Well Nikhil! There are superior beings on the road who can achieve the feat of looking back at 130+"





Surprising How people are ready to scarifice their safety and the safety of people around! You take off rear view mirrors just because you dont have a cover that fits it?? That is commendable!
A lot of people think that rear view mirrors have no actual use, I once heard a person who told that rear view mirrors hinders his vision and a full face helmet blocks his view!
What is lacking here in India is awareness, people think rules exist for the sake of it. No wonder Indian roads are unsafe when it is populated by such idiots who just ignore basic thumb rules.
God save us all!

Actually, yes, every single time I changed lanes on US interstate highways, at about 130km/h. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation teaches this as the correct method before changing lanes: check mirror, glance over shoulder and begin lane change. When pulling away from a stop at the side of the road, same drill: check mirror, look over shoulder, then begin pulling out onto the road (use additional mirror checks to estimate approach speed of any oncoming traffic as you accelerate).

Point being, you need *both* to ride safely. Never remove the mirrors from your bike, and always look before you go.

Exactly bro.. I wish there was a small theory course/test for people to atleast go through before becoming members of XBHP. I thought Xbhp supported safe riding and all xbhpians at least do the basics right. But apparently this lacking.



This is exactly what I was trying to communicate. Let me put this more clearly for the benefit of others.. Looking into your mirrors is better than having to turn your head around. This would save you time and keep your focus on the road.
And I have never removed mirrors on any of my bikes..

On an other note, I happened to meet Rohan200NS on the road today on my way back from work!!!
Again, No mirrors and no front number plate..

Rohan bro wish I could have actually spoken to you properly at length and advised you to install your mirrors. Although I did recommend you buy some good gear.
Get a better helmet as soon as possible (Vega motocross is just a show piece and I'm pretty sure your head would not be protected. The other gear you can buy one after the other. With regards to the helmet and gears , please go to the Helmet thread and riding gear thread for more info.

http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/universa...rs-thread.html

hey congrats on your purchase bro, i've been to deewan's service station at okhla, i must say it is amazingly huge, they even have a dyno run but that doesnt show torque or bhp, ktm's are serviced on the 1st floor, mr. ranjan is service rep. over there and he is is very helpful and courteous and a good listener as well.Experience was way too better that i had at kirti nagar svc on my 1st service

KTM's Duke 200 now in UK dealers

KTM's Duke 200 now in UK dealers - Motorcycle news: New bikes - Visordown

This is exactly what I was trying to communicate. Let me put this more clearly for the benefit of others.. Looking into your mirrors is better than having to turn your head around. This would save you time and keep your focus on the road.

No the indian spec bike get 25bhp. I think the Indian models were detuned to allow 91 octane petrol. The Uk model would be 95 octane.

That is incorrect. It is *not* better to use mirrors than to turn your head. It will not save you appreciable amounts of time, and will actually prevent you from properly creating the mental image of the road around you that is essential to safe riding. Mirrors cannot take the place of your own eyes, because it is much more difficult to judge distance using the mirrors. You check the mirrors first, to see if it looks like there is a gap in traffic to pull into, then when you see one, the look over the shoulder fixes the size of the gap and the positions of the other vehicles around you in your mind, then subsequent mirror-checks serve to keep your mental image updated as you pull into that gap you saw. As a second note, and at the risk of straying even further from owning a Duke, those who remove their mirrors, in my experience, seem to forget entirely about anything behind them, so they don't look around either.

KTM's Duke 200 now in UK dealers

KTM's Duke 200 now in UK dealers - Motorcycle news: New bikes - Visordown

On an other note, I happened to meet Rohan200NS on the road today on my way back from work!!!
Again, No mirrors and no front number plate..

Rohan bro wish I could have actually spoken to you properly at length and advised you to install your mirrors. Although I did recommend you buy some good gear.
Get a better helmet as soon as possible (Vega motocross is just a show piece and I'm pretty sure your head would not be protected. The other gear you can buy one after the other. With regards to the helmet and gears , please go to the Helmet thread and riding gear thread for more info.

http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/universa...rs-thread.html

and rohan has been hounded again here in xbhp
On a serious note, Rohan bhai!! reinstall your mirrors. I actually think the bike looks complete with them.

Another pic of my Duke 200

Now, with DbKiller Off
Still finding times to make the exhaust bracket


By the way, I installed Bikers' Bar-End ( originaly made for CBR150 )
Theoretically, It absorbs vibration so, making the handle bar less-vibe
I'll post the zoomed in photos..

My Duke's engine seems stiff whenever I take it out in the morning..
I keep the engine on for about 30 seconds to warm it up but still it is the same and the acceleration is stuttering and not uniform for quite a while..

Since the bike gets very dirty in the rain.. does the dirt affect the chain lubrication???

Should the chian be lubed after every dirty encounter in the street???

I cant seem to place the reason for the stiffness in the engine

how often do you recommend I lube the chain...

SVC guys asked me to lube it every 500 kms but i find the chain gritty within 250 kms of lubing..

i got my duke on monday ( afternoon ) and i have just kept on riding it ..
some observations by me :-
pros -
-- acceleration is ballistic even though i havent breached 6000rpm
-- brakes are amazing ..
-- tyres are superb .. never lost grip even after a couple of sudden stops from 70kmph. --- Dry grip is OK but still they don't justify the Braking prowess, Wet grip is not very good. Once you'll check Pirreli or Michelin, you'll see the difference.
-- exhaust note is superb .. people recognize duke by its exhaust note from quite a far distance by not even looking at it ..
-- console is always showing 44,46,51 kmpl after every ride .. once it showed 28kmpl during traffic jam .. It can show 28 or even 18. Once you start the Bike from fresh and ride it for some 800 mtrs in low speed and low gear you can see this.
-- the console was displaying low fuel warning when i took the delivery but it was also showing 44kms to empty ( it kept on increasing as i rode ).. i rode it for 25kms to shell fuel station and filled up for 500rs .. i have totally clocked 250kms and still it displays 2 bars above the E mark ..i think the city mileage is somewhere in the range of 40-45 kmpl .. The Kms to empty increases or decreases depending on your riding style and duration of riding.
-- note that i havent taken any extra care to extract good mileage ..
-- engine heat always remained 2 bars below H mark .. radiator fan never came on .. it is pretty cool here in bangalore ..
-- i just love the riding position .. feels like it is tailor made for me ..
-- headlight is powerful and beam spread is very good..
-- gear shifts are super smooth and it is very easy to find neutral from 1st.. It won't be that butter smooth in the future and maybe from 20% - 50% of the time you'll land from 1st to 2nd gear instead of getting the neutral. But that's never a showstopper.
-- i got feedback from all my male and female friends that the rear seat is way better than that of my previous bike ( fz16 )...they told that it is scary to sit behind coz they get to feel a lot of power while accelerating .. pillion riders must always hold the rider or else they will fall backwards while accelerating..
-- i got rid of the front number plate and saree guard .. now it looks better..
-- it is an attention grabber on the streets .. everybody give it a stare ...

cons :-
-- horn is very bad for this bike ..
-- loose cables under the console make some noise when i ride on a road hump.. i shall get it rectified during first service .. it is not irritating ...i think they need to fasten it up with some tape ..
-- this bike should not be ridden below 2000rpm ...
-- this bike cant be ridden slowly .. Why? I had to ride it slowly during busy morning traffic and once I cross through a market(actually a Sabzi Bazaar) and I do it nicely.
-- the rear suspension needs to be stiffer for me .. i will get it set for a harder position ..
-- parking this bike is a problem .. people gather around it and try to take pics by standing next to it .. cant leave it unattended ..
-- i cleaned the bike twice and it took me around 2 hours to clean it both the times .. most of its parts were cleaned with tooth brush...requires a lot of patience.. True, because it's a naked one.
-- mirrors are almost useless as the wide handle bar makes our arm protrude outwards and then 60% of the mirror area only shows our arms and shoulders.. Why??? I now use them properly and can see through 80% - 90% mirror area. You just need to adjust it properly and/or make a few bolts loosen and tighten.

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thx mate .. every bike behaves differently when ridden at low revs .. since duke is a short stroke and fi bike ,, it starts jerking below 2000rpm .. my fz used to smoothly die out without giving any feeling of stalling ( that was fz characteristic ) ..
we are not supposed to ride duke below 2000rpm .. i learnt very quickly after it jerked for the first time .. i always keep it above 3000rpm .. stalling in duke is rider error ( as far as i know till now ) .. this is my third bike so i dont have any problems in traffic .. the bike feels light and seems to be perfect for me ..more pics will come soon .. busy riding now ..

It never jerks in normal condition Bro. It only jerks when the air filter is dirty or the cables need adjustment. Also you need to be careful with the throttle.
................ i tried adjusting the mirrors but i was unable to find the perfect angle .. i can mostly see only my arms and shoulders occupying 60% of the mirror area..i have always taken off the mirrors on all my previous bikes ,, i think i will take it off this time as well.. i will put it back on during a highway ride ..

yes ,, you are right .. i used to turn around to look behind .. but i got used to that ..one more reason to take off the mirrors is that ,, the bike cover which i have bought doesnt fit with mirrors on ...

I also preferred Duke over NS. Read cleanly bro.

Also stated 3 spark plugs is the only advantage NS has over Duke. (Definately more spark plugs -> to increase life time in combustion) Sources: Everywhere, just browse through.
...............

KTM's Duke 200 now in UK dealers

KTM's Duke 200 now in UK dealers - Motorcycle news: New bikes - Visordown

i desperately need to get a new helmet .. my current helmet is absolutely useless as it doesnt protect me from dust and it tends to lift up at high speeds .. i enquired about ls2 helmets at jc road today .. they quoted around 2.5k for ls2 design helmet and told me to come back this weekend as they are getting special orange-black color helmets for dukers..
i shall buy riding jacket after buying helmet.. i shall put back the mirrors tomorrow ..