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**arjun bharadwaj** · 12-08-2011, 04:57 PM

about the comparison between cruisers and street bikes,it's not right to compare because both are made with different purposes.street bikes are made light with better maneuverability and are more modern generally.but cruisers are made to be carpets on wheels to just travel in comfort for those not in a hurry

and ktm 200 seems to be an extremely compact and sturdy bike for the streets and winding roads alike.as for the top speeds,i dont think the top speeds displayed while riding a 220 or an r15 are accurate and there is usually some error and in my opinion the top speeds of these machines dont matter because anyway we cant maintain such speeds for long durations without straining the engine.around 85-110 may be ok for these bikes.strictly my opinion.for higher speeds on the highway it may be better to opt for a 650cc bike.

**kantu** · 12-08-2011, 05:03 PM

Originally posted by The One

For now, Duke at 1.5lac, I am sold.

Hope its around same figures in blore

**bigron** · 12-08-2011, 05:07 PM

What a splendid piece of machinery. This i would call a complete package. Looks the part , has the grunt and should handle well. Give us decent A.S.S at reasonable cost and we are a happy bunch. Add-ons are always expensive when sold by the manufacturer themselves be it KTM , or Bajaj or any other manufacturer. Now coming to the topic of top speed. Comparing an ability of a bike with regards to its top speed is like hiring a hooker for her cooking capabilities. Having said this , the bike has ample top end grunt for indian riding conditions. Let the bike roll out and prospective owners give their personal verdicts. And as purely bike on bike is concerned this is a far superior product than RE even though they play in two different segments.

**yuv_biKING** · 12-08-2011, 05:10 PM

@MG: I am expecting the KTM 200 to be taller than Pulsar 220, how did you feel? I know you are tall enough for this bike but what is your opinion for people similar to my height(5.6)

**inder.cool** · 12-08-2011, 05:16 PM

Originally posted by yuv_biKING View Post

@MG: I am expecting the KTM 200 to be taller than Pulsar 220, how did you feel? I know you are tall enough for this bike but what is your opinion for people similar to my height(5.6)

He already told that for his height(5'11), its good.

**hss** · 12-08-2011, 05:17 PM

Originally posted by roshan3440 View Post

@Sunny - About you going to office on this bike - I guess it suits perfectly becoz your's is "THE XBhp office"

and not an MNC where one has to go in formals with a laptop and what not ... Not that people wont like to ride this mean orange hooliganistic machine to office

.. It will look insane good and bad .

Yeah, I also think that for some scenarios, this bike may prove to be a little too colourful. But again, may be, we'll get used to it after some time.

**Motofreak** · 12-08-2011, 05:30 PM

Great review.... When is the official launch?

**kaynmantis** · 12-08-2011, 05:32 PM

Originally posted by antz.bin View Post

...
In the same way, an R15 is better optimized for the track than a Duke/CBR/Ninja and can bring out better lap-times than what you would otherwise give it credit for.

Sorry for OT: Optimized for track? Yup. Bring out better lap times than CBR/Ninja? Not quiet. R15 couldn't catch the CBR on the track.. by a good margin(As tested by BI). In fact, it seems to be more or less on par with P220. The difference is, the R15 induces confidence as its one of the best handler. Though it lacks the juice to take advantage of its superior handling.

This obsession for top speed and expecting Duke200 to deliver on that front is seriously misplaced. Its not designed for top speed, simple as that. I find it amusing, at the same time flabbergasted by how some people can miss the "entire bike" and cannot see a magnificent product. This is equivalent to the Maruti advertisement "What's the mileage?". Only in this case, its "What's the top speed?". Sigh! we have a long way to go

.

**nav75** · 12-08-2011, 05:34 PM

Originally posted by antz.bin View Post

Why did I not include Bullets here ^^^? Take a guess

Because you have never ridden one, long enough to give your expert opinion about it.

**arjun bharadwaj** · 12-08-2011, 05:41 PM

I agree,because in my opinion people tend to forget how well this bike is put together and the quality of components when they start to compare top speeds.it can be put across like this: 'it's not about how fast it goes,but about how well it goes at whatever speed it goes'

**antz.bin** · 12-08-2011, 05:48 PM

Originally posted by kaynmantis View Post

Sorry for OT: Optimized for track? Yup. Bring out better lap times than CBR/Ninja? Not quiet. R15 couldn't catch the CBR on the track.. by a good margin(As tested by BI). In fact, it seems to be more or less on par with P220. The difference is, the R15 induces confidence as its one of the best handler. Though it lacks the juice to take advantage of its superior handling.

Re-read what you quoted. I have never written that it is faster than Ninja/CBR. What I wrote was 'R15 can bring out better lap-times than what you would otherwise give it credit for.'

Originally posted by nav75 View Post

Because you have never ridden one, long enough to give your expert opinion about it.

Absolutely Correct!!!

**sumit512** · 12-08-2011, 05:54 PM

Originally posted by coolrahul View Post

Brilliant article....I seriously dont know if I have done a mistake to buy Honda CBR250R ABS recently?????????

Felt same

. If this will come with ABS in future then I have certainly made the worst mistake of my life

**shreeda** · 12-08-2011, 06:00 PM

Excellent review guys! This bike is just wow. < drool >

Honestly I don't care about top speed. It's more important how quickly it achieves those speeds of 130 odd kmph. Also, if you are touring in India what you need more is good mid range power as this will help in easy overtakng, which evidently the baby Duke has.

PS: This is purely my opinion, no need to come revving at me

**vineeth10** · 12-08-2011, 06:06 PM

Kudos to the 1st DUKE

**shamanthnv** · 12-08-2011, 06:11 PM

This very much looks like my next bike! Time to sell my FZ-S

2010	The Southern Sojourn, ISG2G - Yercaud
2011	The Megha Maharashtra Monsoon ride
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KTM Duke 200 Review: xBhp's detailed ride report

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