[jkdas]

Congrats

Its like KTM is the new old RE coz of these quality issues

[motocamp]

Does KTM have a wait period from booking to delivery in Pune?

What is the booking amount? also any idea what the on road cost is in Pune?

[darxide]

well here's a bit of sad news.. after owning my duke 200 for less than a month & 900 kms i decided that it had go and sold it about a week back. why?? here's why

• strange riding position, im 6'2" and 200 lbs and the high and rear set foot pegs were killing my knees and back
  
• shorty rear brake lever with its mini pedal. i couldn't operate it or even find it with my size 44 shoes. while rear wheel braking with my racing boots IMPOSSIBLE
• not very pillion friendly
  
• un-tameable chain. after adjusting the chain exactly five times over a period of 4 weeks , 4 very experienced mechanics - including 2 from the ktm service center, couldn't stop the chain from crashing into and scraping against the upper part of the swing arm. my pulsar 180 had the same problems, maybe this is a BAJAJ thing ???
  
• killer hard seats that after 1/2 hour makes sitting on a rock feel like a visit to the spa!
  
• timing chain and tappet sounds after 500 kms of use. now i do realise that this could maybe be sorted out at the first service but wasn't too comfortable with the idea of some grease monkey at the pune ktm ss stripping my bike and ripping out the head cover especially after just 750 kms of use.
  prior to this i have owned 4 indian four-strokes viz. '01 cbz, '05 pulsar 180 dtsi, '06 dio & '10 fazer 150, and ii never had problems like this ever. (BTW all the bikes mentioned here never EVER visited a service center and were maintained by lazy ol' me .. a simple oil & filter change & carb spray did the trick for 1000s of kms. !!

but my short lived affair with the duke wasn't all bad. i did appreciate...

• excellent front brakes.
  
• grippy mrf tires.
  
• intelligent instrument cluster.
  
• well tuned front suspension (rear suspension does need to tuned according to ones riding style and condition) .
  
• few quality bits like the handle bar, powerful head lamp, indicators, switches.
  
• decent gas mileage
  
• "flickabilty" in city traffic
  
• crazy aggressive sounding exhaust note that feels like an after market unit.

my conclusion- what the ktm IS...

• an interesting concept with a capable engine and suspension set up
  
• great for blasting around town - popping wheelies & very easy stoppies-stunting(??)
  
• great departure from the "run of the mill" indian bike
  
• suitable for average height, lean built young guys looking to make short trips in the city.

what the duke is NOT...

• suitable for big built riders
• comfortable for long trips - touring
• suitable for everyday long commutes
• a motocross bike as often considered and used of by many owners for ramp jumping and dirt riding, as seen every now and then on pages like on fb and various other websites and blogs .
• very pleasant for pillions
• worth 1.32L

please note that my post is purely about my personal experience with the duke 200 and i do not mean to offend or hurt anyones feelings.

[black12rr]

Originally Posted by darxide

well here's a bit of sad news.. after owning my duke 200 for less than a month & 900 kms i decided that it had go and sold it about a week back. why?? here's why

Sad to see this . But its better to sell it than suffer .

Very few bikes will fit to individual tastes out of the showroom . Most of the them use it for commute and some few of them see the bike as extension of themselves and take time to customize it to suite them.

1.Hard seat - I have added a inch of padding ,still not better , needs more padding , but tolerable than stock seat .Easy mod .

2.Chain hitting the swing arm is known issue ,they have the revised chain slider or the existing can be modded ( like I did ) .Easy mod .

3.Agree the foot pegs are way back , even I felt knee and ankel pains after a 1100 kms ride .One person has modded this to bring it front and I would be doing the same . Difficult mod ,takes time ,but worth the effort .

4.Brake peddle is short , agree , but can be modded .Easy mod .

5.The rear pillion seat also can be widened and padded .I will be doing the same .Easy mod .I have even added a grab rail/luggage rack .

6.Timing chain , I am not sure , but you should have given a chance for KTM to fix the issue .


For the price ,it delivers more than it supposed to do .

[8090guy]

black12rr - Could you please upload a picture of duke with the luggage rack? Thanks

[Bazinga]

Mate this ride is not for Bulkier members of Human Species
I am 6' and > 200lbs and found the riding position and the foot peg positions very awkward... and someday I will have to give my wife a ride... that day I am sure she will fall off from pillion seat

However it looks like an exciting package and If I was leaner (shorter) and unmarried... I would have bought this one straight away

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Bazinga

Mate this ride is not for Bulkier members of Human Species
I am 6' and > 200lbs and found the riding position and the foot peg positions very awkward... and someday I will have to give my wife a ride... that day I am sure she will fall off from pillion seat

However it looks like an exciting package and If I was leaner (shorter) and unmarried... I would have bought this one straight away

Bro, I am 6 feet tall in my socks (181 cm) and weight 200-210 pounds (92-95 kilos) and I have never found the Duke small or uncomfortable. You can take a look at my riding photos on my thread (Baby Duke 222). That's the first thing I went to the showroom to check out in early February when the first display bikes arrived. Of course I never ride two up on any of my bikes. But the Duke is ok and pretty substantial for a 200 - could and should be bigger hopefully for the 350.

As it stands, the Duke is a tall bike, with a decent seat, and the tank with its flares and wide-ish handle, gives a good substantial feel underneath you. You take some time to get use to the fact that you cannot slide back (due to the separate higher pillion seat) and the fact that while your upper body is upright, the legs and feet are oriented backwards (Super Motard style). Also, there is very little gap between your knees and the tank recess flare, so especially with riding pants with protectors on, you do tend to touch your knees at times, but its not a major irritant frankly.

Yes there is some discomfort in the ankle region and stretch in the upper thigh/hip initially, but if you ride the bike enough, your body soon adjsts. As it does to the foot levers (minor position tweaking IS possible - I did it for the brake and am satisfied now). I also changed the handle position very slightly towards me and down, and am pretty happy with that.

The only thing I am not happy with is the rear suspension settings. If I put it on 4, the rear fender regularly touches the tyre hugger on broken roads. But if I put it on 5, the touching is much less, but then the ride is pretty jarring (one up, no luggage) on similar broken surfaces.

That and the chain which we have still not managed to get right. Set it at 5-7 mm play on side stand (as per manual) and when you sit on the bike, the chain is stretched taut hard with 0 play (a surefire way to destroy the rollers and sprocket teeth). Set it with more play (10-15 mm on side stand), then there is a little play when you sit on the bike, but then the chain regularly hits the swingarm on braking/downshifting.

[Bazinga]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Bro, I am 6 feet tall in my socks (181 cm) and weight 200-210 pounds (92-95 kilos) and I have never found the Duke small or uncomfortable. You can take a look at my riding photos on my thread (Baby Duke 222). That's the first thing I went to the showroom to check out in early February when the first display bikes arrived. Of course I never ride two up on any of my bikes. But the Duke is ok and pretty substantial for a 200 - could and should be bigger hopefully for the 350.

As it stands, the Duke is a tall bike, with a decent seat, and the tank with its flares and wide-ish handle, gives a good substantial feel underneath you. You take some time to get use to the fact that you cannot slide back (due to the separate higher pillion seat) and the fact that while your upper body is upright, the legs and feet are oriented backwards (Super Motard style). Also, there is very little gap between your knees and the tank recess flare, so especially with riding pants with protectors on, you do tend to touch your knees at times, but its not a major irritant frankly.

Yes there is some discomfort in the ankle region and stretch in the upper thigh/hip initially, but if you ride the bike enough, your body soon adjsts. As it does to the foot levers (minor position tweaking IS possible - I did it for the brake and am satisfied now). I also changed the handle position very slightly towards me and down, and am pretty happy with that.

The only thing I am not happy with is the rear suspension settings. If I put it on 4, the rear fender regularly touches the tyre hugger on broken roads. But if I put it on 5, the touching is much less, but then the ride is pretty jarring (one up, no luggage) on similar broken surfaces.

That and the chain which we have still not managed to get right. Set it at 5-7 mm play on side stand (as per manual) and when you sit on the bike, the chain is stretched taut hard with 0 play (a surefire way to destroy the rollers and sprocket teeth). Set it with more play (10-15 mm on side stand), then there is a little play when you sit on the bike, but then the chain regularly hits the swingarm on braking/downshifting.

I will check your pics. but I was there in Bajaj Probiking store in Pune when these guys launched the bike. I didn't like the riding posture on this one. Its a fantastic bike for sure but I am sure it will hurt my ankle and back if I use this to commute in Pune traffic (as this will be my primary bike). I am comparing it to the 1st gen 150Pulsar DTSi which according to me has a very relaxed riding position.

Just my view. I am awkwardly build and this is just my view

[gk01]

Originally Posted by black12rr

5.The rear pillion seat also can be widened and padded .I will be doing the same .Easy mod .I have even added a grab rail/luggage rack .

Black12rr, could you please elaborate on this mod? I am more inclined towards getting the Duke but for the pillion seat which makes me look at the CBR150R.

Though during the Duke TD, the pillion seat was surprisingly comfortable but only scary to move around. Maybe it's just psychological but adding a grab rail at the end of the seat may remove the fear of falling off esp. on sudden acceleration? Something like most other bikes (Unicorn, HH Hunk etc) have. Any ideas / suggestions?

The "Pillion Seat" is now in the Driver's seat of my Duke VS CBR decision

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by black12rr

Sad to see this . But its better to sell it than suffer .

Very few bikes will fit to individual tastes out of the showroom . Most of the them use it for commute and some few of them see the bike as extension of themselves and take time to customize it to suite them.

1.Hard seat - I have added a inch of padding ,still not better , needs more padding , but tolerable than stock seat .Easy mod .

2.Chain hitting the swing arm is known issue ,they have the revised chain slider or the existing can be modded ( like I did ) .Easy mod .

3.Agree the foot pegs are way back , even I felt knee and ankel pains after a 1100 kms ride .One person has modded this to bring it front and I would be doing the same . Difficult mod ,takes time ,but worth the effort .

4.Brake peddle is short , agree , but can be modded .Easy mod .

5.The rear pillion seat also can be widened and padded .I will be doing the same .Easy mod .I have even added a grab rail/luggage rack .

6.Timing chain , I am not sure , but you should have given a chance for KTM to fix the issue .


For the price ,it delivers more than it supposed to do .

Am very keen on the pillion seat mod. Please PLEASE post snaps. Or better still, I would like to come by and have a look at your bike.