Austrian auto maker KTM, in which Bajaj has a stake, has revealed more information about the new 125 Duke naked street automobile coming to the Indian market in next few months. The bike will be priced at Rs. One lakh and above and will be manufactured in India at Bajaj’s plant at Chakan near Pune. The bike is nearing completion and is ready to roll out from the production line shortly. The Indian model will be a powerful bike and will be later replaced by an even higher displacement engine.
The 125 Duke is powered by a liquid-cooled fuel-injected 125cc engine with a claimed output of 15.2 PS. Scheduled for a launch in the next year, the bike was first showcased in 2009 EICMA show in Milan. The 125cc model has been developed by the same team which worked on the 690 Duke.
KTM had earlier launched a contest on Facebook for the visitors to suggest a new name for its upcoming 125cc bike. Alas, no one emerged as a winner as KTM made an official announcement that the model will be called “Duke.” Despite the global financial crisis holding the motorcycle industry in a tight grip, KTM has reported healthy financial figures for the third quarter operating results 2009/10. This is a remarkable turnaround for a company which had its worst ever operating year in 2008-2009, resulting in production line closure, staff lay-offs and Bajaj Auto Ltd of India, one of the world’s biggest motorcycle producers, becoming a KTM shareholder.
