them. Last year at EICMA in Milan I got some promo stickers and I took pictures sitting on a KTM 125 Duke. It seems to be a well-manufactured machine, but the riding position is somehow cramped and forward leaned for my 6’4†(1,94m) “frameâ€. :roll
Call me crazy, but I don’t consider 200-250 cc air-cooled dual purpose bikes selling for around $6,000 to be affordable, or a good buy. I mean, really – these things are simple, generally use engine designs that have been around for ages. why the hell is a Ninja 250 cheaper than a KL250? Why is a Honda CBR250 cheaper than either of Honda’s CRFs, or a Suzuki DR200? I can understand why some of the newer dual purpose bikes, with modern engines and much more capable suspensions might be as expensive as they are, but why are those little D-P tiddlers so pricey?
The purpose of the small Dukes is affordable pricing and fun. Affordable pricing comes from most of the parts being really manufactured in India (not just assembled in India!!! as usually the case) , only wheels and Alu parts come from elsewhere (China and Poland). The design is completely made in Austria (that’s where the fun comes).
The chassis wil gladly accept more powerful units. I’d say KTM has done their homework, I hope they sell ton of these.
The 125 would be nice but a 200 would be better. I think that a naked bike will sell better than one with a fairing like the CBR 125 or Ninja 250. Being Indian built KTM should be able to sell the little Dukes for less than the high normal KTM pricing and I’d buy one.
RET
I’m kinda with Blackie on this one…and as for affordable bikes on the market…Kawasaki: Ninja 250R $4999, KLX250S $6299, KL250 (Sherpa) $5549…Honda: CBR250R $4499, CBR125R $3499, CRF230M $6399, CRF230L $5899…Suzuki: DR200S $4999…and the Konker was mentioned which should be cheaper that the Suzuki…so they are out there…not everything is $7500+…
If you think the KTM Duke 125 or 250 would be a cheaper option, you haven’t priced a KTM… :p
Yes, the 125cc bike would work fine for city dwellers, but not everyone lives in a big city…a 125cc bike would be a pylon on the hiway…250cc bikes work, but the 125’s would be straining pretty hard just to keep up in the slow lane…
The local dealer where I live still has some CBR125R’s from 2007 in crates…so not as popular as Honda would have you beleive…
Later.
Bikes like this have manageable power and weight, and offer extreme gas savings. What’s not to like, even for more experienced riders? I rode Editor ‘Arris’s Konker 200 all last summer and had a blast. My DR650 would have got me there faster, but I saw a lot more of the countryside taking the back roads on the 200…. and in town, the difference is negligible. At around $3,000, this is the sort of deal a kid can take advantage of.
I agree. It’s too expensive for most high school kids to go buy a new bike off the showroom floor, and I wouldn’t wish my early years of used bike-buying on anyone. Manufacturers would benefit by introducing simply, small, [u]low-priced[/u] machines that youth could take advantage of. It’s pretty hard for a kid to cough up $7,500 for a new bike, especially when Canadian weather sorta necessitates a car in the winter anyway.
Who cares ???
Those of us that want to see more new, young riders on the streets of Canada that’s who. If the manufacturers, government and insurance companies could get their collective heads around that concept, the sport 9and the industry) would be a whole lot better off.
“Canadian bikers have to sit back and watch the rest of the world enjoy their new 125cc KTM Duke this year, since they won’t import it here.”
Who cares?
250cc Duke ?
Yes, please !