The ’youth’ getting into biking today are missing out on two-strokes and no matter how good the latest crop of four-strokes are becoming, the power delivery, noise and smokeyness of my TZR125 personified my late teens perfectly: I’d spend hours making a racket and burning two-stroke down countless country lanes, getting shouted at by walkers, getting it wrong on many occasion and steering clear of hedges. But only just.
There, I just thought I’d get that off my chest. I’m not sure the current crop of small-capacity four-strokes evoke that same sense of mischief and adventure. Does that change with the 200 Duke?
The 200 Duke enters the woefully under-populated sub-300cc market with all the subtlety a bright orange, sharp-edged aggressive looking bike bearing a massive DUKE across the tank can muster. Just look at it, I think it looks awesome.
The 200 Duke is almost identical to the 125 Duke; the same chassis, same everything it’s just the engine that’s different. The 200cc engine has a 72mm bore compared to the 125’s 58mm and a 49mm stroke, just 2mm longer than the 125. With a setup like that, you know it’s going to rev and rev.
Just like the 125 Duke, the 200 is made in India, then quality-checked at KTM’s production plant in Austria before being unleashed on European dealers. Its quality and finish is every bit ’Western’ and there are only a couple of hints of its Indian roots - I’ll touch on those later.
From six foot away, it looks every bit the big bike, it has a solid stance - the beefy forks, angled tank and intricate swingarm distract you from the tiny motor hidden within.
That changes slightly when you sit on it. It’s got that flick-between-your-legs feel of my RS250 and with both feet firmly on the floor I’ve got plenty of control of its 135kg wet weight.
The view ahead is very KTM, again you’d think you were on a 690 Duke, the switchgear is almost identical, the bars and top yoke are KTM branded and the clocks glow - predictably - orange on start-up.
At just under 6ft, the 200 Duke suits my frame well. You feel like you’re dominating a small bike but, importantly, you don’t feel cramped. The angled tank adds to the feeling of being in control, my thighs slot under the tanks ’wings’ meaning I can keep a looser grip on the bars.
On the go, the 200 Duke doesn’t struggle to march through the gears, it has plenty of drive low-down, especially considering its size, but it really likes to rev, peaking at 10, 500rpm. It feels like you’ve got a box of 10 gears all with a very similar ratio. Pulling out of a T-junction and getting up to the NSL, you feed in gear after gear without noticing a great deal of change in the engine note but it isn’t shy about racking up the speed.
Now for the important stuff: the 200 Duke bounces off the limiter in 6th at an indicated 85mph ( but you’ll need to have your chin on the tank and bum on the pillion seat) .
An 85mph ( indicated) top-end is respectable but 1st gear tops out at 28mph, so 2nd to 5th cover 30mph to 70mph. Perhaps I’m too used to litre-class sportsbikes that have a good 40mph between gears, but the ratios on the 200 Duke feel as tightly packed as Dawn French’s corset.
Final drive is 14: 43 and I reckon 15: 43 would make a decent difference. Let’s be honest, you’re going to spend most of your time on the 200 Duke trying to get north of 60mph - especially if your commute involves dual carriageways and at 70mph in top, I start to feel sorry for the hard-working single piston and at 85mph I would have forgiven it had it made a bid for freedom. Running a slightly taller gearing might mean you can get over 90mph but more importantly it means you can carry 70mph without feeling like you’re maxing-out the motor.
Now, I have to admit I’ve never heard of MRF, but these are the Indian-spec tyres that come on the 200 Duke. Even the man from KTM raised his eyebrows when he mentioned them. I took it easy at first, but they didn’t give any bad feedback even when giving them 17-year-ol