The KTM 125 Duke is a rather interesting bike in its own respect. Though it is about double the price of a regular 125 cc bike, it behaves like a bigger bike than what its engine may suggest. In fact, it rivals 150 cc bikes in terms of performance. Which brings us to the topic we picked today, Bajaj Pulsar 150 vs KTM Duke 125 biting each other’s head off in a drag race. Before we start, let’s tell you this one has very close results and the result is quite confusing. Now let’s take a look at the video below by DV which pits both the bikes against each other.
https://youtu.be/Egq1Q6fZ7VA
What’s happening here?
As seen in the video, the result is quite unexpected and confusing. The race is conducted in three rounds, which each round yielding conflicting results than the previous one. Talking about the first round, here we see that the baby Duke takes the lead and wins the race. However, the Pulsar started a bit late in this round and thus had a marginal disadvantage since the beginning.
In the second round, we see that the crown is picked up by the Bajaj Pulsar 150, although the difference in timing is very minute. Both the bike started at the same time in this round and the Pulsar took the lead halfway through the race. Also, one thing to be noticed here is that the baby Duke started to catch up with the Pulsar in the top end but the drag line is crossed by then. Had the race been longer, the result could have been different in this round. But that’s what drag racing is all about, winning in the given track length.
The last round sees riders changing the bikes. In this round, the Ktm 125 Duke gets to the finish line first but the result was extremely close. The Duke was probably a few inches ahead from the Pulsar when they cross the finish line. The overall result, therefore, is this – Duke wins two rounds, Pulsar wins one round.
How did this happen? We Explain
There were many factors involved in this race since the bikes are of almost the same calibre. As the rider later reveals in the video, one of the reasons can be the rider weight, as there was a difference of about 18-20 kg between both of them. Also, the rider expertise about launching the bike plays a crucial role in drag races, which is seen here too. In the first round, the Pulsar started a bit late which results in its defeat. In the last round with the lighter rider on the Duke, the Duke managed to win even though it didn’t have a great start. This shows rider weight also affects results in drag races.
Talking about the bikes, the KTM 125 Duke is powered by a single-cylinder, liquid-cooled 124.7 cc cylinder that generates a maximum power of 14.5 Bhp and a peak torque of 12 Nm. It is a fuel-injected engine, which makes it pretty smooth and fuel-efficient. It gets a 6-speed transmission.
The Bajaj Pulsar, on the other hand, gets powered by a 149 cc air-cooled DTS-i motor that churns out 15 Bhp of power along with 12 Nm of torque. The carbureted engine comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox.
