[LOE200]

Hi guys,

Just a quick one. I am from Sydney, Australia and will be riding Jammu > Leh in late August and will be using a KTM Duke 200.

As I am not there in person to check certain things on the bike there is a couple of things I am trying to find out and would greatly appreciate if someone could help !

- Is the rear seat on these bikes removable?
- If so, could someone pleasssse post up a photo of what the subframe inside this rear compartment looks like?

I am bringing some of my own tailpack/luggage with me and want to know if I will be able to fit it to the KTM

Thanks in advance for any help

[wolfy]

Originally Posted by LOE200

Hi guys,

- Is the rear seat on these bikes removable?
- If so, could someone pleasssse post up a photo of what the subframe inside this rear compartment looks like?

I am bringing some of my own tailpack/luggage with me and want to know if I will be able to fit it to the KTM

Hey there!
The rear seat is removable. Will post a pic as soon as I can. What type of tailpack/luggage are you planning to carry? Have a super trip!
For a few details on luggage carrying on the duke, you can see some pics on my blog about my trip to leh last year on my duke 200. The log is incomplete though.
http://motorcyclesonly.wordpress.com/

[Joxster]

Originally Posted by LOE200

Hi guys,

Just a quick one. I am from Sydney, Australia and will be riding Jammu > Leh in late August and will be using a KTM Duke 200.

As I am not there in person to check certain things on the bike there is a couple of things I am trying to find out and would greatly appreciate if someone could help !

- Is the rear seat on these bikes removable?
- If so, could someone pleasssse post up a photo of what the subframe inside this rear compartment looks like?

I am bringing some of my own tailpack/luggage with me and want to know if I will be able to fit it to the KTM

Thanks in advance for any help

Welcome to TBHP

Yes, the rear seat is removable, and here's what the compartment looks like once removed

Would have taken a pic of my own bike, but it was real dusty underneath the seat

Picture Source: http://static.zigwheels.com/media/ph...88_640x480.jpg

[ebonho]

Please check out Page No. 7 of the 2012 Duke 200 Spare parts Manual : Chassis.

That should answer your question in addition to the nice picture Joxter has posted.

my12ktm200duke_c.pdf

Saddle bags are the easiest and most convenient while still maintaining a pillion seat.

You can check the photos of the fitment on my thread here

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ew-family.html

Although its really self dfeating, because the bags cover the pillion footrests, so any pillion still sitting would have

1) a very spread out stance (to put it mildly .....)

2) legs would be dangling in the air with nowhere to rest the feet

Have a great ride!

[black12rr]

If you are taking KTM to leh .Good luck. .Not that it cannot be taken, but it will be little uncomfortable .

1.It has only 10.5 liter fuel tank , in that may be 9 liters we can use .That will give a mileage of 270 kms ( 30 kmpl) .This is not enough you need to take fuel with you .

2.The suspension is very hard .It will break the bones .

[wolfy]

Originally Posted by black12rr

If you are taking KTM to leh .Good luck. .Not that it cannot be taken, but it will be little uncomfortable .

1.It has only 10.5 liter fuel tank , in that may be 9 liters we can use .That will give a mileage of 270 kms ( 30 kmpl) .This is not enough you need to take fuel with you .

2.The suspension is very hard .It will break the bones .

Hey black12rr!
Fuel bunks are aplenty where you need them. Route I took: Delhi - Ludhiana - Amritsar - Srinagar - Kargil - Leh - Nubra Valley - Leh - Pangong - Leh - More plains - Sarchu - Keylong - Manali - Chandigarh - Delhi. The only only place we needed extra fuel was the dreaded stretch between Leh and Tandi, where we didnt need more than 4 - 5 litres extra, which you can easily carry with spare coke/pepsi bottles. There is nothing to fret. What's more, last year there was a fuel station under construction in More plains. Now I am not sure if it was being built for public or the army or for the road construction there. No sweat.. Fill it shut it and keep looking at the multi function display for low fuel!

17 days on the road. For the most part on the seat of the motorcycle. Taking in the views, the experience. I'd do it again on the duke. We weren't Leh veterans. It was our first time to the mighty Himalayas. Maybe it was the excitement which kept us going. It is a fabulous motorcycle to do the Leh circuit on, given the choice ofcourse. The rubber was horrible in that shit fest excuse for a road in Rohtang, but other than that, two stock dukes did the job for us.

Would love to hear about your experience on the duke in Leh black12rr. Where did you run out of fuel?

[ebonho]

Wolfy please share with us how the suspension did in this terrain - For your back and your seat.

What is your weight, what weight of luggage, and what setting was rear pre-load at?

What fuel mileage did you get in the mountains? Around 260 kms from tank brimful to low fuel warning, or more?

[wolfy]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Wolfy please share with us how the suspension did in this terrain - For your back and your seat.

What is your weight, what weight of luggage, and what setting was rear pre-load at?

What fuel mileage did you get in the mountains? Around 260 kms from tank brimful to low fuel warning, or more?

Hey Doc!
It's almost been a year so this may not include some finer points, but here goes:

I weigh about 75kgs, luggage on each bike was about 12 - 15kgs max. We had two 5ltr jerry cans on each bike which were empty for the most part of the ride, so I am not counting that. Suspension setting on the mid setting for me (5 i think?).

Delhi to Srinagar and then Manali to Delhi is your usual National highway. Smooth roads, so maintaining an average speed of about 80kmph (speedometer hovering around 110 - 120kmph and an occasional burst to 139kmph), we both got mileage figures of about 37-40kmpl. That's a range of about 300kms usable and then some. I'd say about 330kms after which you are riding on vapors, so to speak. Fuel bunks are dime a dozen. Both bikes were running normal fuel. Riding comfort here depends on your butt. On day one, we were taking breaks every 100kms. As the days went by, the need for a break reduced and we were blissfully riding for about 120 - 130kms at a stretch before needing a break. Thanks to the weather, we didn't need to pee and we kept riding. Back / Butt goes numb after about a hundred kilometres. This works for me, may not work for others: I stand and ride for a minute or two to get the numbness off my butt .. helps.

The rest of the route (Srinagar - Leh - Manali) is a mix of smooth tarmac, no tarmac, riding on sand, slush, water, gravel etc etc etc.. Your average speed drops to about 25kmph. Bad roads, the beautiful beautiful scenery slow you down. So you are not going monkey on the throttle anyway and your mileage more or less remains the same at around 35 - 40 kmpl depending on your right wrist.

Thanks to the light weight of the bike and the superb handling, you remain fresh. No fatigue whatsoever. No wrestling with the bike, no worry about brakes, no worry about fouled plugs, no worry about cold start issues etc. So we had no back problems throughout the ride, no mental stress throughout the ride.

Cheers!

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by wolfy

Delhi to Srinagar and then Manali to Delhi is your usual National highway. Smooth roads, so maintaining an average speed of about 80kmph (speedometer hovering around 110 - 120kmph and an occasional burst to 139kmph), we both got mileage figures of about 37-40kmpl. That's a range of about 300kms usable and then some. I'd say about 330kms after which you are riding on vapors, so to speak.

I have long since come to the conclusion that in addition to me being heavy (I weigh as much as you and your luggage put together), I also have a heavy right hand and foot. All my bikes and cars return slightly lower figures compared to best in class achieved.

Thanks to the light weight of the bike and the superb handling, you remain fresh. No fatigue whatsoever. No wrestling with the bike, no worry about brakes, no worry about fouled plugs, no worry about cold start issues etc. So we had no back problems throughout the ride, no mental stress throughout the ride.

Cheers!

Important that you touch on the mental aspect of rider fatigue. Something most riders miss when keeping just bike and personal fitness in touring calculus. The Duke simply allws you to enjoy the ride without worrying about how much you are pulling the engine, how hot its getting, how tight its getting, etc. Regardless of the time of the day, the performance remains almost at flatline constant. Liquid cooling helps. So does a lot of other things. Nothing shakes loose, nothing leaks, nothing gets excessively consumed (metal, fiber, or liquid), nothing overheats. No vibrations, no sound, neutral instinctive handling, efortless braking, all adds to rider comfort. Bottom line is, you cover distance quicker, and are less tired when you reach.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by wolfy

Thanks to the light weight of the bike and the superb handling, you remain fresh. No fatigue whatsoever. No wrestling with the bike, no worry about brakes, no worry about fouled plugs, no worry about cold start issues etc. So we had no back problems throughout the ride, no mental stress throughout the ride.

Yes, this is the best part about the new bikes on this kind of terrain. And glad that the OP is also chosing a KTM and not going all macho - trying to do it on a Royal Enfield.

This is also a reason why I am planning to take the Impulse to the mountains this year. Hopefully that will come to fruition.

[black12rr]

Originally Posted by wolfy

Hey black12rr!

Would love to hear about your experience on the duke in Leh black12rr. Where did you run out of fuel?

Hey indeed it can be done , but if he goes out of some remote areas ,he might need to carry.Was just giving him a hint ,so that if he wants he has to plan for it .

I am not saying you cannot do it on KTM , but I would find it little be more uncomfortable (suspension) and seating .

BTW I did not run out of petrol on KTM , because I took my other bike .

[wolfy]

Cheers black12rr! I simply must complete that ride log before I forget some details even more than what I already have. There is a photograph I have seen taken by a fellow RD owner on his ride to Leh on his RD. The photograph has a cyclist on tour in the Himalayas and the photgrapher's RD. It reads "It's never the horse, Always the rider"! End of the day, no matter what bike the OP does his trip on, he will come back a changed man.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by wolfy

Cheers black12rr! I simply must complete that ride log before I forget some details even more than what I already have. There is a photograph I have seen taken by a fellow RD owner on his ride to Leh on his RD. The photograph has a cyclist on tour in the Himalayas and the photgrapher's RD. It reads "It's never the horse, Always the rider"! End of the day, no matter what bike the OP does his trip on, he will come back a changed man.

Oh, was it the RD you were referring to and had as your frame of reference when you said this? -

"Thanks to the light weight of the bike and the superb handling, you remain fresh. No fatigue whatsoever. No wrestling with the bike, no worry about brakes, no worry about fouled plugs, no worry about cold start issues etc. So we had no back problems throughout the ride, no mental stress throughout the ride."

[wolfy]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Oh, was it the RD you were referring to and had as your frame of reference when you said this? -

"Thanks to the light weight of the bike and the superb handling, you remain fresh. No fatigue whatsoever. No wrestling with the bike, no worry about brakes, no worry about fouled plugs, no worry about cold start issues etc. So we had no back problems throughout the ride, no mental stress throughout the ride."

Well.. Yes and No. I had my enfield and my RD on my mind. And after having done it, I wouldn't pick either to ride the circuit. Not when I have a choice to pick the duke's keys. The RD, I love too much to wade through water and have boulders denting my pipes, it's too jumpy/powerful to really allow you to enjoy the scenery, I'd stay wide awake providing security to the bike every night than have a good night's rest. The bull, I'd worry if she would start on a cold morning, I'd wrestle her and brake my back on the kind of terrain there is. Most of it is in my mind but I'd rather have them both sitting peacefully in my garage back home while I have a ball on the duke!

In retrospect, after going through the mental trauma of seeing my beloved bike being handled by the railways and the mental stress of having to bribe my way out of the station while transporting the bike from Bangalore to Delhi. I have decided to just fly to Delhi/Leh and rent a bike to do it the next time OR if I have a big mile munching bike in the future and a month off work, I'd probably ride all the way.

[marcussantiago]

Hi LOE200 and welcome.

Over at another forum, someone rode a KTM Duke 200 up to Leh / Manali / etc with no mechanical problems or issues whatsoever, so ignore the naysayers

If interested, I can PM you the link later when I get home.

Also, if you're swinging by Delhi, feel free to crash at my place if needed.

- Marcus

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