I had saved up my stipend over 2 years and it was time to turn a childhood dream into reality! After going through all the options in my budget, I zeroed in on KTM Duke 200.

BHPian SVS_23 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I'd been putting off this post for quite a while now. Finally decided to publish it today. It was in November 2022 that I decided I need a motorcycle. I had saved up my stipend over 2 years and it was time to turn a childhood dream into reality! After going through all the options in my budget, I zeroed in on KTM Duke 200. Luckily, one of my friends knew a guy who was selling his 2013 Duke 200. I contacted him and the very next day went to look at the bike. Since it was my first time dealing in a second hand bike, I did not really know what to inspect. I rode the bike for about 2-3 kilometres and loved it immediately! The owner was asking Rs. 95000 (he was the first owner and the bike had run about 53000 kms). After some negotiating he settled for 85000. The duke was mine!

Right after taking delivery

The bike had quite a few issues that needed to be looked into...

1. The instrument cluster was dead. Initially I got it repaired at a local auto electricals repair guy near Lalbhag. However, the work was shoddy and I had to replace the whole instrument cluster with a new one. Cost - Rs. 8613

2. Fuel tank had a minor crack that I noticed on fuelling up. Replaced with a new one. Cost - Rs. 2426

3. Leg guard and mirrors - Got new ones

4. Rider's seat had a tear. Got both rider and pillion seat covers replaced

5. Rear tyre was bald. Front had a bit of life left. Got a new set of MRF Revz C1. Cost - Rs. 7500(approx)

6. Clutch plates - Replaced

7. Front footpegs - The rubber grips had worn off. Got new ones

8. Misc - One indicator was broken (as can be seen in the 1st image), replaced it. Changed all fluids, throttle and clutch cables, spark plug, brake pads, etc.

PS - I don't remember how much I paid for all the repairs. I've mentioned the cost of items that I do remember.

My Duke after a thorough service. I replaced the taller windscreen with the stock one as I like the naked streetfighter look

Looks - Coming to the design and styling, it was a radical design at the time it was launched (i guess it still is). Combined with the bright orange colour scheme and the exposed trellis frame (though not as eye catching as the orange frame of the 390), it grabs a lot of attention on the road! Initially I wasn't a fan of its looks, but it kinda grew on me.

Performance - KTMs are known for their insane performance and the Duke 200 is no different. It makes about 25bhp and 20Nm torque. With a kerb weight of 143 kilos, it is literally a pocket rocket and pulls like crazy! No wonder it was called the "accident bike". Being so light also makes it very flickable. Changing direction is something that the Duke does with ease.

Mileage - The tank can hold about 11 litres of fuel, with 2.5 litres in reserve. City riding gets me around 25-28kmpl and on the highways I get 33-35kmpl.

Here are some pictures of my Duke 200

Took the tank stickers off

Cut off that big tail. Looks much better now

It has been more than a year now, living with the pocket rocket. I was using it to commute to office till March 2023, after which I shifted back to my hometown Madikeri since I'd completed my internship. Now the duke mainly attacks twisties on weekends, with an occasional long ride to Bangalore/ Mysore.

Things that I like about the Duke:

• Revv happy engine - Comes to life one you cross 7000rpm

• Agility - The bike is nimble and very easy to change directions quickly

• Classic bs3 KTM exhaust note!

• Riding posture - Neither too committed like sportbikes nor too relaxed like cruisers

• Suspension - Quite stiff and made for sporty riding.

Things that I don't like:

• Heat - The bike can run hot in traffic. You'll feel it on your legs

• Brakes - Feels spongy and the initial bite is not that great

• Seat - Very hard seat. Touring not recommended on stock seats. Pillion seat is basically a joke!

• Usability in the city - The bike feels choked under 3k rpm. Combined with the heat, it's really a pain to ride it in city traffic

It also vibrates a lot. Being a high compression single cylinder you can't really expect refinement. But I'm okay with it. I feel the vibration adds character to the machine 

For someone upgrading from a 100-150cc commuter motorcycle, you cannot treat the KTMs like you used to treat your commuters. It demands you to pamper it and when you don't it throws tantrums. Parts wear out sooner and service will get expensive if you're ignorant about the bike. Many people say that the engine will only last 30-40k kms until is has to be rebuilt but that's not true. I've heard that some people have clocked as much as 2.5L kms without a rebuild (my bike has done about 58000kms till date on stock engine).

All the negatives aside, the Duke makes my heart race every time I open throttle and there's a huge grin inside the helmet. For that feeling, it's all worth it!

Some more pics

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The Duke also took up highway duties and stopped using the Cedia altogether for now.

BHPian SunnyBoi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

From June, I got back into a regular 9-6 job back in Bangalore. This meant the Duke was back in my hometown and was unused for quite a while. The one time I was back in town - nearly 2 months after the previous update, the battery was dead.

The CTEK came to the rescue again

Amazon came in clutch with some good offers. Picked up lots of Motul 7100 for 630rs a liter. This is foreshadowing the impending arrival of the next bike in the garage

Soon my Workhorse aka Apache 193 started giving troubles. It's all my fault - I haven't taken care of her nearly as well as the Duke. This meant I retired the Workhorse for a while and started using the Duke every day. 50KMs a day, 800rs of XP95 every 3 days burn a HUGE hole in my pocket. sigh.

The duke also took up highway duties and stopped using the Cedia altogether for now.

Upgraded my tool kit with a 5-25nm torque wrench

Celebrating Pride with the Duke

The duke served me about 1.5 months as an everyday bike. The workhorse was rebuilt - fresh top end and whatnot, however, it just felt boring to ride after spending so long with the 390. The foot-forward seating position of the Apache just felt...wrong and something I couldn't get used to.

There was also the other duke looming about. So finally took a decision - called my friend up for the Duke 200, in under 2 hours, he quoted a price, I wholeheartedly agreed and the bike was in my possession.

I did have to take out the battery from my Duke 390 to get the 200 started. This was on 29 November. It's 23-Dec and I still haven't put the battery back on the 390 sigh. I'll get the 390 running soon and cycle between the 200 and 390 for daily duties.

Here's a screenshot of all costs involved with the Duke since I bought it. I haven't added the cost of insurance and PUC for this year

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The 200 Duke now features a similar headlamp setup as the 250 Duke and 390 Duke.

The KTM 200 Duke is now available with an LED headlamp. The bike is priced at Rs 1.96 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The 200 Duke now features a similar headlamp setup as the 250 Duke and 390 Duke. The headlamp unit gets an array of 32 LEDs with 6 reflectors for the beam and an additional LED daytime running light.

The 2023 edition of the 200 Duke is powered by the same 199.5cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine as before. It makes 25 BHP and 19.2 Nm.

The bike rides on WP upside-down fork at the front and a mono-shock at the rear. The brake setup consists of a 320 mm front disc and a 230 mm rotor at the rear, supported by dual-channel ABS.

The Duke 200 equipped with the LED headlight could be priced at Rs 1.97 lakh (ex-showroom)

The KTM Duke 200 has been spotted with a new headlight. The entry-level Duke now gets the same LED headlight as the more expensive 250 and 390 versions.

The latest image of the 2023 Duke 200 was captured at a dealer yard, which suggests that dealer dispatches of the updated bike have commenced and the launch could be just around the corner.

The KTM Duke 200 looks similar to its larger stablemates, except for the underbelly exhaust. The new headlamp unit is identical to what you get on the Duke 390 with six separate LED pods flanked by L-shaped daytime running lights.

Reports suggest that the updated Duke 200 is likely to be sold alongside the current version with the halogen headlamp. It could be priced at Rs 1.97 lakh (ex-showroom), which is a premium of Rs 4,000 over the standard version.

Source: Autocar India

The modification is likely to result in a 20 mm increase in ground clearance.

According to a media report, KTM is working on a modified exhaust for its 125 Duke, 200 Duke and RC 200 bikes. This redesigned unit is said to improve ground clearance.

The KTM 125 Duke, 200 Duke and RC 200 come with an underbelly exhaust that is routed under the engine. To achieve better ground clearance, KTM engineers are looking to remove the silencer protector that sits just below the crankcase. This is likely to result in a 20 mm increase in ground clearance.

The report also states that KTM would also have to make some preload adjustments to the rear monoshock to avoid the bikes from bottoming out when riding with a pillion.

Source: Autocar India

The 199.5cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine is also likely to receive a few updates.

The next-generation KTM Duke 200 has been spotted testing in India.

The spy images suggest that the new Duke 200 will get larger tank extensions, a shaper headlamp and a digital instrument console.

The test bike is equipped with an upside-down fork suspension at the front and has a mono-shock at the rear. The rear swingarm looks new and the alloy wheels look similar to those on the RC390. The bike is also equipped with an underbelly exhaust.

The 199.5cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine is also likely to receive a few updates. In its current configuration, the engine develops 25 BHP @ 10,000 rpm and 19.2 Nm @ 8,000 rpm. It is paired with a 6-speed transmission.

Source: Zigwheels

KTM has launched the 200 Duke ABS in India at a price of Rs. 1,60,000 (ex-showroom Delhi). The bike will be available in 3 colours - Orange, White and Black.

The 200 Duke has a trellis frame with an aluminium swingarm and upside-down fork suspension from WP at the front. It is powered by a 199.5cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine that produces 25 BHP @ 10,000 rpm and 19.2 Nm of torque @ 8,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed transmission.

The Duke 200 comes with single disc brakes at the front and rear. The ABS system has been sourced from Bosch and is expected to improve the bike's braking performance.

KTM will continue to sell the non-ABS variant of the KTM 200 Duke as well. The bike is priced at Rs. 1,51,757 (ex-showroom Delhi).

KTM has launched the 2017 Duke range in India. The 390 Duke has been given some comprehensive cosmetic updates and a few mechanical tweaks, while the 200 Duke gets some new body graphics and a BS-IV engine. KTM has also introduced the 250 Duke in India, which is now the third bike in the company's Duke portfolio in the country. All three bikes in the Duke range are now BS-IV compliant.

Prices (Ex-showroom, Delhi)

• KTM 390 Duke: Rs. 2,25,730

• KTM 250 Duke: Rs. 1,73,000

• KTM 200 Duke: Rs. 1,43,500

2017 KTM 390 Duke

The 2017 390 Duke comes with some comprehensive cosmetic changes. The front gets new split LED headlamps and sharper fuel tank extensions. The fuel tank now has a capacity of 13.4-litres and is made of steel, instead of the plastic unit found on the previous model. The bike gets a dual colour split trellis frame along with a die-cast swingarm.

The bike also comes with adjustable control levers, a new TFT display for the instrument cluster and KTM's My Ride infotainment system that can be used to connect a smartphone to stream music and phone calls, which can be controlled through switches on the handlebars. The bike is also equipped with a larger 320 mm disc at the front while the rear gets a 230 mm setup. Other features on offer include a slipper clutch and dual-channel ABS. The suspension duties are carried out by an open cartridge USD at the front and a monoshock at the rear.

Powering the new 390 Duke is the same 373.27 cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that is mated to a 6-speed gearbox and churns out 43 BHP @ 9,000 rpm and 37 Nm @ 7,000 rpm. The engine now comes with ride-by-wire technology and a side mounted exhaust setup.

2017 KTM 250 Duke

The 250 Duke is a new entrant in KTM's Duke line-up in India and has been launched to fill the gap between its 200 and 390 siblings. It borrows majority of its design cues from the updated 390 Duke, though it misses on the LED headlamps and TFT instrumentation screen. It gets wheels in black colour, instead of the orange units of its elder sibling. The 250 Duke rides on MRF Revz tyres instead of the Metzellers found on the 390 and has an aluminium swingarm. It will be available in two colours: Orange and White.

The new 250 Duke is powered by a 248.8 cc single-cylinder engine that churns out 30 BHP @ 9,000 rpm and 24 Nm @ 7,500 rpm, while being mated to a 6-speed gearbox. It does get a slipper clutch but there is no ABS on offer.

2017 KTM 200 Duke

The 200 Duke hasn't been given any comprehensive updates. The overall design hasn't been changed, though it now gets new graphics and will continue to be offered in three paint schemes: Orange, White and Black. Power is supplied from the same 199.5 cc, single-cylinder engine that develops 25 BHP @ 10,000 rpm and 19.2 Nm @ 8,000 rpm. It is mated to a 6-speed gearbox and is now BS-IV compliant. The 200 Duke still doesn't get ABS, even as an option.

KTM is likely to equip its Duke and RC range of motorcycles with the auto headlamp-on function in 2016.

An image put up by an automotive website shows that KTM has removed the headlight on / off switch from the bike. The switch was located between the engine starter button and the kill switch. This means that the rider will not be able to turn off the headlamp while the bike's engine is running. The headlamp will function like a daytime running light.

KTM offers daytime running lights on its bikes as a safety feature in many international markets where it is mandatory to have them. The Government of India is expected to make this feature mandatory on two-wheelers from April 2017 (click here to read report).

At present, KTM sells the Duke 200, Duke 390, RC 200 and RC 390 in India. These bikes are likely to be phased out by the end of the year (click here to read report). The company is looking to introduce a new range of motorcycles in 2017.

Source: Shifting Gears