2017 KTM Duke 390 spotted testing

The rumours about a refreshed Duke first began back in December, now there are pictures of the motorcycle in test form to put them to rest. Here are shots of the upcoming KTM Duke 390 being tested in Spain. The bike comes with a significant number of visual as well performance updates.

The Duke hosts major visual changes including a reshaped fuel tank and side panels, an updated seat unit and a rear end. The side panels, a new addition, look considerably lengthy and keep the edgy styling of the motorcycle intact. The front fender stays have also been made thicker. Furthermore, the motorcycle seems to have lost its mid-panel to reveal more of the naked trellis frame. The rear end has been completely redesigned with it now featuring an integrated tail lamp and grab rails.

However, beneath those revised cosmetics, reports suggest there’s also a host of engine updates to meet new Euro-4 regulations. The 373cc single-cylinder motor currently produces 44bhp and 35Nm of torque this may well go up slightly, because a more stable combustion and more efficient fuel delivery with the latest engine management systems not only give more power but also increase fuel economy. The motorcycle will also have the Euro-4 compliant side-mounted exhaust.

MCN suggests, that there is the possibility that KTM will have fitted a second balancer shaft in the cylinder head, as first seen on the Austrian manufacturer’s Duke 690 launched at the end of 2015. This extra balancer shaft works to even out the low rpm engine response, giving near twin-cylinder like smoothness from a single-cylinder engine.

The Duke 200 will also receive almost all the reworked cosmetics and some of the mechanical updates. The motorcycles will continue to be manufactured in India and are expected to be showcased by the end of this year and launched by early 2017. The motorcycles are expected to have a slight price hike.

We could also see a Parallel-twin KTM Duke 890 being launched around the same time. Read more about it here.