Errr the fairings are designed under the concept of "Streamlining"
Which is why the wind blast at topspeeds doesnt destabilize the bikes.
Which is why the "R" version or "RR" version bikes are fully faired most of the time. They are meant to be driven at highspeeds. Have u ever seen a naked bike racing in MotoGP?
Have u ever noticed anyone who suffers a broken fairing continue the race?
It is not about the % of area in contact with the air, it is about the design of the vehicle's body(esp the front) in such a way that the stream of air passes through as smoothly as possible and thus offering very little resistance.

lol that unicorn comment was just a sarcastic comparison. however says wiki

i remember rajiv bajaj saying duke'll out run cbr in every aspect (offcourse a manufacture's claim) i expect duke to come closer to cbr in topspeed even if it cant beat it and 10k rpm redline at 127kms; i cant take it

Coincidently, my family owns a Unicorn too and i know its capabilities. anyways, sorry if i got it wrong. I just wanted to say that there is a difference in how the KTM would reach this speed than the other bikes. I own a CBR and i would still love to buy a Duke 200 even if its top speed is restricted. As i will be using it in the city and shorter runs (And some stunt-baazi).
I wish it doesnt dissapoint any of us. But no amount of disscusion is going to clear the speculations until the company reveals the details themselves.

.

Specs say 26 bhp @ 10,000 RPM..... And rev limiter at 10,000 RPM too!
Sounds it has a lot more potential!

With a top speed of 127km/hr for a bike costing over 1 lakhs, seems like a joke to me even if it had an accln figure of 0-100 in under 5 secs!!

Hope Bajaj/KTM doesnt falter in this aspect!!

On our 20 odd bhp desi bikes, full fairing is a state of the mind (I am fast) for "desi bikers".

For proof just have a look at the photos of the "joelled" national road racing championship winning modified Yamaha R15 "sans/without" its aerodynamic full fairing.

More than an aerodynamic full fairing, it is obviously the loss of body fat which makes our "20 odd bhp" desi bikes go faster.

I doubt the top speed is limited that much by improving acceleration. I mean bigger siblings of dukes and even other motorcycle of its type like hypermotard have super light weight, no fairings, colossal torque and yet decent top speeds too. I mean a 1,078cc, 180 kg air cooled Hypermotard is capable of 95 bhp and 103 Nm can achieve 201 km/h and a 690cc, 148kg duke makes about 72 bhp does about 190km/h then why cant 200 do at least 140km/h?

What's the issue going on with the top speed? This kinda bike is not really for those who're looking for top end. You want top end, go for sports bikes. Who ever asks what's the top end of a 250cc dirt bike? usually no one..cos they are not made for that. Its the same for these bikes.
It's like asking a high jumper "how far can you jump?" obviously there is a logical answer to it, but he might have never tried it or might have not recorded it because he doesn't train for that.
As far as fun in the city is concerned, with the 200cc/25bhp engine I'm sure it would have awesome acceleration due to short gearing. which could be one of the reason of its limited top end.

The naked's or supermoto bikes are never made keeping top end in mind. for me this bike satisfies all conditions for being what it is.
with USD forks, terellis frame, fat tyres, digital console, wide handle bars, six gears to go through, Dirt type sitting posture, and 200cc/25bhp engine with rev limit near 10K is more than enough for that "fun in the city" type bike. At least for me it is.
more over, bajaj says it would have mileage near 33-34kmpl, and real time mileage indicator makes this an all round bike for me to keep to ride through daily city traffic

Its not a dirt bike.

You only shed weight if u want the bike to be "Quicker" around the track. Not "faster" on a straightline speed.
I think you should pm Joel about it. Only he will know why he's shed the fairings for the race and my reason could be logically correct.

If i had to take a guess the bike is setup biased towards acceleration rather than topspeed. Also the R15 wasnt meant to be a complete sports package. It was designed as a road friendly everyday commuter + occasional track tool. It had its limitations with kerb weight being a factor and the 150cc mil being another. For a stock bike race it is perfect but knowing Joel and the race he gets into, that bike is far from stock?.

The R15 stands nowhere compared to the 125cc motogp bikes which are built with just one purpose of being the ultimate track tool. Ever wondered why those bikes are fully faired?
Those bikes do about 220+kmph. The engine+transmission is powerful enough so there is no need to shed any weight. And inorder to maintain stability at those speeds, they are fully faired.

Similarly the KTM is not advertised as a sports bike. Theyre advertised as stunt bikes. Topspeed doesnt matter here = Naked
the CBR is a sports tourer> Topspeed not important but highspeed stability is. = Fairing
the Ninja is a sports bike > Topspeed is important aswell as highspeed stability = Fairing

Why did I know some one somewhere is going to point out that I'm wrong?

But that's my mistake..what I meant to say is..."for eg.- who ever asks for the top speed of a dirt bike?"

I'm not referring the duke 200 to be a dirt bike. I guess I should have not used a bike as an eg. to clear doubt about another bike. My bad.

I hope we're clear on this.

do we need fairing for a 200cc bike with quality shocks, chassis & tires to do 140-145 kms/hr? you might have heard of the duke 350 coming sharing same cycle parts. do you think it'll not go further 130kms?

Change the gearing and take it to 145(though its not as simple as said). If 6th gear runs at 10K rpm, you might be over 145

Your Answer.

KTM is most likely to be as fast as the R15 and will definitely be "quicker" off the mark to 60mph
Fuel efficiency is also a factor for the Indian Market

[QUOTE=Nithesh;742522]Similarly the KTM is not advertised as a sports bike. Theyre advertised as stunt bikes. Topspeed doesnt matter here = Naked

all i was saying is the absence of faring cant be said as the reason behind the inferior 127km/h at 10k rpm topspeed
that article didn't looked genuine to me
peak power and rev limiter kickin at same 10krpm?
yup the naked siblings are inferior to its fared versions in topspeed to gain that street friendliness but cant this much
i simply cant take that 127kms topspeed