Duke owners don't show off - they take off !!!


Co-owners, I have a simple query, can the Duke 200 be hard break-in with semi synthetic factory provided oil ? (I have a hunch if it is possible)

Also, I feel the Duke deserves a wider and lower straight handle-bar(like the ones we find on the Suzuki GSR750)........any options ??? (I guess no one requires it, but I feel for a more muscle bike feel- its needed )

handle bar is wide enough .. lower handle bar would ruin the street fighter riding position.. i am more interested in making the bike lighter ..

Hi Dukers,

Got my DUKE last weekend.

I rode it for about 150 kms till now and is happy to report no issues at all.

@Bangalore Dukers

I got invitation for DIY meet on 12th august at 11.00 AM at Indiranagar KTM service station. Other than DIY tips , KTM guys might share update on power wear/parts. Also as said in the invitation mail , there will be a launch of new "racer-line" sticker set for DUKE.Sadly i will not be part of this meet as i will be in Chennai at that time.

So guys whoever attends this meet, Please share us the details of the meet and photos of the new "race-line" stickers.

fz handle is straight but the built quality is pathetic... still you can try..
@rohan: make the even lighter? then remove the pillion seat, mudguards, speedo and tank panels There is nothing more to strip as the bike is already naked

Guys what's the cost of the Duke's front tire in Bangalore? I am planning to change it to MRF or PSD as the stock Conti is a big let off. Also how good is the front tire...
Thanks in advance

Congratulation Mate!!!
you have got one of the currently best designed machine in India!!
Take it easy until 1000 Kilometers!
I am too keenly awaiting possession of my Duke probably this week!!

please keep us posted about your new experience with the Duke!!
cheers!! and ride safe mate!

Finally got my orange

After not much hassle and a very easy paper work I got the delivery of my KTM Duke 200 day before yesterday on Janam Ashtmi from the probiking showroom in Gurgaon.
So far trying to keep it under 5000 RMP as the rev limiter warning light is set for the same as per the advise from the showroom guy till first 800 Kms.

why 15w50 is recommended for north india , i am in Lucknow, North India and 20w50 for west of delhi and South India .


I wish to put better oil in KTM duke which comes by default with Bajaj 10000 DTSI oil .

WHY - i Changed the engine oil at 64 kms so as to remove post production particles and running in related particles at KTM service centre
They just had 10000 dtsi oil and 7100 Motul, being aware that motul is synthetic and assuming that the since the bike comes pre-filled with DTSi oil hence it will be mineral i got the DTSI refilled.

Then i came to know it is semi synthetic and hence got in confusion regarding whether to change into mineral or not as bike by default comes with Semi synthetic (which is widely believed to be just 30% synthetic ) hence it should be ideally suited best for the bike.

Then after reading your post where you recommended mineral i again decided to change it to mineral and till now was searching for mineral oil of 20w50 as recommended in KTM India Manual which came with bike.

Since after a long search i was unable to find any mineral oil of the required grade in local shops or online i posted in engine oil xbhp forum and here is the reply

Point to be noted is that he has taken reference from KTM duke 200 EU manual which can be downloaded from KTM EU website and surprisingly they clearly mention to use semi synthetic oil in bike as well as 15w50 grade!
Now i am again confused whether to go for semi or mineral, whether to go for 15w50 or 20w50, the problem with me is i while being sure otherwise regarding tech when it comes to my own bike gets confused
like i personally believe that 15w50 or 20w50 both will be fine for the bike , what i should or any duker should not fiddle with is changing viscosity at higher temp also regarding the semi verses mineral in duke i have two line of thought

one- it should be mineral as motoman as well as many sites as well as you recommend it and logic is sound

second - since all ktm's in india and EU ships with semi synthetic and assuming not even one % change oil before first service to mineral as well as looking at ktms long illustrious history of Dakar, enduro, offroads i believe they should have better knowledge about their products then us, may be the bike has tight clearance as the engine is high revving and they want little bit more slipperiness then mineral oil?
what do you say about this line of thought/

I would love to have your honest opinion about everything i have written

Please find the reply regarding engine oil below as well as the pages from KTM DUKE EU manual attached, manual can be downloaded from the website as shown as well

KTM 200 Duke - Downloads

This post below is not by me but by another xbhp member in reply to my post regarding engine oil for Duke , i have pasted here because so as it can help regarding solving my dilemma, sorry for BOLD letters , i changed it to bold as everyone is clearthat these are not my views

We all know Yamalube SS is Motul SS!! It was for the benefit of the user that I asked goto the nearest yamaha service centre.. Save the time and effort in finding Motul.

Why I say use atleast SS oils in KTM!! Read KTM's Manual once. They say use 15W50 or 10W40 grade. Also poor quality grade oils results in premature engine wear. Page 133 of KTM's manual.. find it here -
KTM 200 Duke - Downloads

And by the way which pure mineral is available in 15W50 and 10W40 grade. Please enlist here. Pulsar is promoting its own oil nothing else. KTM's engine hasnt changed between Austria and India!

Also goto page 159 of the manual!! its clearly written use "Partially Synthetic" oil.

When someone buys a 1.3 lakhs vehicle.. he should feed it a good oil costing 450 Rs. every 3000 kms. Or else sell the vehicle. Already these vehicles demand high octane fuel and we are feeding them adulterated fuel... To avoid any problems at a later stage.. Use the oils that is recommended.":

will be removing tyre hugger and tool kit .
done with first service .. changed to motul 3100gold .. total bill was 685rs (oil , oil filter , chain lube , polish & other minor consumables ).. i will again change the oil at 3500kms as the next service is at 6000kms ..
i am going to attend it today ..

Good questions.. Looking forward to the answers.. This is exactly what makes time spent on this thread, well spent

hmm... maverick1I I find the way you look at things a little strange and your post a little difficult to comprehend.Just my opinion below
1. 13 thousand or 1.3 lacs motorcycle, the owner would have bought it with his hard earned money and if he is a well educated motorcyclist he would prefer the best oil anyways.The cost of the oil being insignificant compared to the cost of the bike.

2.I have not heard of a motorcycle that requires engine oil change every 3000 KM.May be there are a few that require very frequent oil change but none in India I am aware about.Changing engine oil before the manufacturers recommended oil change interval is not required and in my observation is a waste of oil,money and damage to environment.There is a exception however, if the first service (and only in the case of a first service) is to be done lets say at 5000 KM , changing oil oil after 2000 KM in this case makes some sense.But in the case of the Duke the first service is at 1000 KM , why change oil so soon ?

3.Duke requires a 91 octane rated petrol.All petrol available in India are 91 octane except for speed 93 and 97.There are Ninjas,R1's and Busa owners in India who run on regular fuel (91 octane) and have had no problem what so ever.I doubt if any petrol station would dare to add adulterants in their outlet as this would mean revoking of their license.They do add additives which is a good thing.There are poorly maintained outlets however.But yes I know one outlet in Chennai which was closed down and was on the news for mixing some crap into the petrol to increase the volume.Just fill from a company owned - company operated outlet or a busy outlet in the city. An extract from my previous post for your reference

A. A lower-performance engine will not generally perform better with high-octane fuel, since the compression ratio is fixed by the engine design.
B. Higher RON levels does not produce more power – it’s only safer.
C. RON ratings are not quality ratings.
D. If your bike only requires RON 91, higher RON petrol rating is only a waste of your money!

4.Yes, stick with the engine oil recommended by the manufacturer (Bajaj DTS-i 10,000 or Motul 7100 20W50).

Sir please reduce the font size and avoid the bold, you will get a reply for your question.Thank you.Bytheway why do you want it to be faster compared to another bike ? Did you just renew your life insurance ?

No........the Duke 200 is only a bit slower, and costs less by a margin also weighs less by a significant margin.

So, the Duke 200 is at par with the CBR250R performance on a daily ride basis.

One thing should everyone know, Duke 200 maybe a bit slower but the CBR cannot out run it ever in India.....................Outside India, in Europe or America, everything else would outrun both of these bikes though

anyday it is faster than the cbr till its top speed after which the cbr goes past in top speed its cbr... Other than top speed everything better in duke...
@mach: i felt duke accelerates faster than the cbr till around 125 after which cbr just flies past...

By specs and on paper it is not, I hope u have noted that I said Duke 200 is at par in performance with the CBR on a day to day ride basis.

Obviously it again boils down to the rider how he rides it.I for my part have rode high speed rides with the CBR250R with just my GS150R so now when I am having the Duke 200, guess I am going to be the faster guy.

Also, CBR250R do not exactly flies past the Duke 200 after 125kmph............It is becoz, both bikes get to the 130-135 quickly.........then the KTM tries to go faster where in it gets hacked by the damned rev limiter and the CBR 250R slowly edges ahead.Becoz CBR250R is slower after 135 kmph itself and takes substantial time to reach 145-150kmph and some distance, which is again narrowed down by some highway truck or car traffic and the Duke chases down without any effort.

So have I told, CBR250R cannot outrun the Duke 200 atleast not in our country.