KTM 160 Duke first ride review: can this orange win the youth vote?

It’s always difficult to launch an entry-level sibling to a model range that prioritises sporty-appeal over outright practicality. Especially in a segment where the headline figures of all the other motorcycles are mileage, comfort and practical features. KTM launched the 125 Duke a while back and while it was rather well received in the start, demand started to taper as more powerful, yet accessible motorcycles started to enter the market. The brand saw more value in the 160cc market, allowing the engineers to extract more performance while straddling a good balance between making a motorcycle that is economical, efficient and approachable for novice riders. Enter the KTM 160 Duke. The successor to the 125 Duke (for India only), this baby Duke promises to package all the fun that is associated with the moniker at an approachable price tag, with performance that won’t alienate customers entering the world of two wheels. Has KTM managed that with the 160 Duke? Is this something that a college-going guy or gal should pester their parents to get them? Let’s find out.

KTM 160 Duke design and styling

This is going to be a short paragraph owing to the fact that the 160 Duke looks more or less identical to the 200 Duke. The colour of the body panels have been updated ever so slightly but on the whole it retains the same design language that debuted with the Gen-2 KTM 390 Duke. The sharp split headlight design, the exposed tank with the sharp cowls, the tall, wide handle bar that nestles the LCD display, the split seats, exposed trellis frame, and sharp rear, all remain unchanged and with good reason. The design still looks fresh and modern and every bit KTM that you would want it to. The only indication that this is actually the 160 Duke is the 160 badging and the lightweight wheels that have been borrowed from the 390 Duke. As a package, I’ve always loved the sharp styling of the Gen-2 Dukes and this 160 Duke continues to impress with its design.

KTM 160 Duke engine and performance

Powering the KTM 160 Duke is essentially a re-bored first gen KTM 200/125 Duke engine. Of course it has been designed to comply with all the latest emission norms as well as to be OBD-2B-compliant. Like the 250 Duke, this engine also features the SOHC design that has been tuned to not only make the engine as efficient as possible but to also give it a high-revving, KTM nature. In terms of power and torque you get 18.7bhp at 9500rpm and 15.5Nm of torque at 7500rrpm to play with. Figures that are actually quite impressive for a 160cc mill. The gearbox and ratios have been picked from the 200 Duke as is but what has changed is the final drive. The 14-tooth front sprocket continues but the rear sprocket is two-teeth larger at 45 teeth. Crank the bike and you’re greeted by a surprisingly thrummy exhaust note, one that sounds pleasing and unlike what you’d expect from a small capacity motorcycle. Get going and you immediately notice an urgency in the way it delivers power. 19bhp in today’s day and age is not a lot, but it certainly feels peppy. As you would expect a KTM to, it is quite peaky in the way it delivers its power but at the same time it doesn’t feel dull or lifeless in the lower-end of the rev range.

As you would expect from a KTM it is also vibey in all the right ways. Not annoyingly so, but a good reminder that you’re riding an albeit small, but high-strung engine. The vibrations come in around 4500rpm and continue till the redline, but like I said, it’s never too annoying or apparent. Power delivery is linear and non-intimidating but at the same time you do feel that KTM essence. Gear shifts are slick, tactile and precise and the clutch action is light. KTM claims that the 160 Duke can accelerate from 0-60kmph in 4.5s and is the fastest in its segment from 30-70kmph in fourth and fifth gear. While I didn't get to VBOX it, it certainly felt quick.

KTM 160 Duke chassis, ride and handling

It would have been very easy for KTM to simply make the new engine, plonk it in the 200 Duke frame and call it a day. That would mean that it would weigh as much as the 200 with nearly 6bhp less. Power to weight ratio would take a hit and the motorcycle would feel as dull as a cold winter morning with a broken thermostat. To ensure that the thermostat is always in the hot setting, KTM has taken the chassis of the 200 Duke to the gym, put it on an intensive diet and ensured that it has lost 12kg in the process. The frame itself is largely similar to that of the 200 Duke, but all the tubes that make up the frame are thinner, internally and that has resulted in quite a bit of weight loss. Then there are the wheels. Taken from the Gen-3 390 Duke, the lightweight alloys reduce nearly 2.5kg of unsprung mass and the result of that is extreme agility. The engine itself is a kilogram lighter and a bunch of other changes mean that the 160 Duke weighs 147kg instead of the Duke 200’s 159kg kerb weight.

The rake angle is a little sharper as well and to compensate for that KTM has added handlebar risers to ensure the ergonomic triangle remains unaffected. The seat has been reprofiled ever so slightly resulting in a shorter 815mm seat height instead of 822mm on the 200 Duke. Everything else (from a rider’s triangle point of view) remains unchanged and unapologetically Duke. This is where I feel the KTM wins hands down over the Yamaha MT-15 (its main rival). Unlike the MT, the Duke is much more accommodating of a larger, taller rider. Suspension duties are handled by a 37mm USD fork at the front and a pre-load adjustable monoshock at the rear. KTM has worked hard to tune the suspension to handle our cratered roads as well as it handles the fun stuff and they have accomplished exactly that. Ride quality is supple and pliant without feeling wallowy or unsettling. At the same time, it feels stable when turning in or slicing through traffic. The wheels play a big role in the bike’s agile handling and that definitely accentuates the fact that the bike is significantly lighter than the 200 Duke. We rode the bike on a wet and damp Navi Mumbai road and that didn’t allow us to really push the motorcycle. But it is apparent that it does have all the tell-tale KTM handling traits. Traits that I look forward to exploiting as soon as the sun comes out. The other chassis change is a smaller 140/60-section rear wheel. The MRF tyres on offer are grippy, but bear in mind, I didn’t get to push as much as I would’ve liked. So I will reserve my judgement on them when I spend more quality time with the bike. Braking is taken care of by the same 320mm wheel mounted disc brake at the front and a 230mm disc at the rear. Steel-braided lines are present but you get organic pads instead of the bigger Duke’s sintered units. This would have otherwise been a deal breaker but the way the brakes are tuned and with the amount of performance the bike packs, braking performance is ample. There’s enough feel and feedback. You also get switchable ABS allowing you to do all kinds of naughty stuff that you would with a Duke.

KTM 160 Duke features and verdict

On the features front, you get everything that you’ve come to expect from a KTM Duke. It gets the new switchgear from the 390 Duke and the cluster from the older 250 Duke. Bluetooth connectivity is an optional extra and that enables phone connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation and all of that. The KTM 160 Duke is priced at ₹1.85 lakh, ex-showroom, that makes it a pricier proposition than its rivals. But in my opinion, the 160 Duke offers a more wholesome riding package. One that has a much larger use case, will accommodate a larger ride as well as it would a smaller one. Has enough performance to keep a newbie entertained without ever threatening them by being scary or difficult to ride. The chassis setup is solid and strikes a good balance between sporty and comfortable. So, should the 160 Duke win the youth vote? I certainly feel so. I feel like it would be a landslide victory if it was a little more affordable. But if it fits your budget, especially with the 10-year warranty, it would definitely leave you a very happy, orange rider.