The past few weeks have been very exciting. It all started with the 2017 KTM RC range, followed by the all-new KTM 250 Duke and 2017 200 Duke, all of which we rode at Bajaj Auto’s Chakan facility. The Austrian bike maker then was clearly keeping the best for last and that is the 2017 KTM 390 Duke. The motorcycle that really brought affordable performance to the masses, the new 390 Duke witnesses a generation change and rightly so, a plethora of upgrades and perks have been added in the process. Before we delve deeper into what the new 390 Duke is all about, let us tell you one thing - if you liked the current version, the 2017 KTM 390 Duke will make you love it even more. Read on to find out why. Check out the 2017 KTM 390 Duke image gallery here. The 2017 390 Duke has been designed by KTM’s in-house firm - KISKA
How Does It Look? If ’dressed to kill’ has an automotive equivalent, it is the 2017 KTM 390 Duke. I loved the way the older generation KTM Duke looked like and this one only wins me over for the second time. It’s made to look like a baby KTM 1290 Super Duke R and that works perfectly. More so, since the philosophy remains the same on both motorcycles - hooligan power cocooned into a naked body. The minimal bodywork is fantastic and most of the styling is concentrated on the fuel tank. The tank is, in fact, larger at 13.5 litres making for better range and is now made of metal instead of plastic. I really like the fact that KTM has added more layers to the colour scheme while keeping everything orange. The extended fenders on the tank look sharp, but the orange monotony is broken by the gloss black finish, while the new rear sub-frame and rear panels are now finished in white. The alloy wheels remain orange but now get a black stripe.The 2017 390 Duke LED Headlight comprises of 20 LEDs
Of all that’s changed, the new LED headlamp cluster grabs the most attention. It also differentiates the new 390 with the 250 Duke that carries over the styling from its older sibling. The all-LED unit looks fantastic with the boomerang-shaped DRLs while the headlamp cluster is divided into six parts, and can be controlled differently using the instrument console ( more on that later) . The LED tail light looks equally sharp and is now more in-line with that on the RC models. Other upgrades include the new handguards on the 390 Duke, wider mirrors, and of course, the side mounted exhaust, which comes courtesy of the stringent Euro 4 emission norms.