[Sheel]

Originally Posted by RX135

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.

Tried other scooters in the same life-cycle? There might be some problem with the vehicle due to service issues from dealer's part or is the scooter problematic from the first day itself?

Not trying to defend Honda, but Yamaha & Honda are usually better built than others in India. Abroad among Japs? I think it is Kawasaki, stats prove it as well.

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

Not heard about this about any Motorcycle save for HH ZMR. (due to plastics)

[RX135]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Tried other scooters in the same life-cycle? There might be some problem with the vehicle due to service issues from dealer's part or is the scooter problematic from the first day itself?

Not trying to defend Honda, but Yamaha & Honda are usually better built than others in India. Abroad among Japs? I think it is Kawasaki, stats prove it as well.

No. I have heard exactly same problem about other Activas as well, especially battery issues and kick start. (May be few Activa owners on T-BHP can comment). I have not looked on T-BHP, but I am sure we'll find few instances about Unicorn issues as well. I know someone in person, who had that problem.

Yamahas are certainly much better built than Honda though. (With exception of Crux-XYZ ...series).

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Sheel

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"

The same Duke 200 will be sold in Europe as well bro. And if current talks fructify, North America maybe as well (definitely the 350 - which will also be developed and built at Chakan). The Duke 125, also built in Chakan, is also being sold in Europe.

When it comes to cost of spares, there is not one bike, equivalent variant for variant between the two manufacturers, where Honda (or Hero) spares are cheaper than those of Bajaj.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by ebonho

The same Duke 200 will be sold in Europe as well bro. And if current talks fructify, North America maybe as well (definitely the 350 - which will also be developed and built at Chakan). The Duke 125, also built in Chakan, is also being sold in Europe.

When it comes to cost of spares, there is not one bike, equivalent variant for variant between the two manufacturers, where Honda (or Hero) spares are cheaper than those of Bajaj.

Any replies for this Doc? http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post2658341

[911987]

Have been reading this thread since it's inception,though initially it offered a lot of useful info on the KTM Duke 200 launch,it could now be appropriately re-named the bike bashing thread.
Just my opinion,but it seems to have become an arena for fans of various rival brands to slug it out.
Cheers.

[black12rr]

Don't understand ,why its taking so long to get a test ride bike in Bangalore . . They also don't have clarity when new bikes delivery starts .

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Any replies for this Doc? http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post2658341

Why their street bikes are not as popular as their enduros and off-roaders? No idea really bro. It would be nice to be spoilt for choice, but such is hardly the case for us here.

All things considered, while real life on road worthiness is still to be proven, this bike definitely looks like a good package at a pretty good price.

[black12rr]

Took a SHORT test ride with pillion .

Bike feels light .
Did not feel that there was a pillion at back .
accelaration is good .
Very short gearing .Did not like this .
Engine felt very rough .
Horrible mirros .
Horrible Hand grips .
Bike did not slot into neutral easily (just like pulsar DNA ) .
Gear and rear brake levers are very small .
Footpegs looks cheap ,needs more cushioning .
Switch controls are direct lift from pulsar line up .Needed to be much more premium stuff .

Need a long ride to decide .

[Shubz]

Had a short (very short) test ride of the Duke today! Seating was pretty comfortable. Good posture. Foot pegs were a little behind, will take a few seconds to adjust to it if one has been riding different bikes.

Awesome power. Don't need frequent gear changing in bumper to bumper traffic. The TD distance was too small to feel anything more. Was there around 5'ish - so you can imagine the traffic.

The not so good part- Gear shifts were hard. Was difficult to get to neutral (its a 1 down - 5 up sequence). This may be fixed after a service.

Due to too many people taking turns to push it to the limit - bike was uber hot (thigh burner) when I rode it.

Clutch is very very sensitive. Will take a few seconds to get used to the release. A slight release - vehicle stalled. at least 3 times before I could get a hang of the clutch.

rev limiter is set at 7500 rpm.

Deliveries --- $1m question. and $0.001 answer - You will get it with much much within 90 days! :P

Had a long ride on Duke 200. and now, my openion is changed.
Please correct me if any of you think, i am wrong.

Pros
Build is too good, when compared to made in india products. (not undermining any made in india products, but the ideal quality that we get is poor in most of the products. Eg: Zma)
Parts quality is exceptional.
Pricing is too good.
very good tyres.
Good design
Powerful on papers.
Too light weight

Cons
The bike is too light weight.
The bike doesnt feel like its a 25 bhp machine.

This bike tyres wont last long (max 10-15K kms) and a new pair would cost somewhere around 7-8.5k for pair. so cost per km would be
1/- Depreciation.
1/- Tyres
2/- Fuel
1/- Spares & Servicing charges (This wont be clearly evident in the first 10K kms) i believe this is high for any indian bike.

You would be getting roughly around 15-16 bhp between 2000-4500 RPM range. so this bike doesnt feel great in this range.
May be around 18 -22 bhp around 4500-5500/6K range. and a full 25bhp at 10500 Range.
Initially, the RPM is locked at 7.5K, so your bike is only capable of generating <20bhp in this range. because of which, i dont consider this bike as a long tourer.
More over the seating position is upright, and the rider is exposed more to wind, on a lighter vehicle, so i believe, the rider gets tired so early.

Also, with these sort of specs, i think, BAL products are fairly priced and cannibalization amongst its own products is clearly evident (to me).
As there is not much power in the lower RPM's the Zma owners would remain Unmoved. Maybe the R15 & FZ Guys, who rev more might move to Duke. I think, CBR market share would remain untouched. so, the obvious LD would be how are they planning to grab more market share with these products?

The most pathetic part is the pillion seat, which is only suitable for kids and those with <32 waist line. i personally am a 34 waised and 6 foot long, and i felt very uncomfortable on the pillion seat.

I have never expected that BAL would lauch such a product in india, it would be acceptable, if it were in any other country, but indian mindset is a bit different. Need to wait and see, how it would perform.

please comment

Originally Posted by black12rr

Took a SHORT test ride with pillion .

Bike feels light .
Did not feel that there was a pillion at back .
accelaration is good .
Very short gearing .Did not like this .
Engine felt very rough .
Horrible mirros .
Horrible Hand grips .
Bike did not slot into neutral easily (just like pulsar DNA ) .
Gear and rear brake levers are very small .
Footpegs looks cheap ,needs more cushioning .
Switch controls are direct lift from pulsar line up .Needed to be much more premium stuff .

Need a long ride to decide .

Even i felt the same. Poor rear seat. Brakes were not as expected (Compared CBR)

Gear levers are small, but they are just fine.
I feel that this, bike can only be a single seater bike. you cant take any of your family members on this. Imagine your wifey in saree, on Duke, She would fall down as soon as you put the bike in gear and in the first rev.

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Please use the "edit" button if posting within 30 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

Also use "Multi Quote" option for quoting Multiple posts.

[speed kills]

A nice video of the Duke on Bangalore roads.

Courtesy: niru220

KTM Duke 200 Test Ride in Namma Bengaluru - YouTube

[niks_devil666]

And today they didnt let me put a go pro while taking a TD :(

[Rollin' Thunda]

Originally Posted by speed kills

A nice video of the Duke on Bangalore roads.

Courtesy: niru220

Yes, a nice video. Perhaps KTM should re-position it as a street-bike rather than an off-roader!

[Shubz]

Lucky soul who got such a long test ride. For us it was like giving a couple of popcorns to nibble at. :(

[niks_devil666]

Originally Posted by Rollin' Thunda

Yes, a nice video. Perhaps KTM should re-position it as a street-bike rather than an off-roader!

it IS a street bike and has never been positioned as an off roader