The Orange Beast in India - KTM (Kraftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen)

Different people have different special days in their life, for some, it is their birthday or for some, it is their anniversary or something. But for me (at least for now) it was the day, I got my hands on the Orange Beasts. I was already a huge fan of this Austrian motorcycle brand from the day it came to India under the roof of Bajaj (that's the reason why it shares some switchgear with pulsars). Following are the teasers I saw before the launch of this beast in India. The sharp edgy styling of this naked bike is a real beauty. I had never seen any naked bike that looks such handsome and sturdy.

I remember it was a summer evening. I and a friend of mine went to the nearest KTM Showroom for a test drive as he was planning to buy one. I like the theme of KTM showroom. Orange background with black fonts on it. Orange always reminds me of something related to racing.

We went in, the sales guy was really an enthusiast. He showed us the fully faired RC and the new naked Duke. As we were confused about how the 200 cc and 390 cc mill runs, he advised us to try both the Duke 200 and the RC 390.

I was filled with excitement and the sheer adrenaline. We were equipped with a sports jacket and a branded helmet (i don't remember the brand but I'm sure it was something like LS2 or Vega). First, i stretched my legs on the Duke 200. Thumbed the starter, and the 200 cc mill suddenly came to life. The exhaust note was a real pleasure to ears, I wonder why some people call it "sound like a rickshaw".

Riding posture was aggressive, it is upright but really commanding. Clutch was smooth as butter, clogged into the first gear, released the clutch, gave a little gas and it started moving. Opened a throttle, climbed up to the gears.....2nd, 3rd, 4th suddenly I glanced at the speedo, the bike was already doing 94 kmph on the service road. I knew that the Duke 200 is not equipped with ABS so I gently pressed the lever, and I was amazed by the performance of the front and rear disc. The steel hydraulic brake lines were really working.

Now I found the long empty stretch, it was the opportunity to churn out all the horses from this 200cc mill. The grunt was just wow, the six-speed gearbox was working seamlessly during my clutchless shifts. And I was staggered by the performance and the way it was planted on the road. Oh, it was a hell of a ride. Came back to the showroom, I could feel the hair raised on the back of my neck.

Because it was the first time I have ever driven a motorcycle with 25 Bhp. And suddenly I remember that we still have one more test ride left. The RC 390....!!!!

Now, I was wondering if this is how the 200cc bike performs, what would the 390cc do...!!!

Hopped on the RC, it was the ABS version. The riding posture was completely aggressive and leaned. Seats on this bike was so hard, it felt like I was seating on the piece of wood. The engine was sounding a bit like a 200cc engine. This time I took a long way for the test ride.

Opened a full throttle and it was savage. The power and torque were so enormous, that the bike was trying to pop the wheelie in each gear. I really had tuck down behind the windshield to keep hold myself on a bike. I don't remember the time but in a few seconds, I was doing 120 Kmph. I would say, the way this 390cc RC behaves is a bit brutal if you are riding a quarter-liter bike for the first time.

In the conclusion, I would just say that it really proves the tagline of KTM, that it is really "ready to race" motorcycle. It was just a small test ride, so I was not able to focus on how the suspension and all other things work on this bike. Because the engine made me staggered.

In next couple of days, the news came out that new Duke 250 is about to launch, so we decided to wait for another beast to come instead of solving dilemma between the Duke or RC.