Thumb the starter on the KTM Duke 160 and the first impression is of familiarity – those tense lines, sculpted tank and sit-in stance that signal ‘Duke’ before the wheels even turn – yet there’s also a welcome lightness to how it picks up and changes direction at parking speeds and in the first hundred metres. That easy agility is backed by a chassis brief that reads serious on paper – trellis frame with bolt-on subframe, lighter five-spoke wheels, hollow axles and geometry that’s a shade sharper than the bigger siblings – so the bike feels eager without getting nervous when the pace rises.

Within a few blocks, two things set the tone for daily life: a clutch that’s genuinely light and progressive and a gearbox that slips through ratios cleanly, letting short, tidy shifts replace the usual 160cc thrash – helped by a slipper clutch that takes the drama out of hurried downshifts when traffic opens and closes without warning.

What stands out

The Duke 160 looks and feels like a proper Duke – tense lines, sculpted tank, sit-in stance – and backs it up with a genuinely light and eager front end thanks to the trellis frame, lighter five-spoke wheels and sharper geometry. The motor’s real-world strength is tractability and in-gear urge rather than fireworks off the line; timed roll-ons of 30–70 kmph in 6.8s (4th) and 9.1s (5th) make short overtakes easy without constant downshifts, echoing the sentiment that it feels brisk between gaps more than it feels explosive from a standstill.

Braking hardware is a headline win: a 320mm front disc with braided lines and dual-channel ABS (rear channel switchable) gives bite and progression few 160s can match and it shows when hustling or panic-stopping in town.

The everyday reality

At 815mm, the seat is on the taller side for an average-height rider; those around 5ft 8in may tip-toe at awkward cambers, though the wide bar and neutral pegs help low-speed balance and leverage in traffic. The clutch and gearbox pairing is excellent – light, smooth and confidence-inspiring – so creeping traffic and quick, clean shifts become second nature within minutes of riding. Lever placement is not perfect from the crate; both the gear and brake pedals could use a quick adjustment during PDI to better match different boot sizes and ankle angles, which takes the edge off initial niggles.

Ride and features

Suspension tuning leans towards control with acceptable compliance: the Duke stays planted and keen to turn, yet retains enough travel to keep sharp edges from jarring too much in the city, though rougher patches still remind that it’s set up to feel taut rather than plush. Thermal management is a positive: a larger radiator surface area helps in slow-moving traffic and while the fan cycles in dense conditions, heat never tips into discomfort during typical urban use in this test window. The monochrome LCD with a dot-matrix pane is clear in bright light, offers all the basics at a glance and the microswitch cubes feel a cut above the class; Bluetooth navigation remains an accessory, which keeps base weight and price in check.

Verdict

Against the Yamaha MT-15 V2, the Duke 160 trades efficiency for feel: the Yamaha is lighter and significantly more frugal (users often report 50+ km/l), while the KTM bites harder on the brakes, feels more planted at the front and pulls stronger in mid-gear bursts on paper and in practice. The KTM’s 19PS and 15.5Nm edge the Yamaha’s 18.4PS and 14.1Nm and its 320mm rotor dwarfs the MT’s 282mm, but the MT-15 counters with lower kerb weight and everyday economy advantages that matter to commuters. If weekly highway runs and traffic sprints define the brief, the Duke’s chassis feedback, brake feel and roll-on pace make a compelling case; if fuel economy and a lower seat are top priorities, the MT-15 remains the pragmatic pick and price positioning in on-road terms still favours the Yamaha in many cities.

In short, the Duke 160 is not the outright quickest feeling 160 off the mark, nor the most frugal, but it is the most ‘KTM’ in the way that matters: front-end feel, braking confidence and mid-gear urge that make real-world riding more engaging and assured than the spec sheet alone suggests. It could do with lower seat options from the factory and cleaner lever ergonomics out of the box; sort those and it becomes an easy recommendation for riders who value control and character over kilometre-per-litre bragging rights.

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Suzuki Motorcycle India (SMIPL), one of the leading two-wheeler manufacturers, has reported strong sales for September 2025, buoyed by the start of the festive season and recent tax reforms.

The two-wheeler subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, recorded total sales of 123,550 units, marking 25 percent over the 99,185 units sold in September 2024.

Domestic sales were the primary growth driver, with SMIPL registering a robust 37 percent YoY growth with 105,886 units sold in September, up from 77,263 units in the same month last year.

Deepak Mutreja, Vice-President – Sales & Marketing, Suzuki Motorcycle India, said, “September has been a remarkable month for SMIPL. The festive cheer translated into strong demand driving 37 percent growth in our domestic sales. The recent GST reduction has further added to customer enthusiasm, by making our two-wheelers even more affordable. We are optimistic that this momentum will continue through the festive season and beyond, enabling us to serve a larger customer base with our trusted motorcycles and scooters.”

Further complementing the sales performance, SMIPL recorded its highest ever spare parts sale of INR 881 million for the third consecutive month, registering a 17 percent YoY growth.

While domestic sales soared, exports saw a reduction. SMIPL exported 17,664 units in September 2025, compared to 21,922 units exported during September 2024.

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Royal Enfield has announced its highest-ever monthly sales figure, with 124,328 motorcycles sold globally in September 2025. This marks a significant 43 percent growth compared to the 86,978 units sold in the same month last year.

Domestic sales drove the record performance, reaching 113,573 units in September 2025, which marked a 43 percent increase over the 79,325 units sold domestically last year.

B. Govindarajan, Managing Director, Eicher Motors and Chief Executive Officer, Royal Enfield, said, “It has been an incredible start to the festive season for us at Royal Enfield, we have registered our best ever monthly sales volume and have crossed 100,000+ retail volumes for the month. To make sure that our customers take home their favourite Royal Enfield motorcycle this festive season, we have put in considerable effort.”

"In the month of September, we announced the upgraded Meteor 350 which has received a promising response from our community. All our new and existing motorcycles continue to perform well, we are confident of the growth momentum and are looking forward to a great year ahead,” he added.

For H1 FY2026, the company's total sales volume reached 591,903 motorcycles, reflecting a 30 percent growth over the 454,780 units sold in the previous year. This includes 521,482 units in the domestic market, registering a 27 percent growth compared to the 410,843 units sold in the corresponding period last year.

On the exports front, the company also saw a major boost, with 10,755 motorcycles shipped in September 2025, a 41 percent  increase from 7,653 units in September 2024. For H1 FY2026, exports surged by 60 percent, reaching 70,421 units.

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TVS Motor Company, a leading manufacturer of two-wheelers and three-wheelers, has reported its best-ever quarterly wholesales performance with 1.50 million units sold in Q2 FY2026.

This includes 1.19 million two-wheelers sold, up 22 percent YoY, while three-wheeler sales came at around 53,000 units, up 41 percent YoY. Exports grew by 30 percent from 309,000 units to 400,000 units too.

For September, the wholesales came at 541,064 units, up 12 percent YoY, as compared to 482,495 units in September 2024.

Two-wheeler sales clocked 11 percent growth at 523,923 units, which includes 413,279 units sold in the domestic market alone. Of this, motorcycles sales at 249,621 units grew 9 percent, while scooter sales at 218,928 units grew by 17 percent YoY respectively.

Electric vehicles sales grew by 8 percent at 31,266 units, with rare-earth magnet continuing to pose challenges in the short- to medium-term.

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Pune-based automotive major Bajaj Auto has announced its wholesales for September 2025 and H1 FY2026, witnessing growth in the two-wheeler segment and double-digit performance in the three-wheeler space.

For the six-month period spanning April to September 2025, the company’s total two-wheeler sales saw a 2 percent jump YoY, reaching 2.01 million units compared to 1.98 million units sold in the corresponding period last year. Interestingly, while exports grew by 17 percent YoY at 891,858 units, domestic sales were down 8 percent YoY at 1.12 million units.

In September, the sales came at 430,853 units, up 8 percent YoY, which includes 273,188 units in the domestic market (+5% YoY) and 157,665 units exported (+12% YoY).

The three-wheeler segment, on the other hand, grew 14 percent YoY in H1 FY2026 at 387,579 units, which includes a robust export growth of 51 percent YoY at 137,898 units.

For September, the three-wheeler sales came at 79,651 units, up 15 percent YoY.

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