The KTM Duke 200 is the first of many KTM’s that will come to India via the 40% Bajaj connection. The KTM name has always been associated with the most fun motorcycles around the world be it dirt, track or street. The Duke 125 showed us how much fun a motorcycle can be and add to that top stunt men like Rok Bagoros who swear by it, this bike definitely generated a lot of attention world over. We spend some quality time with the Duke 200 and now bring to you an in-depth review of the motorcycle. So how does the KTM Duke 200 measure up in our road test? Read on.
Engine and Performance
Powered by a 200cc motor with bore x stroke of 72mm x 49mm, the Duke 200 produces enough torque & power that can give some 250cc bikes a run for their money. The short stroke engine might lead one to assume that the powerband is placed pretty high in the rev range. That, however, is not the case. You get lots of usable bottom end torque that catapults you forward with ease in pretty much any gear. Couple the short stroke the 4 valves and the DOHC(Double Over Head Cam Shafts) and you have a bike that builds revs quite quickly. The bike has a 6 speed transmission that feels slick and gears slots in without drama. We did not encounter any false neutrals either. Even after pushing the bike hard for couple of hours the engine quite happily asked for more. The maximum speed the bike did in each gear is as follows:
| 1st: 46kmph | 2nd: 62kmph|
| 3rd: 82kmph| 4th: 102kmph|
| 5th: 121kmph| 6th: 138kmph|
When you hit 10, 500 rpm, the rev limiter cuts in quite sharply; so sharply that riding at full throttle, even in 6th gear is impossible as the ECU keeps killing the power when the bike touches 138kmph. They bike definitely can go way faster. At a constant 137 kmph though, everything is fine and you can keep cruising. Increase the speed by just another 1 kmph and engine seems to be stuck deciding between delivering full power & delivering no power. That’s how sharp the cut off is. According to the on-board computer, we obtained mileage figures between 21 & 34 kmpl depending on the riding conditions and speeds. Expect no more than 22-23kmpl if you ride around the city mostly in the first 4 gears. On the highway, we obtained a decent 34kmpl while cruising in 6th.