KTM 390 Duke is a segment killer and Indian motorcycle of the year award (IMOTY 2018) goes to this well sorted street machine. The prestigious award measures the capability of every participating bike to the full and close competitors on the crown were Yamaha FZ25 and Triumph Street Triple.
All three of them are segment leaders and Duke won this close match with its performance wrapped, value for money approach. Top five on this list also had Honda Africa Twin and Bajaj Dominar. IMOTY is now more than a decade old and to be specific, 2018 was its 11th year.
KTM Duke 390 is IMOTY 2018
Jury panel for the award consisted of 16 renowned motorcycle journalists in India. They were:
- Shubhabrata Marmar and Abhay Verma from Overdrive
- Kartik Ware and Raunak Ajinkya from BS Motoring
- Devesh Shobha and Debabrata Sarkar from Top Gear India
- Sirish Chandran and Aninda Sardar from evo India
- Aspi Bhathena and Sarmad Kadiri from Bike India
- Arup Das and Jared Solomon from AutoX
- Rahul Ghosh and Abhik Das from Auto India
- Vikrant Singh from Bikewale
- Pablo Chaterji from Man’s World India.
With more than century of automotive experience within the jury (collective), imagine how tough it would have been for the motorcycles.
JK Tyre has been sponsoring the event right from its first year. Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & MD JK Tyre, presented the award to KTM India head Amit Nandi at the event.
The certificate was signed by all 16 jury members. KTM 390 Duke is undoubtedly a winner in all terms. Whether it be highway rides or small street sprints, it never disappoints with its massive power burst throughout the rpm range.
The powerful 373.2 cc, single cylinder engine gets liquid cooling and fuel injection as standard. Ride by wire further makes sprinting a pleasant affair. It even offers a slipper clutch!
Key Specs of New KTM Duke 390
Displacement | 373.2 cc |
No. of Cylinders | 1 |
No. of Gears | 6 |
Maximum Power | 42.90 Bhp @ 9000 rpm |
Maximum Torque | 37 NM @ 7000 rpm |
Seat Height | 830 mm |
Ground Clearance | 185 mm |
Kerb/Wet Weight | 163 kg |
Fuel Tank Capacity | 13.5 litres |