looks awesome ...i want it to get that color ..i have even seen some exhaust pipes turn purple ... even that looks supercool ...

fresh from the dealer, the header color was already golden (probably got the color from the QC / dyno before the distribution)

yep, it looks awesome..
you can get a bit of purple near where the header starts (near the engine)
because stainless steel needs very high temperature to turn its color to blue/purple.. so you can't have all the header to be blue/purple

but........
if you change your header with TITANIUM..
bro, you'll get that beautiful color

see attachment

My first ride experience of the KTM Duke 200

Yesterday I had a wonderful after noon at the KTM outlet of our city.

Since I am on my way of finalizing the purchase of this tremendous machine in early August..........I made a comprehensive test riding of the Duke 200 today and this bike reminded me of one bike which I used to ride years ago and that thrill and sense of hooliganism was absent in any Indian made bike till now.

The KTM Duke 200 in 2012 is what was the Suzuki Shogun in the 1995 and the Duke200 is better, sharper, more refined and safer.........but the sense of hooliganism is the same.

The test ride was a rather long one, which a lucky me got since one of my biker buddies holds a position in the Probiking payrolls.

The route covered, extensive city riding(cutting through traffic, riding on footpaths, stop and go traffic, walking speed riding),some corners of the outskirts of the city and bit of highway bombing........so it was an all out riding on just a test Duke200 which in the words of the showroom- "never had any run-in and has been dropped by customers and also moderately maintained"

So how was the Duke 200 ?

In one line - the best of biking........
It is the only bike perhaps at this budget which gives undiluted performance like a fast 2-stroke at the refinement levels of an ultra-refined 4-stroke.

For myself, it has the killer punch of the Suzuki Shogun and the refinement level of the Suzuki GS150R.........since I have owned this two bikes, I can relate this to them fully.Both refinement and power in one package.

The ride :

I hopped on the test bike which stood tall at 810mm seat height with a small me at only 5ft 4 inches.But anyway, this never mattered to me as I am used to riding heavier bikes with similar seat heights.But the light weight of this bike is what I do need for my daily commuting purpose.

The pillion was my Biker buddy and Probiking employee, who weighs around 89kgs........ great !!- isn't it.
Started the bike, and it felt like another refined bike from the Japs.....and then rolled onto the street slowly(riding this for the first time !!).Took a bit of road to adjust to the footpegs,handlebar and braking and then I was all set.Made a slow roll-on,joined the traffic, and hit redlight(traffic-I mean ).......the stability of this bike is inspiring,I balanced it without any foot down at 3kms per hour with the heavy pillion and the snatchy fuel injection which seemed to cut off if the revs are too low.But I love playing with snatchy fuel injection from my experience abroad S1000RR in Europe and my Skoda Laura TDi in India- I think this a nature which can be found on any good vehicle of European build be it Ducati,Trimuph or BMW.This cannot be found on Japanese bikes and bikes built using Japanses know-how.So I guess this thing is new to many bikers who used to ride Indian and Japanese bikes before.......Anyway.

With this snatchy Fi, at walking speeds, when the engine wants to rest, I revved up- its Europe in Indian roads , buses, taxis, other motorcycles-all eyes pour out - I loved the attention.Then just as the red light turned green, I thought I would rev up and go.......but no, let me roll-on.Well - even without reving up, it comfortably made a respectable distance from the traffic with two persons having a combined weight of almost 165kgs.......now that is what is called power.

Now,by the time I was done with respect, I wanted to go sporty at the first sight of corners and chicanes on our way to highway.........well I got in and out effortlessly at break neck speeds - what a feedback......this is as sporty as it gets and I seriously did not feel this on any monoshock bikes in India till date and that too with a pillion that heavy !!!

The rest of the test ride is dedicated to all-out acceleration...........I am assured, that while any other 150cc,200cc and 250cc would have struggled with the combined weight of the passengers- the Duke 200 went about flawlessly in terms of acceleration.Did the 0-60 at sub 4 secs, hit the ton in sub 10 secs as usual.

But then the most wonderful thing I found out - if by chance...I have to slow down while accelerating and I am in higher gears- unbelievably on re-accelerating in 3rd and 4th the bike had the feeling of being in second gear on most other bikes till 250cc...........a superbike trait I would say. So, for most of the time, I forgot I had to downshift or I did not downshift since I was so comfortable !!!!

Anyway, we passed many bikes going over the ton and out accelerated a Mercedes E-class among other things..............fast, planted and no vibrations at all............massive quality this bike has.

So, it was time to return the test vehicle- headed towards the showroom, well accelerated towards it Then sent the afternoon office crowd on high alert by revving furiously and as they watched us, we rode into the posh KTM-Kawasaki showroom in the posh trade center of our city............for once I felt, as if I am a celeb biker

The Duke200 is fully an European bike.........it is undiluted, it is refined, it is rev happy, it is sharp and I dare say, despite all that loud orange, it is classic.All these from just riding a test bike - God knows how I would feel when I own one next month.Everday would be a new day, from run-in to extensive tours and from night riding to city hooliganism,somehow I am sure that this bike is going to change my commuting experience forever.

Two things which I frankly failed to accept on this bike :
1.The handlebar on the test bike seemed to me like that of a Splendour, it is too close to my body.
2.The horn came up from some mid nineties moped it seemed.
I would personalize both these things on my own ride.........I simply cannot accept these on a bike this good.

Enough of happiness sharing and now on to the pictures of the test bike :


My current bike is the GS150R, the Duke is the test bike.


Just a matter of time - to be phased out GS150R and to be inducted Duke 200.

P.S. A couple of new owners rode out their new Dukes like an Enfield bullet and with truckloads of attitude and we rode past them and disappeared like a Suzuki GSR750 even after we had started 15 minutes later well, if run-in is an excuse - then we just gave them the glimpse of the potential of their new rides, congraz to them as well

I started for Leh yesterday from Jammu, but unfortunately I had to abandon the trip at Srinagar because the oil seal of the right fork broke and came off completely, and there was no way of repairing it in Srinagar. Let's see KTM's attitude towards this, and whether they honor their warranty. Will post the picture tomorrow.

Though they will repair it/ replace it under warranty. The consequential damage to you - "Cancelling of Trip" is not repairable. Please share the pics & let us know how they respond to your case.

@ stanley - your 2nd point is right ..

Man you call this a test ride
Its like taking the bike of ur close friend for a day or half, so as to see how comfortable you are on the bike...... It really was a extensive one.
BTW very nice review.
But what about the heating issue? Cant find any mention of that.

If you somehow plan to change your handle bar, please keep me in mind
I might offer u to exchange it with split handlebars of200NS, if I buy 1

Anybody pls mention the framk mileage u get out of duke plsssssssssssssssssssssssss

It's because of the profile of the tire.

Coolant overflow is there so that if the coolant expands so much due to excess heat that it could overflow then there is a way to allow it to do so. It saves any potential damage to the system as well as the rider. The coolant only overflows if the quantity is more than needed and the engine is so hot that it expands to a volume more than the cooling system was capable of storing.

Generally coolant overflows only if kept close to the Max position(level measured when cold) and engine temp is maybe 1 bar short of the break/cutoff zone.

It's hardly pillion friendly unless the pillion is super slim model like GFs . For everyone else it's OK unless you are on a long tour. But it's simply not possible for someone to sit on the rear seat with Saree because it only have rear footpegs and not left side footrest.

You are right. It's completely normal. and never topup before it touches the MIN mark during engine cold situation.

It's just the engine heat. As this is a naked bike so during rain the water sprinkled over the engine vaporizes and creates an impression of smoke.

Nice pics with great color contrast.

One of the best pics that could be captured of Duke.

Comments in BOLD.

They will surely honor the warranty unless it's an accidental case. So don't worry. But do post the pics and share your feedback.

The bike performed really well and I enjoyed the ride very much, then all joy was sucked out of me. I was advised by a couple of my friends to go on a bullet,since it can be repaired anywhere. Now I am confused which bike I want to take on my second attempt in a few weeks.

hey guys I m new to this thread , my ktm is 3 months old and just get it(2nd)serviced yesterday but the bike is not responding well after 115 kmph , it takes a lot of time to reach 125+, even when I tried to roll it on downside of a bridge it didn't show any chances of getting over 130, chain tension is fine, everything is fine in the bike but I don't know how many horses have gone to sleep out of 25,,,,,

Duke is different in public choice

Friends,

When ever i go thorugh this thread i see some or the other person complaining of this "went off", "that happened", "This issue", "that issue!".

But still Duke is the favourite of all wow!!

People are spending 1.37L for this Duke and there are so many complains!! What is the reason, even after so many months of launch!! still there are some or the other niggles!!
But hats off to you all owners for your positive responses on Duke!!!
A very nice machine but i guess why not a 100% satisified every customer!!!

It could be something to do with fuel. Which kind of fuel are you using? I'd recommend you try hitting the top with a good unadulterated fuel like shell. Have you tried hitting the top end before? If you have not attempted in your bike for 6000 kms this tends to happen. Try it a couple more times. I think it should not be problem at all. I have managed to hit 139 kpmh (Speedo) with just 2K on the Odo.


The reason is very simple bro.. The guys who have had problems are cribbing over here and the rest are out on the road enjoying their ride. And some people are just overly paranoid.
There are plenty of Duke owners I've met and know for a fact that they have no issues with their bikes. I can safely vouch for atleast 25 Dukes in Bangalore.
The bike is not entirely maintenance free nor is it a huge maintenance whore. Well, I guess all bikes need a little TLC.

Frankly the greatest problems I've actually seen in all my visits to the SVC has been crashed/dropped bikes. And most of them rider errors.

OT- I did finally get the R15 also. Thanks for your help.

I have been watching this thread quietly as I am trying to decide on the next bike that I wish to buy. I am confused cuz a lot of people have reported issues.

@ Rohan - hope you are watching the comments above.

I had a similar issue with my duke some time back. They replaced the oil seal in warranty. the seal cost was around 380Rs. My bikes seal had a small tear could say a hairline crack. I went to service center ready to argue that it should be done in warranty etc, but the service manager just took the bike in and said that it will be replaced in warranty without me saying a word.

I am one of those duker's that had couple of problem. My front fork had a leak and had a leak from engine.
All the problems are taken care by the service promptly and the important thing is the enjoyment that you get out of riding this bike is immense. Because of this you wouldn't mid the occasional problems that crop up.

Some of the Pros Of Duke:
The stability of duke is awesome, even if rear tire locks up(which has happened to me only once in 5000km riding) it is very easy to regain control.

Corner craving is just too easy with the round profile 150 rear tire.

Most of the times you feel the rest of the traffic is standing still and you are the only one moving - the bike has enough power to be the top dog on Indian roads.

The front brakes are well 'awesome' but about the rear brake well the rear brake is not so great but the engine braking compensates for it very well.

The suspension is also great whether it is on smooth tarmac or typical Indian road (I call them semi off road tracks - I have to tackle 5km of these every day to office)

The riding posture is very good, the leg position is such that in case you go into a turn too quickly and have to brake, you could just extend your leg towards the road and hit the brakes - mx style. I find this very useful when people cut in front of me in mid turn and have to brake hard.

Some cons:
The seat will break your bottom
The horn - not so good
The mirrors - kinda useless
Grips are like a porcupine piercing through your palms - If you buy duke gloves are mandatory
The gear shift can be hard some times ( I am still on mineral oil - this could be one reason for hard shifts on my bike)
The chains get really dirty and asc people never clean them properly. (You need to open the front sprocket cover and clean that area as there will be lot of gunk accumulated there.