Solo Ride on my Duke

I Just did my very first solo ride of 898(Pune-Bangalore) kms on my Duke. A lifetime experience that is for me. Its just hard to find flaws in this bike apart from comfortability . I am just in love with my bike like more than ever.

No Josh, no noises now. The chain noise was something I was totally annoyed with and that's gone now. Thank God. I asked the mech to check tha tappet noise as per standard checkup during 3rd service. The mech told me " NO NEED". I didn't persue it further. The only thing unusual I find with the bike is a kind of coughing sound given by the exhaust when I change gear from 4th from 3rd. Probablyu a tuning issue. No clue. Everything running smooth at the moment.
I had to ride to Bandra(Mount Mari church) and I did feel a very slight drop in acceleration. But probably it's my head playing games wih me.

btw I am thinking of getting a tail tidy? Have you checked out the RnG tail tidy? Any such plans ? What mods have you planned on if any ?

Good to hear that the chain noise is gone now buddy. As for future mods I too would also love to get the R&G Tail Tidy but it's just too damn expensive for me right now and to be honest a friend of mine is working on getting the existing rear fender cut and joined back where the number plate holder sits leaving just 2 holes instead of four to cut down the size and just plastic weld these two ends together so we can salvage the LED for the Licence plate. That's worth a try I'd imagine than parting with Rs.6000/-

Also when the 390 comes out I'm probably going to do a head job and plonk the 390 piston+rings+connecting rod+and bearings in there to make the most out of my bike albeit with stock ECU settings. I wouldn't advise an ECU upgrade as it's only apparent when you hit the top speeds really not worth the money you pay for it bro.

Hi guys,

Thus is my first post in xbhp..... I actually decided to buy cbr 150r and gave a test ride... I was pretty happy and when i came out of the honda showroom, i saw some orange boards with KTM on it.. I thought WTH, I will give a test ride on duke as well... Boy oh boy... Aaaaaah...I was completely blown away... I lost my interest in cbr 150r... ended up on deciding to buy ktm duke 200...

I see some issues frequently reported in forums... If anyone of u can clear my doubts regarding that.. It will be helpful...

1. Coolant leaking
2. Fork oil leaking
3. Chain khat khat sound
4. Mileage?
5. I am 6ft high and i dint find any discomfort during test drive... (any 6 ft guys out there.. Wat abt long trips?)
6. After sales service in chennai and maintenance costs?

Please help me in understanding these points...
Anyway i am ready to make sacrifices to own my duke.... Just to get an understanding..
This forum is top notch... Keep the good work going... Cheers..

Welcome to xBhp Praveen.. my answers inline below in blue..


Hope to see you join our bandwagon soon... Take care and ride safe

Josh, the Kirus map is smoother in the entire rpm range. Also the bike feels a lot more eager to jump ahead from standstill. A lot like the good old days of the first map minus the snatchy fueling and the harshness in initial rpms. But I still feel 10K is a bit on the higher side. 6-7 K would have been ideal. But will go for it in 6-7 months' time
yeah same goes for me as far as the tail tidy is concerned. Problem is I hate 'Jugaads'. So am not gonna gut the fender eliminator. Would rather wait and save some for the tail tidy.

Regarding plonking the 390 engine, Is it possible to simply order a 390 piston cylinder kit and an engine case and just bolt it on the 200 chassis. Will it be safe to do that given that the 390 comes with a bit strengthened frame as compared to the 200 ? If it is then it's a great news as I don't think the entire engine assembly will be more than 20-30 K


Be prepared to face the fork seal leakage problem sometime in future. Especially if it rains a lot in your place. Most people I meet at the svc have had this issue. But doesn't cost a bomb and is replaced under warranty(Ok, the fork oil which also required during a fork seal replacement is treated as a consumable which is ridiculous IMO)
The chain would also make a lot of noise. To avoid this you'll have to be proactive in that you'll have to tighten the chain and lube it regularly.
But these issues can be overlooked when you consider other things the bike delivers.
So should not be a deal breaker.
My suggestion is since you had taken a test ride of the CBR 150 R, go take a ride on the 250R too. It's a nice bike. If you still feel the duke was different and awesome(which might be likely ) go for it

Hey guys I've just found that the KTM 200 Duke Valves cannot be adjusted manually. Instead you need to replace small watch cell battery shaped metal pieces called shims and to do this it requires precise calculations,to achieve the right clearances between all four valves, so I really doubt the SVC ability to do this the right way because to my knowledge they have very proudly stated that they have never had to do a valve adjustment...Idiots. Anyway anybody here know about this or has had it done on their bikes till date?

Hey Praveen and for others who currently have the below issues

1.Coolane leaking



-The coolant level should be between Min and Max level.If the coolant level is at or above the MAx level the coolant will over flow ( or ''leak'') from the coolant over-flow tube usually after the engine becomes warm or when running over bad roads with pot holes and speed breakers.

-The ideal level should between Min and Max mark or sligtly higher.

-The coolant level should be checked when holding the bike upright on a flat surface and not when it is resting on its side stand.This also applies when checking the engine oil level

-Check clamp A and B to confirm if they are tight enough.If they are loose then the coolant will leak from those regions and those clamps need to be replaced.

2.Chain noise

-The chain tension needs to be checked and the chain needs to be cleaned and lubed every 500 KM or it would cause early wear out of the chain.

-The sliders must be checked to see if they are in the right position or the chain would rub against the sliders.

-The chain links need to checked for any damage.

-The maximum life of the sprocket is about 20 K km but might require replacement after 15K Km.If you are the kind of guy who rides almost always on heavy traffic, do stunts or burn outs and things like that the sprocket will wear out sooner and eventually cause the chain to wear out as well.

-The air pressure on the tyres should be at its optimum level and the wheel alignment with the sprocket should be just right.

-Do not overly apply the lube as they will drip over the shifter and collect dirt and could cause false neutrals or the gears might get stuck occasionally.

-Lube not being properly cleaned and dripping over the shifters,causing false gears


-The siders had worn out and was rubbing againt the metal piece that holds the slider in a fixed position.I pulled out the metal piece just to show where it slides into.




-Bad chain link


Please correct me or add any other reason you are aware about.Thank you

my pimped up bike

Got duked

Hi dukers,
Took delivery of my Orange MonsTer today frm kTm showroom ,Coimbatore yesterday.....

Rided it around 130kms in 4-5.5k rpm.
It's a crowd puller man many ppl came nd enquired about its cc,mileage ,price,company.and some asked where was its silencer :P.
An old man laughed at the bike nd said 1.5L for jst a one seater
when I went into a resort to have food around 10 of them gathered around nd was admiring it .I felt woow lik a mini celebrity
Pics coming upp soooon.

Things I got to know:
The pickup was awesome ,and its exhaust note is distinct becomes even more grumbler when revved up , am addicted to its sound.
The horn is tooo feeble for this beast.
Finding neutral on this beast is fckng hard ,in all signals I was in 1st gear with clutch pulled in >
Mrf revz tyres are gr8 ..provides good traction
I didn't face any chain hitting the swingarm probs as many duke owners complained off...and also no squealing noise from the disk brakes.
Front brakes bite is lot harder than the back disks.
Suspension on the harder side ,could feel evrythng on the road like when I walk without slippers.
Seat is ok not too uncomfortable but the grips are too hard :/
MFD console looks fantastic at night

Things yet to know:
I wrongly filled the normal fuel but in showroom they told to use unleaded petrol will there b any problms?
Pls giv a short note on how to run/break in (I ride it b/w 55-70kmph most of the time)
When to &How to check nd change the engine oil?
When I rev around 5.5k the red light blinks why?is that the limit!?
Can I direct water onto the chain
Is it a o-ring chain in duke?(what's the advantage of it?)
When to chain lube and how ?
How to wash can I use soap solutions?
How to change the rear monoshck suspension settings ?
How can I know whether my bike has got d old or new ecu map ??
Where can I source cheap rim tapes?
Also pls provide me with sum Gud security solutions!

Thanks fr ur valuable info in advance.

Congratulations ! refer to the very first post on page 1 on this thread ( you are currently on page 576).Hope it helps.Take care of the bike and ride safe

Shim-under-bucket has been common on motorcycles for a couple of decades now. It's not really any more complex than screw-adjuster valves; there are no "precise calculations" that are different from those needed to properly adjust other types of valves. It's a somewhat longer process, since you have to at least estimate any shim thickness that needs to be added or subtracted to get the valves into proper adjustment before you start the process, but that's not really any more complex than using a blade-type feeler gauge to get screw adjusters set and locked properly. The nice thing about shim-under-bucket is that the valve adjustment interval is much much longer, and very often there is no actual adjustment needed even at the interval.

What a bouncer!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the info..... I will be getting duke by Jan 1st week... Any info on service costs??... I heard that chain has to be lubed every 500kms??... change of engine oil??... any comments on these...

I am not a tourer.. Just city rides... so i din think of CBR ... is duke good for daily commute ?

It was really helpful... I think i can live with these... Just need to spend time for bike...
After all if you take of ur bike... it will take care of u..

@praveen4890 next time..dont quote the whole post. Mobile users like me suffer alot if you do that :P .Sorry about the OT guys