KTM Duke 125 Launch Report + Interview with Selvaraj Narayana : BikeAdvice |  |
| KTM Duke 125 Launch Report + Interview with Selvaraj Narayana Posted: 21 Aug 2011 10:43 AM PDT
Original Source: KTM Duke 125 Launch Report + Interview with Selvaraj Narayana from BikeAdvice.in The South East Asian nations are one of the major markets for the KTM bikes. In this write up, I'll be covering all that happened as the KTM 125 Duke was unveiled here in Singapore. Before I get into this, I'll first tell you the KTM models that are available out here. The Enduro series, SuperMotos, Adventurer series, Duke Line ups which include the Duke 690 and the Duke 990 apart from Superbike are the models that are available so far in the island of Singapore.
For the first time, the Austrian maker KTM has decided to launch the Duke 125 in the South East Asia and Singapore was chosen as the destination to be launched first for this part of the world. As I'd mentioned in one of the previous write ups, I gotta attend this inauguration with a VIP invitation and here is the report of it. The actual purpose of this official launch was to unveil the bike and also to hand over the keys of the Duke 125s to the first 20 customers who had booked even before the bike was unveiled. The ceremony was preceded by Mr. Selvaraj Narayana, Director, Logistic and Sales, South East Asia. With three decades of achievement under his belt, no individual is better prepared to manage KTM’s Junior Supercross program than Selvaraj Narayana. Today a KTM North America, Inc., He held a position of Vice President of Racing and Event Promotions of KTM North America, Inc before he assigned for KTM operation in India. Selvaraj’s career stretches back to the 1970¹s working as a factory technician in the Racing and Development in Germany. Selvaraj Narayana is the one who made KTM's name synonymous with Motocross. Sevaraj joined KTM in 1987 and since then he used his knowledge and experience in motocross and supercross much to the benefit of the highly successful KTM Red Bull Supercross Team. he served as the Red Bull KTM Team manager in 2000 where he was instrumental in taking KTM’s pro supercross and motocross efforts to national prominence. As a tribute by his peers, he was presented the Vintage Iron Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 by 5 time world Champion Motorcross.
The event was organized and promoted by DirtWheel, who are the dealers and distributor of KTM products in Singapore. We were offered the bike for sometime, which aided us in coming up with a review of the bike. A few videos on Duke 125 were played, most of which described the stunting ability of the bike. Now, it was time to unveil this bike for the South East Asian market. The bike was unveiled by Selvaraj Narayana together with a top delegate from Dirtwheel. The specs and the features of the bike were discussed for some time. There was a huge excitement in the air as the bike was revealed for the market out here.
As I'd mentioned above, first 20 customers were handed over the keys. The best part of it was that a customer named Joeella Joe's birthday coincided with the launch. KTM had surprise for him. They had a cake ready for him and he was made to cut it with everybody there singing 'Happy Birthday' for him.
I also had the opportunity of personally interviewing Mr. Selvaraj Narayana and spending some time with him. Here are the excerpts from the interview. Naren : In what way do you think is the KTM 125 Duke different from other bikes? Naren : Are these bikes from Bajaj's Chakan plant? Naren : How are KTM bikes doing in Asia? Naren : On what strategy are KTM bikes designed and made? Naren : Which KTM product do you think is the best? Naren : Singapore witnessed the first launch of the 125 Duke. Next is what? Naren : What is the maximum speed of this bike? Naren : What do you think makes the KTM 125 Duke so special?
Naren : How do you think will be the market for this bike here (in Singapore)? Naren : Tell us more about this bike? Naren : Singapore is strong in which of the KTM's segment? After the handing over of keys to the customers, he said to them, "So, respectfully handle the bike with the feel that Bike is the Boss". This brought in a huge wave of applause from the audience. After this the riders who are now the owners of the first 20 KTM 125 Dukes were given few special instructions on riding their new bike. They were also taken for a ride in their respective new bikes along the road there with expert supervision. There were also a few KTM Power parts and Power Wear that were kept for display. This is the accessory business into which KTM is into. The bike which was unveiled was fitted with all extra accessories that the company manufactures for it.
Thus ended the silent ceremony where the KTM 125 Duke was unveiled to the entire South East Asia. As I was returning back, I was excited seeing The KTM Spirit which is 'Riding with an Attitude. Every touch of the metal should make your heart beat faster. It is about how the bike moves and how you move the bike'. I could still hear Sel's words in my ears. It is 'The KTM 125 Duke offers you a big bike feeling with a light Engine.' Regards, Related posts: |
| KTM 125 Duke Reviewed In Singapore Posted: 20 Aug 2011 09:41 PM PDT
Original Source: KTM 125 Duke Reviewed In Singapore from BikeAdvice.in KTM 125 Duke is a name that is pretty synonymous among Indians. Not because of the fact that it is manufactured in India but because of the reason that the Indian bike market had huge speculations that it might me the first KTM for India. However, the KTM Duke 200 proved to be the first for the sub continent. As I test this bike with the intention of reviewing, I realized the fact that there aren't much reviews of this particular model as this is not the one for India.
There are hardly few reviews that can be easily counted when it comes to KTM 125 Duke in India. So, just sit back, chill and enjoy the review. As soon as we got into the playground along the East Coast Parkway, there was a KTM 125 Duke waiting for us. I'd to go in (semi) formal attire as I'd to attend the inauguration ceremony of the bike as well and that's the reason why you see me riding this bike in a white shirt. I was handed over the key of her. The bike looks small but gave me a very aggressive look. I would love to refer the looks of it as very 'Beasty.'
The bike is equipped with a 124.7 cc Single cylinder Liquid Cooled engine. But at the very first ride, the KTM 125 Duke makes you understand the fact that she has immense power to play around with. The maximum power is 15 Ps which is 4 units more than the Yamaha Gladiator in India. The best feature I liked about the bike was its sound. A perfect mix of an off roading and a sport bike's beat put together. The higher you throttle her up, the higher you get to enjoy the sound.
For visual appearance enhancement, the engine is packed perfectly in the engine compartment without any gaps which grasps the attention along the first sight. Let's get to know a little about the riding position of the KTM 125 Duke. There is absolutely no racing position nor even lean forward position. Irrespective of the height of the rider, the bike makes you sit upright, but the best part is that it doesn't lead to back pain for how many ever miles you ride on her.
The seat is a 2 piece one (mean to say split seats) offering one piece for the rider and the other for the pillion rider.
The handlebars are easy and comfortable to hold, though it gives a feel that it is situated very close to the fuel tank. But it's actually not. Bosch has taken care of the Fuel System and the Engine Management system which is nothing but the Ignition system. The digital speedo console is very simple which makes it very easy to read as you cruise on it. There is a gear indicator which reveals which gear you are exactly riding the bike in. KTM refers this full digital console as 'Cockpit. 'The cockpit also displays the fuel remaining and the range that could be covered with the fuel left. The bike runs on Motex Formula 4T Engine oil which might have made the engine smooth, but I didn't observe anything so special because of it. The frame of the bike is made out of steel and the handlebars out of aluminium. The bike is fitted with a 6 speed manual gearbox. 6 gears for a 125 cc bike were to a certain extent not necessary. The gear shifts are not so smooth but I got to tell the fact that it is very precise. The ground clearance of this bike is another factor that needs a special mentioning here. It is as much as 30 mm higher than the Gladdy at 185 mm which makes cornering a perfect cakewalk for this bike. The bike weighs 124 kg but the weight is spread throughout the structure that it made me feel very light. The tyres are really wide to offer excellent grip on a damn wet surface as well. The size of the tyres are 110/70 R 17; 150/60 R 17.
The mono-suspension at the rear offers the best of the riding experience.
To mention about the brakes, the front wheel is provided with a four piston, radially bolted caliper, brake disc of dia 280 mm and the rear wheel with a single piston, floating caliper, and brake disc of dia 230 mm. Above all, the brakes come from Brembo – The world leader when it comes to precision braking. Unlike the Indian bikes, the front and the rear discs are fitted on the opposite sides. Note that the front disc is on the left side and the rear disc on the right side.
Note the smallest exhaust that can ever be made possible on planet Earth. The small hole at the bottom of the bike is told to be the exhaust. The compact, three-chamber silencer is positioned close to the machine’s overall centre of gravity. Take a look at the previous image which is above this and you’ll get an idea on it.
The bike boasts of a very macho fuel tank which looks grunty always. The beefy 11 litre fuel tank is designed in such a way that it contributes not only for the image of the bike, but also assist to a greater extent in providing perfect knee contact for the rider. Owing to the small dimension of the bike, this aspect of knee contact becomes very mandatory, I would say.
The small engine guard at the bottom in orange colour is a major styling factor for this bike. The KTM 125 Duke is also projected to be a low fuel consuming bike, however we weren't given a chance to check it. But owing to its small engine and low weight, it made me feel that it should obviously be true. There are pinch of orange shades available here and their which adds to the gorgeousness of the bike.
The experience I had with the KTM 125 Duke made me realize the fact that the Duke line up of bikes have immense potential within them in almost all the aspects. This has also created hypes within me for the Duke that is all set for India – KTM 200 Duke. Waiting to get my hands on that machine as well.
Hope you enjoyed the review. I've taken maximum efforts in bringing the review to you as fast as I can. Leave your comments and thoughts in the box below. Regards, Related posts: |
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