KTM 160 Duke vs Yamaha MT-15: What Potential Does the KTM Has Against the Yamaha

A worthy challenger has arrived for the Yamaha MT-15 in the form of the KTM 160 Duke. Both are powered by a liquid-cooled single-cylinder, high-performance engine but provide contrasting characters to the riders.

The KTM 160 Duke is here… to rival the super-impressive Yamaha MT-15. The Japanese 150cc stunner finally has proper competition. Funnily and frustratingly, Honda, Suzuki, and Kawasaki never delivered here!

So, KTM took the challenge and built what doesn’t seem like a big deal for them. I mean they’ve been the go-to for performance enthusiasts in more or less every category under 400cc. And they’re one of the most experienced in building some of the edgiest and extreme single-cylinder engines ever.

The new KTM 160 Duke looks right, and so does its price! It is safe to say that the performance will be on par with its Japanese rival, at least, if nothing more.

The Duke and the MT are so similar and yet so different

The two motorcycles couldn’t be more different from each other with all their similarities, perfectly highlighting how the Europeans and the Japanese manufacturers approach motorcycle development.

The MT-15 has been the sportiest naked in the 150cc category since it came to the market. With time, Yamaha made it better with incremental upgrades like adding the upside-down forks and the aluminium swing-arm from the R15. The MT-15 is not only the sportiest but also the most premium 150cc motorcycle in India. Every component in that bike is a class above. It has been the benchmark for performance and quality in its segment.

All that has now come under threat from KTM. To think about it, it actually makes sense that KTM is perhaps the most fitting company to respond to Yamaha’s high standards in the 150cc segment, because the other Japanese companies just don’t seem to care enough.

KTM is also the right company to rival Yamaha’s MT-15 because it brings a contrasting choice. The MT-15 is sporty and edgy enough but it is refined and sorted as a Japanese offering. KTM, in typical European fashion, is edgier and louder. And we all know how the smaller Dukes ride. They are sharp and buzzy but never dull to ride. That’s for sure.

KTMs are a lot more dramatic even if they achieve the same results as their Japanese equivalents. And that’s the beauty of having two similar motorcycles built on different fundamentals. Riders will love the choices they’re going to have.

People who are looking to buy the MT-15 will now have a very interesting option for them in the form of the 160 Duke. A non-Japanese option.

Their differences begin with their design language

The MT-15 was originally Yamaha’s answer in the 150cc segment to the need of a motorcycle that didn’t pretend to be sporty. It was actually sporty with the chassis engineered to outclass all the regular frames in other 150cc motorcycles. That perimeter frame and the fatty aluminium swing-arm not only enhance the look of the motorcycle, but also its function. As a naked version of the R15, the MT-15 is a proper mini streetfighter.

The Yamaha MT-15 is a true streetfighter with every component designed for performance. The entire chassis, suspension, and the engine are from the R15 itself. The MT-15 is the R15 without the fairing and with a flat handlebar.

For a long time, the MT-15/R15’s engine has been the only liquid-cooled engine among its closest competitors. Everything in the MT-15 has been designed to let the riders experience how a true naked sports bike could feel like.

KTM, in comparison, is one of the true exotica. Compared to the four Japanese bike makers, KTM was never known to make a small mass-market motorcycle, especially when they were absent from a market like India before collaborating with Bajaj. But then things changed like never before once they did.

The 160 Duke sports the 2nd generation design along with some weight-saving techniques lifted from the 3rd generation (present) of Dukes, such as the lightweight wheels and the hub-less front disc.

The 2nd generation bits in the 160 Duke include the two-piece steel-trellis frame as well, which we know provides sharp and responsive handling. And though the Dukes have always had the upside-down forks, it is only in the current generation that they’ve felt truly compliant and up to the mark. The suspension in the 2nd generation Dukes was disappointing when pushed, especially the rear. We hope the one on the 160 Duke is tuned well enough.

But the Dukes are still quality motorcycles and they’ve held up pretty well in the harsh Indian conditions. Their engine reliability too has improved with every new generation, especially with KTM massively improving the heat management system in the smaller bikes.

The same can be expected from the 160 Duke as well. While the standard of fit-n-finish may not be the best, it is acceptable and good enough. In fact, to my eyes, the 2nd generation Dukes edge out the 3rd generation Dukes in the overall fit-n-finish quality comparison.

The biggest differences are the engine and how the chassis is setup

If you care about the subtleties, things become even more interesting. The way their engines make power further highlight how Yamaha and KTM approach performance here.

The MT-15 has a 155cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, SOHC, 4-valve engine. It makes 18.4 PS of power @ 10,000 RPM and 14.1 NM of torque @ 7,500 RPM. On the other side, the new 160 Duke has a 164.2cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, SOHC, 4-valve engine which makes 19 PS of power @ 9,500 RPM and 15.5 NM of torque @ 7,500 RPM.

The 160 Duke, on paper, has a slight advantage from its engine displacement and power/torque figures. But these are only numbers and still pretty close. But there are other figures that will allow us to make a better educated guess on how the new KTM would fair against the Yamaha.

The MT-15’s engine has a bore/stroke of 58mm/58.7mm which makes it a square engine (an engine is square when bore/stroke are equal and in this case, they’re almost equal). It is a clearly rev-happy engine since it makes its maximum power at 10,000 RPM and it has a very solid reputation in its segment.

Now the 160 Duke’s engine has a bore/stroke of 66mm/48mm making it an oversquare engine (or short-stroke) - an engine is oversquare when the bore is more than the stroke. The Duke’s stroke is much shorter at 48mm compared to the Yamaha’s 58.7mm, which means that the piston in the Duke’s engine covers shorter stroke distances making the engine spin quicker. This further means that the Duke’s engine should rev even quicker than the MT-15’s.

The KTM 160 Duke is based on the 2nd generation chassis and design, along with weight saving efforts from the 3rd generation Dukes, like the lightweight wheels and the hub-less front disc. Personally, I love the 2nd generation design, it is fantastically proportionate.

But this is all in theory so far, but it is straightforward physics. It is possible that the 160 Duke, even with its higher wet weight of 147 kg (compared to MT-15’s 141 kg), would turn out to be a quicker motorcycle. Of course, the gear ratios play a good role in here as well. Still, the Duke may feel a little livelier.

Handling wise, the MT-15 is sharp and precise, but it is not overly sensitive to the rider’s inputs. There is still a sense of neutrality in the way the MT-15 handles, which is very typical for a Japanese motorcycle. That’s how they are generally built to handle. One of the reasons for that is the rear shock absorber has a link-type connection with the swing-arm (it’s not directly bolted to the swing-arm). The link-type mechanism, by nature, provides a progressive feel to the shock-absorbing mechanism and helps in the smooth handling of the motorcycle. The link-type mechanism also makes the shock absorber sit lower in the chassis to keep the centre of gravity lower and towards the centre of the motorcycle.

On the 160 Duke, the rear shock absorber is directly bolted to the swing-arm as it has always been. The 2nd generation Dukes, in my experience, are extremely sharp handlers but sometimes they feel a bit too sensitive to my inputs, which takes the feeling of relaxation away. You are almost always on the edge on a Duke - at the least, that is exhilarating.

But this handling characteristic has a lot to do the with the engine also. I’m used to riding a 2nd generation 390 Duke and that motorcycle doesn’t like to be ridden slow. That engine is only happy in the higher revs. There, it is smooth and relatively linear compared to how it is in the lower-mid revs. At lower revs, the engine is jerky and very buzzy, and it impacts the way you handle the motorcycle. You want to keep the engine in its comfortable zone to try and be overall smooth with the motorcycle.

The new 160 Duke will definitely not feel the same. While it may inherit the natural edgy characteristics of that chassis and setup, that small 164cc engine will make it a much gentler-feeling motorcycle while riding. It will be just so interesting to experience the different handling characteristics of the Yamaha MT-15 and the KTM 160 Duke, especially back to back.

Also, the 160 Duke will come across as a larger, more substantial motorcycle for two particular reasons - it has a longer wheelbase of 1357mm compared to the MT-15’s 1325mm (that’s a huge 32mm difference) and the Duke also seems to have more accommodating seats especially when riding two-up.

The 160 Duke and the MT-15 are true mini sports bikes

This is a very personal take, something that I feel very strongly about. Looking at the two motorcycles, it is clear that Yamaha and KTM are serious about inculcating proper sport-riding in the beginner 150cc category. Neither of these motorcycles is a pretender. These are small but genuine sports bikes.

Motorcycles like these two offer a greater chance to a much larger number of riders to see and understand how various components in a sports bike work, such as the perimeter/trellis frame, two different styles of aluminium swing-arms, suspension, etc., because these are affordable and easily accessible.

We will try and ride both these fantastic 150cc motorcycles and bring you a detailed ride review. It will be fun!