All Tests – KTM 125 Duke Test: Karrement Too Deadly! – Mini Duke … Maxi pleasure!

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KTM 125 Duke Test: Karrement Too Deadly !

All Tests - KTM 125 Duke Test: Karrement Too Deadly! - Mini Duke ... Maxi pleasure!

Attract young bikers with an accessible and trendy 125 cc without compromising on its qualitative and sporting standards: such is KTM’s bet with the new KTM 125 Duke, a perilous split that the Austrian achieves with brio ! Test.

Mini Duke … Maxi pleasure !

For its first foray into the 125 cc 4-stroke road segment, KTM did not go there with the back of the key of 12 with its 125 Duke: if the discovery of its angular and racy lines – typically Katoche – entail already a clear widening of the eyelids, it is downright the fracture of the retina which threatens at the sight of his (on) equipment !

Judge for yourself: tubular trellis frame in chrome-molybdenum steel "King-size" format, inverted fork White Power 43 mm (the same diameter as that of), WP mono shock absorber with adjustable preload, 280 mm and 230 mm brake discs, Brembo front caliper with radial mounting actuated by a reinforced hose, ultra-complete digital instrument panel (two trips, time, fuel gauge, engine temperature, gear indicators and consumption indicators: see the complete list in our technical sheet on the following pages), aluminum rims and handlebars … The KTM 125 Duke does not refuse anything !

A true miniaturized replica of the formidable Super Duke (read in particular our) and 690 Duke – from which it uses the same artistically hollowed out aluminum swingarm – the "mini Duke" unashamedly claims its membership in the "motorcycle" class. Sure that to show off at the end of the course, it will do much better than, at random, a Yamaha YBR125 or a Honda CBF125 !

"With the 125 Duke, we want to invest in one of the most important segments of the two-wheel market, since the 125 cc represents nearly half of sales in France, and also convince young people to come to the motorcycle thanks to a rewarding product, "fresh" and which makes it possible to stand out", confides Reinhold Zens, president of KTM France.

For once, in terms of singularism, the Austrian is indeed very strong! Especially since if roadsters with such a strong personality and radicalism do not really run the streets, KTM pushes the concept to its climax by offering a multitude of stickers, decorations and optional accessories.

A relevant initiative given the target (16-25 years) … but which sometimes flirts with the limits of good taste, like some really "flashy" stickers and especially the new row of light diodes to install on the 11-liter fuel tank: when will you see the "handlebars in moumoute" option ?!

First motorcycle built in collaboration with its shareholder Bajaj (read), the 125 Duke is nonetheless a "pure strain" KTM. Namely a machine designed with care and polished finish in every detail. To contain costs, the assembly is carried out in India at Bajaj but the motorcycles are checked "one by one at the Mattighofen factory"before being marketed.

Aside from the electrical ducts which unattractively surround the 124.7 cc 4-stroke single-cylinder, the KTM 125 Duke addresses a generally flattering quality of workmanship: the plastics and paints are qualitative, as is the aesthetics of the exhaust outlet located under the engine with the dimensions of 58 mm of bore and 47.2 mm of stroke or the mirrors as stylish as they are efficient.

In detail, the aviation-type gas hatch, the backlit switch lights, the pretty footrest plates as well as the indicators and the rear LED light produce their little effect. Finally, the small hoof with sharp angles sublimates the aggressiveness released by this compact (1350 mm wheelbase) and light (118 kg without gasoline) machine which makes you want to ride it furiously: in the saddle !

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