The Scalpel Comes to India
THE WAIT IS OVER. KTM INDIA HAVE CONFIRMED THAT THEY ARE BRINGING the long-awaited 790 Duke to our shores. In fact, a few KTM dealerships have started accepting advance booking amounts ranging from Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000. The 790 Duke is likely to be launched in India on 23 September, which is just short of our time to go to press.
Sources claim that “The Scalpel”, as KTM call it, is expected to be priced around Rs 8 lakh (ex-showroom), which will bring its on-road price to somewhere below Rs 10 lakh. Expensive, you say? Well, it is said that about 100 units will be brought to India via the CBU (completely built-up) import route, which entails huge taxes. The aim of a limited number is to gauge interest and customer response.
For the uninitiated, the 790 Duke is a light and nimble middle-weight street bike, powered by a potent in-line twin that makes 105 hp. It gets LED lighting, WP suspension at both ends, and a high-mounted exhaust. In India, this middleweight streetfighter will compete with bikes like the Triumph Street Triple, Suzuki GSX-S750, Kawasaki Z900, and Ducati Monster 821. We hope KTM start assembling this light and nimble 790 Duke at the Bajaj factory at Chakan so that it becomes even more accessible.
Kawasaki Supercharged ‘Z’ Teased
TEASER VIDEOS ARE SUPER EXCITING BUT THE NEW KAWASAKI “Z” MODEL IS TWICE AS NICE, AS IT could be a new supercharged machine! The buzz is that the Japanese performance bike-makers are planning to unveil the supercharged Z at
