KTM 160 Duke

The KTM 160 Duke is the newest entry-level model in the KTM family. It is targeted at college students who are looking for a sporty streetfighter for daily commutes and weekend fun. The bike has the same design as the KTM 200 Duke, and looks like a higher capacity model at first glance. It is also powered by a re-bored version of the KTM 200 Duke’s engine, and is currently the most powerful model in the 150-160cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder streetfighter segment. I recently had the chance to spend some time with this bike, and here’s a detailed first ride review of its performance.

The bike was launched on August 11, and here's everything you need to know. 

KTM 160 Duke: Design

The KTM 160 Duke has a similar design as the current KTM 200 Duke, and shares a few elements with the higher capacity 790 Duke. I personally think going with the Duke 200 design was a really good idea, instead of the 3rd-Gen one. This comes down to how the sharp looking headlight and aggressive tank extensions gives the bike a proper big bike feel. The 3rd Gen design is good, but it just makes the bike look a bit too small. Overall, KTM has managed to make this bike look like a proper Duke, and is something I really liked.

KTM 160 Duke: Colours

The KTM 160 Duke is offered in 3 colour schemes: Electronic Orange, Atlantic Blue and the Silver Metallic Matt. Out of these colours, the electronic orange is the flashiest one and offers that signature KTM orange finish on the tank extensions and tail-section. The Silver Metallic Matt on the other hand is a more subtle colour scheme, offering a grey finish on the tank extensions. But in my opinion, the Atlantic Blue comes off as an ideal middle-ground between the two, offering a good mix of both flashiness and subtlety. 

KTM 160 Duke: Build Quality

The build quality on the 160 Duke is very good, there are no exposed wiring or uneven panels as such. The build-quality is similar to the one on the KTM 200 Duke, and the bike does feel like a premium offering. KTM has also gone a lot further here, and offered the same 4-way switch gear which we have seen on the KTM 390 Duke. The switch gear is very tactile, and feels very nice to use.

KTM 160 Duke: Convenience Features

The KTM 160 Duke comes with a 5-inch TFT console, same as the KTM 200 Duke, and an LCD console in the base variant with an inbuilt dot-matrix inset. Both consoles offers speed, fuel-level, time, odometer and tachometer readings. The one we got for review was the LCD variant. It has a clean and easy to read layout. It also offers good visibility under most lighting conditions. While we were reviewing the bike, it was raining heavily so we couldn’t test out the visibility under harsh sunlight. 

Both consoles also offers smartphone connectivity and related features such as turn-by-turn navigation, call alerts and also the ability to accept/reject calls. 

KTM 160 Duke: Safety Features

The 160 Duke gets dual-channel ABS as standard, and this does help in preventing loss of control under emergency braking. The brand has also offered switchable ABS, allowing the riders to switch off ABS at the rear. This is not something which adds to the bike’s safety quotient but does make it possible for riders to do controlled slides and have some fun.

Here's a detailed story explaining the feature differences between the KTM 160 Duke and the 200 Duke. 

KTM 160 Duke: Riding Comfort

The KTM 160 Duke offers the rider a relatively upright riding position, which makes it comfortable for commuting. The bike has a long and slightly raised handlebar, which is easy to hold on to without having to worry about wrist pain. The footpegs are a bit rear set, and offer a more sporty lower body posture.

That said, the KTM 160 Duke does bring a bit of versatility in terms of riding ergonomics. The long seat makes it easy to go for a more relaxed riding posture or move a bit back for a more sporty and committed riding posture for spirited riding.

KTM 160 Duke: Pillion Comfort

The pillion seat is quite spacious and comfortable like that on the KTM 200 Duke, and offers enough room for the pillion rider. The seat cushioning is also quite good, and can easily accommodate city rides. 

KTM 160 Duke: Engine

Powering the KTM 160 Duke is a new 164.2cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine, producing 19PS at 9,500rpm and 15.5Nm at 7,500rpm. The engine is derived from the Duke 200’s engine and it manages to capture that rev happy nature which we associate with KTM bikes very well. The engine is the most powerful in the 150-160cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder segment, producing 0.6PS and 1.4Nm more than its main rival, the Yamaha MT-15.

KTM 160 Duke: City Performance

The KTM 160 Duke is primarily meant for city commutes, and the bike fulfills this role very well. The engine doesn’t have much of a low-end and feels quite lazy below 4,000rpm. But as the engine revs fast, it is easy to get it above 4,000rpm really quick, bringing in that much needed torque boost. The engine is also well refined and there are very few vibrations present, except for a minor buzz at the footpegs which becomes noticeable once the engine revs past 7,000rpm. Overall, the KTM 160 Duke is quite fun to ride, but there’s this feeling that the bike just wants to be revved to redline and doesn’t enjoy laid-backed and relaxed riding.

KTM 160 Duke: Highway Performance

The KTM 160 Duke is quite enthusiastic and can easily handle highway speeds of 80kmph without feeling stressed. The only noticeable vibrations present is the buzzing on the footpeg present above 7,000rpm. But during my time with the bike, I didn’t feel it much as I was wearing thick riding boots. That said, the vibrations aren’t annoying, even when you’re riding in regular shoes, and it mostly adds character to the bike more than anything.

KTM 160 Duke: Mileage

KTM claims that the 160 Duke is able to offer a mileage of 40kmpl. For a bike which is meant to be a daily-commuter, the mileage is good and will help keep the costs in check. That said, we are waiting to get our hands on the bike to conduct a mileage test of our own to check how much mileage it is able to offer in real world testing conditions.

KTM 160 Duke: Handling

The 160 Duke is quite an agile and nimble motorcycle, and feels very light on its feet. Moving the bike in the parking lot is effortless and the weight is not felt at all. While on the move, the bike feels really easy to handle, and tips into turns quickly and effortlessly. To achieve this, the brand has used lighter wheels, similar to the ones used on the KTM 250 and 390 Duke. Along with this, the bike also gets hollow axles and lastly, the rake angle has been made sharper by 0.5 degrees compared to the KTM 200 Duke. The changes have gone a long way in making this a very fun and engaging bike to ride.

KTM 160 Duke: Tyres

The MRF Zapper tyres which are offered as standard, do not inspire enough confidence in my opinion. During the review, I was riding the bike in heavy Mumbai rain, and it felt like I had to be careful not to push it too much.

The tyres take away from the bike’s potential and I wished KTM had offered slightly better tyres so we could enjoy the bike to the fullest. If you are someone who plans on buying the KTM 160 Duke, my first suggestion would be getting better tyres. 

KTM 160 Duke: Brakes

Braking performance is another area where the bike could have been better. The brakes do offer decent stopping power and feel from the lever. But the front brake doesn’t have the strong initial braking force which we expected, and this doesn’t inspire the confidence which we hoped for when riding at higher speeds. 

I think changing the stock organic brake pads to ceramic pads or sintered brake pads could be a good change for better performance. The rear brake on the other hand doesn’t offer much feel, and it is hard to make out how much force has to be applied to get the bike to slow down.

Ride Comfort (4/5)

KTM 160 Duke: Ride Quality

The suspension on the 160 Duke is well tuned and offers a balanced riding experience across various different conditions. It is easily able to handle most of the bumps and potholes that one would encounter on the road. While riding at higher speeds, the bike also feels quite stable, so the suspension does strike a good balance between city and highway riding. Overall, the tuning has been one of the main highlights of this bike for me personally, and I really liked it. 

The KTM 160 Duke is the most powerful streetfighter in its segment, and it manages to tick all the right boxes in my opinion. The bike offers enough power and performance to keep one engaged, and the amazing handling also makes it a good platform for beginner riders. 

There are more powerful offerings at the same price range, but KTM has aimed the bike at college students and for this cohort, having a good mileage is an important criteria. In this case, the claimed mileage of 40kmpl is quite good. If you are someone who is looking for a sporty 160cc streetfighter, which can offer good levels of excitement while also being easy on the pocket, then the Duke 160 is the bike for you.

KTM India recently launched a new variant of the 160 Duke with a TFT console, check out how much more it costs than the base LCD console variant.

If you would like to know more about the KTM Duke bikes in India, here's a full explainer on the entire KTM Duke family in India. 

And this one explains why the KTM 160 Duke is a fantastic bike for beginners. 

KTM 160 Duke: Competition

The KTM 160 Duke goes up against the Yamaha MT-15, which is the only other streetfighter with a liquid-cooled engine in the 150-160cc segment.

Here are top 5 bikes you buy in the same price as the KTM 160 Duke.