KTM has confirmed the 390 Duke will be brought to the American market for the 2014 model year, making it the first of the Austrian manufacturer’s small-displacement single-cylinder naked models to arrive in the U.S. This timeframe would put the 373cc  Duke a year behind the 2013 launch date from a leaked Powerpoint presentation slide that said it would be available in the U.S. for the 2013 model year as a 350 model.

Stefan Pierer, chief executive officer of KTM, confirmed the news in an interview with Indian daily Business Standard. The 390 Duke will be produced at a plant in Chakan, India, owned by Bajaj Autos, a 47% stakeholder of KTM. Pierer predicts KTM will sell 10,000 units of the 390 Duke in Europe and the U.S.

“It is a strategic decision with Bajaj to go for sporty, stylish motorcycles, even for the saturated markets, because cars have become too expensive,” Pierer tells the Business Standard. “We are entering the US street-bike segment for the first time and, beginning next year, the Duke 390, built in India, would be sold in the US market.” Continue Reading »

KTM set a new company record with 107,142 motorcycles sold in 2012, with a lot of credit given to strong demand for its small-displacement naked Duke line. The 125 Duke and 200 Duke have been popular sellers in Europe while Indian consumers accounted for more than 8000 units of the 200 Duke alone. KTM will try to maintain its momentum with its new 390 Duke, not to mention the 690 Duke R and the upcoming 1290 Super Duke R which was unveiled in prototype form at the 2012 EICMA show in Milan as the eventual successor to the 990 Super Duke.

With six models bearing the Duke name, they’re all bound to have some similarities, but what are the differences besides their engine displacements? Quite a bit, it turns out, according to Peter Gorbach, KTM head of engine development. Continue Reading »

KTM has carved out a niche recently in the small-displacement streetbike market with its Duke lineup of naked motorcycles. First came the 125 Duke, then the 200 Duke, and more recently unveiled at EICMA, the 390 Duke, which we hope will be the first in the family to make it to the U.S. All three little Dukes have similar chassis and streetfighter styling, with the engine displacement being the main difference between them.

The Austrian manufacturer isn’t done with the small-displacement segment however. Speaking with India’s CNBC-TV18, KTM Chief Executive Officer Stefan Pierer said the company may develop new 200cc, 190cc and 180cc models for the Indian market, as well as a a fully-faired and touring versions of the 390 within the next 12-18 months.

“We expect additional displacements, the 390cc is coming which is a full faired version and the so called tour purpose version,” says Pierer. “By the end, we have a full model range where we can settle in all these and especially the Asian markets.” Continue Reading »

KTM made a big entrance on the small-displacement streetbike segment in 2011 with its 125 Duke and in 2012, the 200 Duke. Both models were popular sellers in Europe while the 200 had a successful launch in India, home of one of KTM‘s largest owners, Bajaj. North American consumers were left out however, as neither of the smaller Dukes were imported to these shores.

That may soon change with the introduction of the new KTM 390 Duke at the 2012 EICMA Show. A leaked slide from a KTM North American dealer meeting listed a 350 Duke as U.S. bound for 2013. At first, the assumption was it would use the single-cylinder engine from the KTM 350SX-F but KTM now reveals the new Duke will use a 375cc Single claiming 43 hp at 9500 rpm.

The chassis has been enhanced to cope with the larger engine and increased power (the 200 Duke claims 26 hp at 10,000 rpm), yet the 390 Duke maintains the dimensions and weight of the 125 and 200 versions. KTM says it will still weigh 326 pounds, fully fueled. Continue Reading »

KTM and Bajaj Auto will launch a new 375cc member of is entry-level Duke lineup, reports Indian site Zigwheels. Previous reports had KTM developing a 350 Duke as an extension of its 125 and 200 Duke (pictured above) family. The 350 Duke was also listed on a leaked Powerpoint slide from a North American dealer meeting we published in February, so this new model may be the first of the small-displacement Duke family to make it to the U.S.

According to the report, the new 350 will now be called the KTM 390 Duke, following the numerical nomenclature of the company’s larger-displacement models such as the 690 Duke, 990 Super Duke and the recently unveiled 1190 Adventure.

Zigwheels reports the 390 Duke will use a similar trellis frame and WP suspension as the 200 Duke but with a fuel-injected 375cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine. Zigwheels also reports the engine will produce 45 hp while the 390 Duke will weigh in at 331 pounds. Continue Reading »

India’s Bajaj Auto has acquired an additional 6.3% stake in KTM, raising its share of the Austrian manufacturer to 47%.

According to Economic Times, Bajaj purchased the latest 6.3% through a Netherlands-based subsidiary. Bajaj first acquired a portion KTM in 2007, purchasing a 14.5% stake.

India’s second-largest motorcycle manufacturer has since been steadily increasing its ownership stake in KTM, though in a recent interview with Economic Times, Rajiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto and a member of KTM’s supervisory board, said Bajaj does not want to gain a majority stake. KTM Chief Executive Officer Stefan Pierer and supervisory board Chair Rudolf Knünz together hold about 51%. Continue Reading »

KTM is off to a strong start in 2012 with a 19% increase in motorcycle sales, thanks in large part to the popularity of its 125 Duke and 200 Duke.

The Austrian manufacturer says the two small capacity streetbikes form a large portion of the 8300 units it has sold so far in 2012. Based on those numbers, KTM claims it leads all European manufacturers in sales over the first few months of the year.

Continue Reading »

According to reports out of India, KTM Chief Executive Officer Stefan Pierer has announced the Austrian manufacturer will produce 200cc and 350cc versions of its youth-oriented 125 Duke. Unfortunately for us in North America, the two new Dukes will appear destined for emerging markets such as India, Brazil, Thailand and Malaysia.

Speaking with the Indian press, Pierer says KTM is partnering with Bajaj Auto to develop the 200 Duke in 2012 with the 350 version to follow in 2013. Bajaj is one of India’s largest home-grown automotive manufacturers and a part-owner of KTM, and also helped develop the 125 Duke. Pierer says the 200 Duke will be introduced at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo.

Continue Reading »

IndianCarsBikes.in has uncovered spy photos of a KTM 200 beign tested in Pune, India. Pune is home to automaker Bajaj Auto which owns a share of KTM.

Bajag Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj had previously hinted at a 200cc version of the KTM 125 Duke in an interview with BSMotoring. The KTM 125 Duke isn’t expected to be available in North America but a 200cc version would probably have a better chance of showing up on these shores.

[Source: ICB]