KTM is an Austrian off-road motorcycle manufacturer that was found in 1934 by an engineer named Hans Trunkenpolz in Mattighofen. It recently released its highly anticipated motorcycle KTM Duke 390 in India. The bike received a positive response from the customers and has recorded good number of bookings since its launch in June. Bajaj Auto holds around 48 per cent stake in KTM and had announced the delivery of these bikes in September. The KTM Duke 390 has been designed and developed at Bajaj Auto's production plant at Chakan, Maharashtra. Currently priced at Rs. 1.80 lakh, the company has plans to produce 2 lakh units till 2017, reports have claimed. Out of the total count, one lakh would be manufactured from Bajaj's Chakan plant whereas the remaining would come from Austria.
Since the commencement of deliveries, a lot has been said and written about KTM Duke 390. A few reviews of Duke 390 stated about its powertrain getting heated easily in traffic jams, which is a common problem with higher capacity, liquid cooled motorcycles. Due to this, there were talks about Bajaj KTM calling back the sold items and changing their parts free of cost. This could well have been a solution for the problem that was creating a blot on the company's name. These changes were to be made in the assembly that actually meant the cooling fan working along with liquid cooling. However, there was no confirmation regarding this information from the company officials.
With the onset of the festive season, every company has brought in offers to suit its customers so as to record maximum sales. The same was expected from Bajaj KTM, which, as per some sources, was planning to give on-spot delivery of Duke 390. This has created a lot of buzz about the vehicle and a number of people had plans to book their model for an on-spot delivery. However, Bajaj officials have declared that no such scheme has been introduced by the firm although it could be a dealer's personal offer in a specific city so as to meet sales target. As per sources, such an offer is not valid in Pune or Mumbai, though cities like Bangalore and Delhi, are believed to have this scheme available.
The launch of this bike recorded a lot of enthusiasm and excitement in super bike loyalists. It has a dry weight of 139 kg and works on a water cooled single-cylinder four-stroke powertrain mated with 6-speed transmission system that gives a power output of 44 bhp at 9500 rpm. It has the ability to accelerate to 100 kmph from scratch in just seven seconds and gives a good mileage of around 22-25 kmpl. It comes equipped with the latest safety feature of Bosch Anti-lock Braking system (ABS), which can also be switched off. A few add-ons include radial mounted four piston front brake callipers and one brake calliper at the back. For racing purpose, the suspension system and broad tyres have been built resulting in better speed stability. It has a wheelbase of 1367 mm and a ground clearance of 170 mm enhancing its balancing and off road ability.
