KTM 390 Duke is 2014 CNBC TV-18 OVERDRIVE Bike of the Year
Like its 200cc sibling in 2013, the manic KTM 390 Duke is the 2014 CNBC TV-18 OVERDRIVE Bike of the Year. The 390 Duke thwarted strong competition from the all-new Royal Enfield Continental GT to bag the award. The Import Bike of the Year was given to the Kawasaki ZX-10R, while the People's Choice Award again went to the KTM 390 Duke.
Six motorcycles were shortlisted for our rigorous track testing at the Chennai race track over a period of two days. Besides the KTM 390 Duke and the Royal Enfield Continental GT, the others in fray for the top honours were the Mahindra Centuro, Bajaj Discover 100M, Honda CB Trigger and the Hyosung GV650 Aquila Pro.
These motorcycles were judged on the basis of the build quality, ride and handling, styling (exterior and interior), value for money and affordability, engine and transmission and fuel efficiency. The motorcycles that were launched in 2013 were eligible for the CNBC TV-18 OVERDRIVE Awards 2014.
These bikes were put through some rigorous testing on the track by our jury members Himalayan Motorsport president Vijay Parmar, IndiMotard Adventures founder Anand Dharmaraj, motorcycle racer Sarath Kumar, Founder of British Nutritions Bharath Reddy, OVERDRIVE Executive Editor Shubhabrata Marmar and Siddharth TT, avid racer and motorcycle enthusiast. The judges were unanimously impressed with the 44PS 390 Duke that aced all the testing criterion.
The Car of the Year was awarded to the Honda Amaze while Motorsport Personality award of the Year went to Gaurav Gill and Jehan Daruvala. 4-wheeler Commercial of the Year award goes to Volkswagen Polo Bluetooth and the 2-wheeler commercial award went to Hero Maestro