I just came home after riding Ladakh solo on my KTM Duke and I'm pleased to report that the bike has performed flawlessly.

Power loss was evident, but it climbed the top 3 official highest motorable passes with ease.

I rode on stock tyres and was very surprised. Did endless offroading without any problems. Rode over mud/rocks/slush/loose sand/broken tarmac/ice/gravel/rain everything that you can possibly encounter and they provided sufficient traction. Yes, dual purpose would definitely be better, but stock tyres are decent enough. No wheelspins. Didn't have a fall even once while riding. Just that you'll have to have a lot of patience and be attentive.

Coolant spilled from the overflow cap twice, once while climbling zozila and once just before barlacha.

I was riding on softest possible suspension setting, still the stiffness was the ONLY pain point in the entire ride, specially on Leh-Manali highway. However, where there was good tarmac, I was scraping the footpegs and toe of my riding boots without much effort. Limited luggage carrying capacity is also problematic.

In the Karu-Tandi 330km stretch which does not have any pumps, it returned me a mileage of 43kmpl. This is the benchmark stretch, right? (Please take note that I was carrying 5/6 ltrs of extra fuel with me, just in case.)

Is Duke the perfect bike for Leh? Hardly. As someone said, impulse with 250cc and Fi and I agree. Still, Duke is a good tourer and very much Leh'able.

One quick pic. Expect logs to be posted in the tourer section very soon.

seriously then why ru going for duke do you hate faired bike that much?

@everybody - forget it guys .. i was just trying to verify the things that i spottted in this thread and it went on to hurt you people. .. i was just trying to ensure a safe buy for myself ...

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I know this post of mine is not adding much value. But, it needed to be said.

Rohan200NS - Keep your questions about both the bikes on the what bike thread you have started. I think it'll serve the purpose better and will help make both the Duke 200 and Pulsar 200NS ownership threads cleaner and more useful for all concerned.

I agree. Rohan's questions should not offend people. They do make sense. More so after he has seen a series of problems reported by many of the new Duke owners. It does raise question marks on the credibility of the bike in the future.

Rohan, you must continue to closely watch the threads and note down the number of problems that are being reported. This will help you make the right choice.

Duke owner with >2500 kms and zero problems checking in

Duker With >5500 km Zero Problems! Checking in!

And I also check in on behalf of the 25 dukers I know with zero problems.!

You're misunderstanding the purpose of an ownership thread.
We're here to discuss with other owners if any niggles we face are common to others or is it because we haven't treated the bike right or if it is a manufacturing defect. Also, if we are not happy with some aspect of the bike (performance, looks, etc.) is there a way we can modify it.

I'll give you an analogy of what you're doing. You're looking at a complaint book and saying "Holy s#$t! Every bike has a problem". Because you will find no entries like sub-zero's and starscream's above posts (Thanks for that!).

If you want to find out how a bike is in relation to another, look at a comparision test.
If you want to find out about the long-term reliability of a bike, wait till it is in the market for a couple of years and then judge it.
An ownership thread is not the place for it. Heck! Even we don't know the long-term reliability of the bike, only time will tell.

@Rohan
We do not get an additional free service from KTM for recommending the bike. Nor do we gain in any other way from seeing more Dukes on the road. We were trying to tell you that you are over-reacting based on what you saw in the ownership thread. In the end, if you still have doubts do not go for the Duke (there goes my free service!!), you won't have a pleasant ownership experience.

PS: I have completed >4k kms with zero "manufacturing defects" cropping up.

Greetings from Indonesia

I'm new to this forum, and the Duke 200 is yet to be launched in Indonesia but, it can be ordered before the launching.
My Duke 200 should be arrived tomorrow afternoon and I'm so excited
And, because my dad owns a motorcycle accessories shop here in Indonesia, I'm super excited to "mod" the Duke 200.

well, I don't hate the faired bike..
but I already own Kawasaki ER6N 2012
so I think to have a Ninja 250 will be not so exciting since I already got a the same parallel twins with bigger displacement

second reason, too much ninja 250 on the street of Indonesia I want something different

This was not due to over filling of the coolant, i haven't topped up the coolant since the bike was delivered. It was fine since the day 1. Not sure what happened to my DUKE . Left it to the service guys to find out.

Bro, even i faced coolant leak below the radiator where the hose joins the radiator. I had taken it to the asc but the issue was not rectified at that time as they did not have spares (apparently they said the clip was loose), so i had applied silicon sealant at the joint to stop the leak, which works till date.
Only problem with small problems is that necessary attention is not given at ASC.

well, I don't hate the faired bike..
but I already own Kawasaki ER6N 2012
so I think to have a Ninja 250 will be not so exciting since I already got a the same parallel twins with bigger displacement

second reason, too much ninja 250 on the street of Indonesia I want something different

Yesterday while going back home from work, I saw a duke behind me taking a left turn. To my surprise it was a SILVER GREEN duke. Couldnt have a good look at it but it was good. Similar combo as the pic attached

Yesterday did some DIY, added wire mesh(Costed 40rs) to protect radiator fins and added a mudflap(20rs) to front mud guard, Now my duke is ready for monsoons.

Wire mesh surely obstructs some air flow, but that will be less than that of caused by bent,muddy radiator fins.

and thanks to hunkofgals for the idea,

Well said Janesh, Its been 3 days till now they are yet to give me an update on this. I called them up 3 times now no updates till now. They are saying we are test riding the bike to find out . Not sure what they are doing. My worry is that, the bike has not completed Running in. If they did not take a care then that will also fall in my head . Service center is 50 kms away from my place so not able to go there since its a working day. Will update the solution once i get know about it.

Yesterday did some DIY, added wire mesh(Costed 40rs) to protect radiator fins and added a mudflap(20rs) to front mud guard, Now my duke is ready for monsoons.

Vidy, how did u attach the mudflap to front fender ? I have bolted the flap, hunkofgals had used feviquick.

I just came home after riding Ladakh solo on my KTM Duke and I'm pleased to report that the bike has performed flawlessly.

Power loss was evident, but it climbed the top 3 official highest motorable passes with ease.

Congratulations for the safe and successful trip.

Pretty impressed with your feedback about the Duke. Still one of my favorite bikes in India. looking forward to the travelog

Awesome pic man!! I am itching to go there. Lets see when the opportunity comes.
Btw how much power loss? As in Fi s are supposed to do better than carbs at altitudes right?

And did you ride all the way from kolkata or got ur bike transported to Delhi ?

Regarding the shock absorber change as someone asked : They themselves offered to. IT served their prpose. THey needed a sample to be sent to the vendor so..

Yesterday did some DIY, added wire mesh(Costed 40rs) to protect radiator fins and added a mudflap(20rs) to front mud guard, Now my duke is ready for monsoons.

Wire mesh surely obstructs some air flow, but that will be less than that of caused by bent,muddy radiator fins.

and thanks to hunkofgals for the idea,

Now, my next DIY will be shifting front number plate under headlight ,anyone did that? throw some pics ,