[fz_rider]

Just came back from a short TD . The bike has really good finish and the orange colour grabbed a lot of eyeballs . To start with, the riding position is pretty upright , totally different from the other offerings. The riding position is pretty comfortable and even the shorter riders wont complain. The handle bars are high. But you need time to get used to the position. Now start the bike , and you will be greeted for unusual exaust note . Good or bad , I wont comment ! You can hear the strokes clearly. Moving forward , the engine didn't feel eager of the block. Sure , it has the power, but it didn't feel torquey , which I was expecting. As the bike was new , didn't rev it hard , so couldn't comment on the way bike accelarates , rides , feels above 60 KMPH. The engine didn't feel that smooth though. You can feel the engine running, no creamy smoothness for it ! As soon as hopped back on my FZ , it felt so so smooth. Maybe it will get smoother after first service.
In all ,the bike is different ! And you can only pass a comment on it being really good or not , only after spending some time with the bike .

[a2k24]

Back from TD.
The bike is more attractive in real life, than it's pictures. As said above, finish is nice. No complaints regarding fit and finish, at least as of now (short time around it).

(Start it up) Again, as said above. A different note. Sounds different indeed.
Seating position is nice and upright. I was also concerned regarding seat height (not much tall myself. 5'6" ). Its not a problem at all, in my opinion.
Strictly speaking, this is a single rider bike. That pillion is just for shows in my opinion. But its a good thing too in my opinion .
Sadly they were not allowing TD without pillion. Which isn't a surprise.

The ride was nicely balanced. Zips through traffic with ease! Took the TD at PBK CP showroom: the inner circle is just marred with speed breakers, does not help AT ALL. 2nd round; Outer circle. The traffic was pretty darn heavy + the pillion rider + the nagging thought of taking it easy on the TD vehicle....
All in all, its not conclusive in my opinion. But still I'm pretty convinced its the best bet at this price.
Booking amount: 20K
On Road Price: 1.3Lac
Delivery time: 90 Days Officially. But you will get it in 30 days, March. 40 bikes are coming for CP showroom.

[saargoga]

Did the TD today. I think bike is pretty well built, loved the placement of foot pegs and gear its was so comfortable, had no issues in getting the sense of the bike, for the world go this was fun.
The think that I specifically took notice was that the engine though is smooth had certain subdued little thummpets type vibrations I can't explain it better than lets say FZ engine feels silk smooth.
Gears were nice in downshifting and they 'felt' while on reduction.
Look I think this is the think that will make it in the series of 'either you get it or you don't especially when its in front of you. I loved it in the pics but not so in the real avatar.
Power id good it really comes in when you are around 50 I pulled up to 99 realizing later that I did that in 6th gear so it was kind of fun.
I didn't particularly like the tyre huger it takes down the look quite a lot and the rear tyre is 'NOT' a looker would change it first thing in a costly bike like this I would expect more thought given to it.
Ride was a revelation its a mix bad not completely I was expecting and my feel is that this is not designed to be a long trip bike (ofcourse) even though I was expecting that, but since it comfortable to sit at I think it will pass on as one anyway.

Feeling: Mixed bag not sure why I would go for it! so aborting the plan, will wait for 200NS.

[Rahulkool]

TD the Ninja 250 and Duke 200 back to back today. Got disappointed buzzy engine of Ninja, was expecting more from all the hype. Didnt felt much powerful and ergonomics were also bad(its a personal thing). The moment i got on Duke 200 i had a big grin on my face. It feels much faster than Ninja, there is little thumping vibration on the bike but it isnt irritating and does not increase with rpm. It revs like crazy, i hit the rev limiter 4-5 times in 1st and 2nd gear. There is no power drop and the rev limiter cuts in. I think engine can rev upto 12k easily. After the hard riding fuel consumption was shown 31kmpl.

[Abhi_Automobile]

Mods,

Will we have an official review of the KTM? (and even for CBR250R even though it was launched a while ago). We have reviews for almost all new cars in the car review section but not for bikes. Any reason for it or is it just time constraint?

It will help people like me who are primarily car drivers but want to get back to the biking scene (or at least pick up a decent bike) after a long hiatus. I still own an Avenger but it is 'puny pseudo cruiser'. Besides I don't want to carry the image of riding a 'regular' bike anymore. So, in effect, I don't ride my bike much.

For me, it'll be a straight fight between KTM Duke200 v/s Honda CBR250R. I will not buy a pulsar irrespective of how good it is. I am not saying it is the right thing to do but I just don't want to be seen in a regular bike anymore. Saying all this keeping in mind that I can't afford a HD Iron883.

So, any official review coming?

[Sheel]

Abhi - We have plenty of ownership reviews of the CBR. The KTM can be reviewed (either by the Support Team or members themselves) once the bike is put on sale.

Yes, ownership reports are nothing like the Official Reviews, but still... Comparisons? We are yet to see a xyz vs abc thread and believe me, its more due to time limitation than anything else.

To give a gist, KTM is for commuting and CBR for touring. Manage to grab a test-ride yourself & post an impression. Shall help many. And yes, in case you wish to know anything specific about the CBR, feel free to ask me over at forums as the CBR is currently my ride and I shall try to answer your queries in as detail as I can. This is my thread BTW, you may drop a line there itself http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...pressions.html

I shall update my thread post 15th as I am a bit stuck till then & shall resume a bit of touring (if you can call 300-500kms a day) post that.

[Turbokick]

For those who have driven both KTM and CBR, one straight question : Which is quicker ?
I mean the outright performance wise?
And in terms of refinement which one is better?

[black12rr]

Originally Posted by Sheel

To give a gist, KTM is for commuting and CBR for touring. Manage to grab a test-ride yourself & post an impression. Shall help many.

common sheel , you know the bike does not matter for touring ,we have seen ppl even tour on 100cc bikes . Its more of affordablity ,service ,spare parts ,reliability that matters for a bike .
With questionable honda service and spares as we have seen till now ,KTM with bajaj service and spares would be preferred by many .

[Turbokick]

Originally Posted by black12rr

common sheel , you know the bike does not matter for touring ,we have seen ppl even tour on 100cc bikes . Its more of affordablity ,service ,spare parts ,reliability that matters for a bike .
With questionable honda service and spares as we have seen till now ,KTM with bajaj service and spares would be preferred by many .

100cc bike for touring? Its like people driving Maruti 800 claiming they don't need Safari for offroading.

Both Honda's and Bajaj's service has been questionable but yes both companies have chance now to backup their excellent products well.

[Furebo]

I heard from a company source that deliveries have started!

Can anyone confirm the same?

[xingamazon]

My friend is seriously considering KTM Dule 200, and is planning for booking one during the weekend.
I did search this thread but I am not able to find the mileage that the bike will be providing.
Can someone with confirmed source let me know what is the mileage of KTM Duke 200.

Additionally, how does it compare to the likes of Bullet and Thunderbird, given the fact that the cost are same for both the bikes

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by xingamazon

Can someone with confirmed source let me know what is the mileage of KTM Duke 200.

From the little information available with the test drives, the mileage is not yet tested/confirmed. But expect it to be in the range of 30-35kmpl as a guesstimate.

Originally Posted by xingamazon

Additionally, how does it compare to the likes of Bullet and Thunderbird, given the fact that the cost are same for both the bikes

The cost is where the similarity ends! While the KTM is a revv happy out and out street fighter, the Bulls are more relaxed. The power to weight ratio is the USP of the KTM with 25BHP and weighing only 136kgs.

[Shubz]

Originally Posted by Furebo

I heard from a company source that deliveries have started!

Can anyone confirm the same?

And where is the company source located? As in where(which city/town) did he/she say deliveries have started?

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by black12rr

common sheel , you know the bike does not matter for touring ,we have seen ppl even tour on 100cc bikes . Its more of affordablity ,service ,spare parts ,reliability that matters for a bike .
With questionable honda service and spares as we have seen till now ,KTM with bajaj service and spares would be preferred by many .

Originally Posted by Turbokick

100cc bike for touring? Its like people driving Maruti 800 claiming they don't need Safari for offroading.

Both Honda's and Bajaj's service has been questionable but yes both companies have chance now to backup their excellent products well.

Precisely. One dealer & ASC is completely different from another & hence can't be universally applied. My Honda dealer is okay & stocks spares, but this might not be the case with other place and hence we have plethora of complaints all over the world wide web.

Similarly few folks who had purchased their CBR's in the initial lot have complaints, while few folks have no complaints whatsoever. I know at least a dozen people who had the initial batched bike w/o any problems including me. Mine is a March '11 manufactured Motorcycle.

There is no iota of doubt, that Honda's are the most reliable & spares are on cheaper side as well (cheaper than the R15). I do see a bit of gaps & weld joints, but as long as they don't pose a problem, I don't look too much into it. KTM's are assembled at the BAL unit. How much would you trust this, a KTM at BAL factory? Sure on one side we have the Kawasaki and is finished amazingly well, but will KTM have as free hand? Depends... Have a look World Exclusive! KTM Duke 200 review! "From the beginning it was clear that the 200 Duke would be made for the Indian and other developing markets, where the 125 is not so interesting, because there isn’t the low-power legislation that we have in Europe,”
"this bigger-engined variant was primarily developed in India on the basis of an Austrian design, with input from KTM engineers in Mattighofen. This took place in Bajaj Auto’s own magnificent standalone 165-acre Akurdi R&D setup 20km north of its Pune HQ – a facility fully on a par in terms of size, facilities and technology with"
"The 200 Duke’s potential customers in India, Brazil, and Southeast Asia who’ll be receiving deliveries first"

For the first time I was hit from behind and the hit was so hard that the LML Freedom's rim got bent and my CBR had mere scars to account for on its silencer cover. Nothing broke or fell off.

Spares parts should be on the higher side and at other places as well Honda might edge out ahead.

[RX135]

Originally Posted by Sheel

There is no iota of doubt, that Honda's are the most reliable & spares are on cheaper side as well (cheaper than the R15). I do see a bit of gaps & weld joints, but as long as they don't pose a problem, I don't look too much into it.

While I would partially agree on question mark on KTM quality due to its BAL connection, I certainly doubt Honda's hallo of reliability.

Our Honda Activa isn't exactly hallmark of quality. It rarely cranks before few kicks in the mornings. Few months back, it would not start even after trying hard (wife had to park it on roadside few times, which was embarrassing). Battery has problems since first 3 months. Kick gets stuck now a days and light has occasional problems. Of course, no doubt it is overall well put together though.

Similarly, I have heard about overheating problem with Unicorn engines as well.