KTM Duke 390 to compete with BMW G310R in India

Spied earlier with hardly any camouflage inside company plant, new KTM Duke 390 is expected to make global debut at the Milan Motorcycle Show later this year.

Compared to the existing Duke 390, the new generation variant will be sharper not only in looks, but also in handling, reveals a source from Bajaj Auto on the condition of anonymity.

Design of the upcoming KTM Duke 390 features a bifurcated LED headlamp (first in the segment in India), new instrument console, new fuel tank with sharper extensions emerging towards the headlight, a new rear sub frame and a revised exhaust system.

Engine will be tuned to be more responsive, while features like ride-by-wire, slipper clutch will continue to be on offer. It is also believed that KTM has worked on the heating problem, and the new generation Duke 390’s engine will be able to cool faster, thanks to improved heat dissipation.

The engine will be EURO4 compliant, to meet the stringent emission and noise norms laid by the European Union. These new norms are set to come into effect from 1st January 2017. This will result in new exhaust system, a full-sized exhaust unlike the under-belly exhaust like the existing one.

Engine of the new Duke 390 will be same 373 cc single cylinder liquid cooled block, which will generate a little more than existing machine’s 44 PS and 35 Nm. Like the existing variant, new gen 390 will continue with dual channel ABS, upside down forks in the front, rear-monoshock at the rear as standard.

In addition to the existing features, it will also get new features like riding modes, dual function forks, fully digital instrument cluster with colour screen and smartphone integration.

Price of new Duke 390 might be increased comparatively. By the time it is launched, new BMW G310R will be on sale in India. It will be interesting to see how these two bike perform on the sales chart.

This article first appeared on Rushlane.com