I had planned to keep the bike running with little or no cosmetic improvement but after this incident, I decided to build it up similar to my KTM 390 Duke.

BHPian SunnyBoi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Unfortunately, in the 3rd week of December, I had an accident, was riding Daisy slowly with a pillion on a narrow road, an auto struck my handle, I lost balance and fell. My knee hurt badly and I knew something was very wrong. I managed to ride home though. The pain did not subside the next day, that's when I went to a doctor. An X-ray and MRI later, I had a tibial fracture along with most ligaments badly damaged.

This meant I was out of riding bikes for a long time. I had to wear a knee brace and use crutches for 2 months, I still somehow managed to drive my car to work and back during this time after an initial 10 days of rest. Daisy lay dormant till then.

As far as Daisy goes, the damage seemed minimal. The right handguard was broken near the handle, which I thought was fixable. Handlebar was bent, the leg guard had folded in completely. The megasonic bent back and left a small dent on the chassis. The rear brake lever had folded on itself a full 90-deg.

Once I was back riding near the February end, I rode very slowly, slower than usual. This meant I started getting some unbelievable efficiency numbers on the dash.

I kept riding the bike in its as-is condition with a bent handlebar and a non-existent rear brake for a while. I just had so much work I couldn't take time off to get Daisy fixed up.

Orange Pi anyone?

The fixes started slowly. First was the new meter shell. It went on with a fresh rubber gasket

The old gasket was in bad shape. Anyone changing meter shells should also look into replacing the gasket.

Since the front mask was off, I swapped the indicators to Husky ones. Daisy got her legit HSRP plates while I was still commuting in my Cedia

To be honest, I was leaning heavily towards keeping the bike running with little or no cosmetic improvement on the cards. However, after this incident, I changed my mind to build up Daisy similar to my 390 as much as I could. My bank account will face a further dent but I just cannot live with myself knowing Daisy will get a stepmotherly treatment compared to the 390.

The handlebar bend was a simple fix, take it off, get it straightened. I didn't have the time so ended up swapping it to a new handle. Even with the new handle, it was bent towards the right. I then noticed the base was twisted to the right. Ended up buying a new handle base along with new rubbers for it. Even swapped out the scratched bar end weight with a new unit. Handle Grips swapped to new Apache RTR units.

Broken white handguards swapped with new orange units. I had another spill and the same fall - thankfully nothing happened to me. The mask carrier broke - black piece between the orange end pieces and headlight. The number plate got some scratches and the bracket got bent. Not too worried since I'll make up a relocation bracket under the headlight similar to my 390 soon. The front brake master cylinder was swapped to one from the latest-generation Dukes.

Daisy posing on sunset

I finally got some free time and used it up to clean up Daisy with 10 years of dirt and grime

The belly pan came off to clean all the old oil stains and to verify if any fresh oil would leak. The water pump area looked particularly bad

I eventually took off the tank cover to clean the underneath. I had taken it off before to wear in a relay for the Megasonic, but I did not have enough time to clean it properly then

All cleaned up! Also took this opportunity to drain the coolant and replace it with distilled water so I could flush out all the green coolant residue. My choice of coolant will be Glysantin G30 which is purple and I did not want it discolored with green residue. I've also got a new radiator cap which should make Daisy run a bit cooler as I suspect the one on it right now is weak due to age as I had experienced on the 390.

I unfortunately did not take after pictures as it was late in the night and I still had to ride 25KMs back home.

Once I started up Daisy, I was greeted with a Check Engine Light. Looking at the flash code, it was a 15 - bad rollover sensor. The bike still started, which is weird. I double-checked by disconnecting the rollover sensor and I still got the same code.

This got my mind racing. Grr, why now? Is it because I used a pressure washer? How do I fix it, do I have to buy a new sensor? Wait, I can swap the rollover sensor from my 390, but accessing it is a pain thanks to the ABS module. Ugh. 20 out of my 25KM ride, the CEL vanished! It never reappeared till date so I guess it was just water getting in and causing temporary havoc.

Sometime later, I swapped the rear suspension with my rebuilt 390 rear shock. 390 shock on the left, 200 on the right

Used some bricks to prop up the rear while swapping shocks. The new bolts I got from KTM were of the completely wrong size so had to use the old original bolts. They were seized badly and took a lot of effort to get them out the first time. I'll swap the bolts again to new units soon.

The Megasonic after the accident was broken, this was due to a crack in its body after its impact with the chassis. I got the body replaced with a salvage unit. It sounded as good as new, but the horn-tuning screw would now just go out of whack after every hour's ride. I got fed up riding around with a screwdriver, tightening or loosening the screw every time it stopped working. Eventually got a good deal on some Bosch Europa supertone horns, which are the Bosch equivalent of Megasonics. Instead of having one horn, Daisy will now have two! Two more pairs, each for the 390 and Cedia. Muhuhahaha!

This is how Daisy looks as of a couple of days ago! Just one of the two horns is on for now, I need to redo the wiring harness after the relay to support the two horns first. Yes, I was lazy to put back the belly pan and it's been a month already. Maybe soon.

So what's next? The oil change is coming up soon in another 400KMs - I've already covered around 4000KMs despite 2+ months of non-usage. I bought a new clutch arm a while back to replace the worn one on Daisy but realised I had to take off the clutch cover to change it. If I'm taking off the clutch cover, why not also change the timing chain and tensioner? The list just piles on.

I got a new coolant overflow bottle to replace the yellowed one on Daisy. I then saw a little bit of oil residue in the coolant tank. Maybe the water pump seals have gone bad? There is no water mixed with the oil for sure. This means I need a new water pump seal and a new water pump rebuilt kit - the latter was not in stock with KTM last time I checked. Might as well take off the radiator and also clean it completely.

The throttle body will need cleaning for sure seeing how bad it was on the 390 due to age again. That requires a lot more things to be removed, especially the airbox and the side panels.

The tank cover has cracked around the fuel cap. The plan is to buy a new one and paint it in a really nice shade of orange - details will be revealed once it's done

The headlight will get a serious upgrade soon, making late-evening commutes much safer.

The 300mm disc conversion is still pending, I want to use up the sintered brake pads on it right now before the swap.

Lot of fixes are needed for Daisy but I'm not in a hurry. I'll get to them slowly whenever I get the time. Unlike my 390 thread where I had done everything and posted all the info in one shot, this thread will be updated as and when fixes happen. Stay tuned!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The first time I used these aux lights on my KTM Duke 200 was during my night ride from Pune to Bangalore.

BHPian dwanderlustdrv recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi guys!

I hope you are doing absolutely fine.

I have been wanting to share an article on this subject ever since I completed my very successful solo ride all the way from Pune to Ladakh. An article covering all the upgrades that I got for my KTM Duke 200 BS6 which helped me successfully complete the ride. Finally took out the time to get around to it.

I've covered this in my video on YouTube but for those of you who love to read, you can continue and check out the video later.

So, let's get started!

No# 1: Memory Foam Seat

• Upgrade Level: Cloud Nine
• Source of Wisdom: YouTube University

Did you guys know? The seat of the Duke 200 is very uncomfortable. Even on short 10 km rides, it gets very sore and in fact, any slight road undulation sends shockwaves all the way up the spine! I tried to get used to it over the first months after I bought the bike, I even completed my first 300+ kms ride. But ultimately I had to accept that something had to be done. So I checked a few videos online on YouTube. I love using YouTube, it's a great source of information and that's basically why I started making videos as well. Because I know that there's a lot of information that as a rider I can also share.

So anyways, getting back to my seat. I went to a nearby seat shop which had good reviews for modifying the seat. And what you see here is a 1" thick memory foam. I have installed it only on the rider seat. On the pillion seat, I have only installed a matching seat cover but it's still the stock seat inside.
This 1" foam is stuck with epoxy on top of the base seat so that it can be removed if required. It's been very comfortable since then. The difference it makes after adding this 1" foam is phenomenal!

To deal with this uncomfortable seat, I purchased an air seat as well and I've used it on a few occasions. I had carried it with me to my Kolli Hills ride back in March which was a 3000 kms ride. But I didn't use it even once.

Learning from that experience, I didn't take it at all to my Ladakh trip which was 6000 kms long. And I can tell you, with this foam seat and with the tips and tricks that I have learned as a rider, I was able to complete the ride comfortably... well, as comfortably as possible!

So if you also have a KTM Duke and are suffering from the hard seat the way I was, here's the way to go!

No# 2: Grip Puppies Rs. 1899

• Upgrade Level: Palm Heaven
• Gripping Issue Solved: No more gloveless discomfort!

Another thing that is uncomfortable about the Duke 200 and in general, the KTMs, the grips are really hard and over a period of time, they get uncomfortable. It feels fine as long as you are wearing riding gloves. But who wears gloves all the time, right?

I certainly don't wear them when I'm going to the office or am riding within the city. So I really needed something that would make my day-to-day rides more comfortable.

These grip puppies are imported from the UK. They cost almost Rs. 1900. But I can tell you, they make a big difference and I can ride all day very comfortably without any issues. Definitely recommended if you want to make your rides more comfortable!

No# 3: Bar End Weights

• Upgrade Level: Handlebar Nirvana
• Hidden Talents: Extended handlebar bliss and guardian angel during non-speedy falls

The stock KTM Duke 200 does not come with these bar end weights. I don't know why KTM and Bajaj stopped installing them on the Duke 200. I got these from the parts bin at the KTM workshop at Planet Bajaj and they cost just Rs. 200 so it's not like Bajaj is going to achieve a big saving by not providing them on the stock bike! A big advantage that you get from installing these is that your handlebar length increases and you get a lot more space to hold onto the bar. Very useful when you want to stretch a bit on long rides! Additionally, these bar end weights help to save your bike's body in case of a fall.

I've had about 2 or 3 falls on the bike so far. Each time the speed of the bike was zero. I lost my balance in tricky situations and I just dropped the bike. Now when that happens, these bar ends keep the body away from the ground. So it's a really simple but useful upgrade and I recommend getting them installed if your bike doesn't have them.

No# 4: Bobo Mobile Mount with Quick Charge 3.0 Rs. 1799

• Upgrade Level: Charge Master 3000
• Map Lover's Delight: Navigate the twists and turns of multi-day epics with ease!

Previously I had installed a regular BOBO mobile mount. It didn't have any charging facility. It was fine for doing day trips where I didn't need to charge my mobile all the time. But when I was planning my ride to Kolli Hills which was a multi-day ride, I realised that I would need something that would help me to charge my mobile phone as well. And that's when I got this installed.

This one comes with Quick Charge 3.0 and it's really useful... it quickly charges the mobile phone which helps to keep me continuously updated about my ride stats like the ETA, live traffic, alternate routes etc. Since I ride solo, I like to keep the maps on all the time whenever I'm riding. So if you're planning a long ride at any point in time, I would definitely recommend installing this one.

No# 5: Maddog Alpha Performance Aux Headlights (Switch, Harness and Lights): Rs. 12847

• Upgrade Level: Illumination Overlord
• Life Saver: Turns night into day, especially on those "oh-my-gosh-where-am-I" Ladakh trails

These are the top-of-the-line LED aux lights from Maddog. I got them installed just before my Kolli Hills ride back in March 2023. I wanted to test them locally before I planned any rides to Ladakh. They are powered by 9600 Lumens per pair at just 40 watts each. They are configured in a combination of 70% spot and 30% flood with a beam distance of upto 300m.

The wiring is done by an expert mechanic and it is completely internal. It is completely parallel to the original wiring and does not require any of the original wires to be cut. It will not void your bike's warranty. Here's the link to the video that I published when I installed these lights.

As far as the review goes, guys, if you're going to do any kind of night riding, these lights are highly recommended!

The first time that I used these was on my Kolli Hills ride when I set out on a complete night ride from Pune to Bangalore, 900 kms. Here's the link to that ride so you can check out the performance of these lights as well.

The second time I found them useful was in Ladakh. And I think that if I didn't have these lights, I would never have dared to plan this kind of ride. On the Ladakh ride, most of the time I was riding during the day, however, there's a section where I rode from Hunder in Nubra Valley to Thang village which is ahead of Turtuk. It takes almost 2-2.5 hours to get there from Hunder and an equal amount of time to come back. The thing is that I reached around 2 o'clock at Hunder and checked into my hotel, had lunch and at about 3, I set out again. It was going to be sundown pretty soon as it got dark early in the mountains. It took me around 2-2.5 hours to reach Thang which is the last village of India (before the POK border). On the way back, it was pitch dark! Imagine me on a mountain road, with hardly anybody else around. When I publish the vlog you will see the seriousness, the gravity of the situation I was in. I wouldn't have dared to do this ride without the lights, that's for sure!

But these lights powered my ride, they kept me going at a very decent amount of speed and very safely, I completed the ride!

So again, highly recommended from my side if you're a serious biker and you like to do long-distance riding.

No# 6: ProSpec Highway Footpegs Rs. 2000

• Upgrade Level: Legroom Symphony
• Fold and Forget: Give your knees a break on endless highways and keep that crash guard scratch-free.

So the thing with the KTM Duke is that it's a sports bike. It is not like a cruiser or an adventure bike. What that means is that when I sit on the bike, my leg is bent at the knee at a very sharp angle. You can't sit all through your ride like this, it gets very tiring, you need to stretch your legs from time to time a bit. And that's where these ProSpec Highway Footpegs prove to be useful. Especially on long highways, where you're just going to keep going in top gear without downshifting. It really gives a good break.

They're foldable so you can fold them up when you're not using them. I've installed them at home by myself. They're very easy to install. I would recommend them for you guys to use as well but it's completely upto each and every individual. If you're not comfortable with having these, then I don't think you need to install them.

But an additional benefit that you get from them, when they're folded up, they're keeping the ground away from your actual crash guard. Now I did have a small fall when I was coming back from Ladakh. Just before crossing Baralacha La pass at Sarchu Bridge, which is under construction. There's a section with a water crossing. It's pretty complicated and that's where I had the fall. Combined with these footpegs and the bar end weights, there is not a single scratch on the body of my bike and I think that definitely is a useful reason why someone would want to install these highway footpegs.

No# 7: Blind Spot Mirrors Rs. 399

• Upgrade Level: Rearview Revolution
• Mirror, Mirror: A must-have for Duke's less-than-awesome mirrors on the highway dance floor.

Blind spot mirrors are easily the cheapest must-haves especially if you ride a lot on the highways! There's a sticky pad behind so you just stick them onto your existing mirror. And they're very useful because especially the KTM Duke's mirrors, their coverage is not very good. So you need to keep moving forward and backward to be able to see who exactly is behind you. On the highways throughout the ride, these are what I've been primarily using, and I found them very useful. Highly recommended from my side especially if you do a lot of highway riding.

No# 8: Zana Tail Rack Rs. 4000

• Upgrade Level: Luggage Platform Deluxe
• Back-Saving Secret: Avoid the tail bag back-push annoyance; let the rack do the heavy lifting!

When I started my Kolli Hills ride back in March 2023 I didn't have this rack at that point in time. I had a tail bag with me then and it would come right upto the edge of the pillion seat and it would keep pushing my back. You will see me talking about it on my vlog when I start my ride from Pune to Ladakh. On the first day, I had installed my tail bag like that and it kept pushing my back a little bit from time to time which gets very annoying! What the rack does is that it gives you a very strong and stable surface. So you can install the bag half on the seat and half on the rack. That way, you get a lot of space behind you. The Duke 200's seat is not very lengthy, it is not like Adventure bike seats. And so it doesn't get very comfortable on a long ride if you have a bag continuously pushing your back. So, definitely highly recommended from my side to have a Zana rack.

Why I went for Zana because it was available readily for the KTM Duke. There are other racks available as well. They're more expensive as well. This is one of the cheapest but sturdy ones available out there. One thing I didn't like about this rack is that the paint keeps chipping off and then whatever surface is exposed keeps getting prone to rust. So I have to maintain it from time to time. I've bought a can of black colour spray paint which I use to touch up the surface and to keep the rust away, I also spray WD-40 from time to time. So there is a little bit of maintenance involved to keep this rack rust-free. But apart from that, I think that it is a very robust upgrade.

No# 9: Radiator Grille from Zana Rs. 2300

• Upgrade Level: Radiator's Bodyguard
• Slim Yet Mighty: Safeguard your radiator through Ladakh's rugged trials.

The next upgrade: going into the mountains, going into off-roads, there's a very high chance, especially on this kind of a bike that a stone or a pebble can hit your radiator and cause it to leak. To address that, I purchased and installed this radiator grille from Zana. I installed it at home myself and here's the link to the video I made of the installation.

It was pretty easy to install, not too difficult. When you hold it, it is so thin and light that I had doubts about whether it would really protect the radiator or not. But I am back from Ladakh and I had no issues at all with any portion of the bike!

Protection is definitely good whenever you're planning a long ride, especially if you're planning a solo ride where there would be no one else to help you. So again, a highly recommended upgrade from my side!

No# 10: Fork Covers from Mototrendz Rs. 800

• Upgrade Level: Dirt Repellent Guardians
• Terrain-Proof: Shield those upside-down forks from Ladakh's dust storms and rocky escapades.

The thing with upside-down forks is if the seal cover breaks, the oil is going to leak down right away. It's not like your regular forks, right?

A fork cover keeps the seal and the surrounding area clean. It doesn't let dirt and dust and grime get inside. I found it useful when travelling to Ladakh. When you see my Ladakh vlogs, you will see that there are all kinds of terrain over there! So the bike has to deal with bad roads, rocky roads, muddy, dusty, sandy roads! I feel that the life of my fork seals definitely gets increased when I'm using these to protect them.

They're highly recommended by experienced bikers. I think I have barely started my journey right now with my first trip to Ladakh. Sometimes it is good to take advice from more experienced riders. It definitely helps to keep your bike safe and enhance your experience as well. And they don't cost that much, they cost just 800 Rs and they're very easy to install. I installed these myself and it's in the same video in which I've installed the Zana Radiator Grille.

No# 11: Apollo Tramplr XR Tyres Rs. 12600

• Upgrade Level: Road Warriors' Choice
• Terrain Versatility: Conquer Ladakh with 70% on-road and 30% off-road mastery.

Coming to the biggest upgrade of my bike, these are the Apollo Tramplr XR tyres. They're specifically made for bikes like the KTM Duke 200 and the KTM Duke range. These have a 70/30 on-road/off-road bias which means that you can use them for 30% off-road and 70% on-road. I specifically got these installed for the Ladakh trip. You can see the video over here.

In all, they cost around 12600 Rs for both the tyres. They helped me with all kinds of terrain that I spoke about in Ladakh and not a single puncture throughout my 6000 kms trip. I think that's an additional bonus I would say, for installing this kind of tyres. I had the stock MRF RevZ on this bike before. And I can tell you, I was not at all confident when I used to corner the bike. It used to feel as if the rear end was slipping. With these tyres, the wet grip and the cornering grip have enhanced dramatically! Considering that, my confidence in cornering has also improved. I don't really think twice before I go through a tricky section of the road. It's all about the tyre compound that they've used. It's hard in the centre and soft at the edges, so that gives all the cornering grip that you need.

So if you are looking for an upgrade for your tyres these are a great option. Also, they're made by an Indian company so they're not as expensive as some of the imported tyres out there. Apollo says that they've benchmarked these tyres against the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres and have exceeded their performance. After my very successful Pune to Ladakh ride, I believe them!

No# 12: Carbon Racing 36 Top Box Rs. 13999

• Upgrade Level: Stylish Storage Master
• Mounting Confidence: Four-point stability and sleek looks – because a delivery bike look wasn't on my wishlist!

Coming to the last one. I have installed a Carbon Racing 36 top box. Carbon Racing is a company in Bangalore which manufactures accessories for all kinds of bikes, but specifically for KTM, BMW, Honda and now Triumph as well. They have come up with this very robust top box. This one's a 36 litre, they come up in a range of 36/42 and 46 litres.

The KTM Duke is a very sleek-looking bike and I didn't want to add something that would look out of place on the bike like a huge square-looking box making it look like a delivery bike!

And as long as I can keep my laptop bag in here whenever I'm going to the office, it serves my purpose perfectly.

So the thing is that earlier I had a Shad 29 top case. The thing with the Shad 29 is that it has only 2 mounting points. As opposed to, the Carbon Racing one has 4 mounting points as you can see in the pic below.

The Shad top box is made of a kind of tough plastic. It's really hard plastic, but plastic can break and that's what I've seen happening in some review videos on YouTube. This box is great for riding on excellent roads but in our country suddenly you can have a very bad stretch of road. Because of this, I was not confident going out on long rides with the Shad box. So I installed this one. So far my experience with this box has been really good. The best thing is that if you have a box like this, wherever you go on a ride, you can put all your stuff inside the box and lock it up and then you are free to explore without worrying about your luggage on the bike!

So that's it guys, I hope you liked this article and found it useful. You can check out the video and other videos that I've put up on my channel.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

While parting, the Duke gave me a taste that is hard to forget and I for one cannot be satisfied with something not being as intoxicating.

BHPian itsMridul recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello everyone! Please welcome our newest member fee bleue in this forum.

Isn't she beautiful!!

Background:

My search for new bike began during January this year after undergoing and recovering from a surgery.

I have learnt riding bikes while studying in class VII on a Bajaj M80 which belonged to a relative. Although my father used to ride a Yezdi, but I was not allowed. Later he sold the Yezdi and bought himself a Bajaj Chetak. I occasionally ride it for about 6 years. Then when I was in college, he gifted me a Discover 125. That was my first!! I rode it with my hearts out. Then after college, when I got a job, I got a Pulsar 150 (Pulsars were the craze then in two / three tier cities). Although I wanted the 200 one, but father agreed to only 150.

Fast forward 8 years, got married, got another job and it was time for an upgrade. After much research and availability in my area, I zeroed in Duke 390 (the first gen, second gen was yet to be launched). Surprisingly the dealership guy convinced my better half that Duke 200 was a better choice for me. I was ready to shell out the full amount for 390 but came home saving about 60 thousand rupees and a Duke 200. I was not unhappy as I was never a top speed or acceleration guy. I was more of a cruiser kind of guy who loved occasional speed bursts for a few minutes in open road.

But the Duke fulfilled my desire. It has superb handling, occasional adrenaline rushing and good mileage for my use cases. And it spoiled me. The grin when revving out was an addictive one. She was rough, she was angry and moody. She whispers things in your ears, she makes you do things you didn't know you were capable of. She keeps you on the edge. But when she rides, she makes a connection which nothing can emulate.

But not all was rosy with it. The seat was extremely hard, there was engine vibes and unmistakably stiff suspension. I could feel the smallest of rumbles in my spine while on it. My wife also started to complain against its' ride quality. Two up was manageable but even thinking of carrying our little one for a long ride was impossible. So the Duke had to go. But while parting, she gave me a taste that is hard to forget and I for one cannot be satisfied with something not being as intoxicating.

Search:

After selling the Duke, a few things happened in quick succession. I had to undergo a surgery, it took considerable time to recover from it. During that time, I was riding my wife's Suzuki Swish 125 for daily office commutes. She even bought herself an Electric Scooty for her daily chores. All our road journeys were in our Nexon. But the longing for a bike was always at the back of my mind. So the search for the new one started again. But as the age advances, so are our priorities. This time my priorities were a little more practical:

• It will be a one bike garage. Keeping the Swish alongside the bike is not an option.
• The bike should offer very good comfort.
• It should not be a heavy bike. My garage has a sloped entrance. And I am not allowed to put pressure on my left hand.
• The seat height should be in the range of 800 mm. 10-15 mm on both sides are not dealbreakers either.
• Styling should not be very aggressive or attraction grabbing. As during office hours I'll be keeping it in a public parking, it should not attract much attention. Not a fan of loud exhaust either.
• There should be some exclusiveness, not something that everyone else is riding.
• This one is the most critical, it should remind me of my Duke to some extent.

Other bikes considered:

• Duke 390: again!! But this time it was rejected on point 2 and 5. The Duke, whatever generation it may be, still grabs eyeballs. It is a looker which also attracts all sorts of gaze.
• Honda CB300R: I somehow could not justify the earlier asking price. Also the bike felt very small even for two persons. A married man's nightmare!! Also the horrors of parts availability at Honda Bigwing.
• Honda CB350: No. 3, 5 and 7. Also did not find it exciting enough but was in consideration till finalisation.
• RE Classic: No. 6, 7 and 3. It is at the extreme opposite end of Duke (and the Duke has spoiled me enough). Everyone is riding a classic these days, there is no exclusivity.
• RE Meteor 350: Same as Classic. I even booked one, but they failed to deliver within the time and I cancelled my booking. I am thankful to RE for that.
• Harley 440: 3, 5 and 7. Also not a fan of how it looked in pictures. Did not go for any test ride either.
• Scrambler 400: I was more inclined towards this, but after watching the Revzilla video and considering my use case and price difference, finalised the speed.

Showroom Experience:

Back then when Speed was launched, Kolkata had only one Triumph dealership: Speed Triumph. Although the name itself has speed mentioned in it their service was lackluster. I visited after the initial excitement period, the deliveries had started, people were somewhat clear what to expect from the bike. However their attitude towards the customers were pathetic, no one actually came forward to talk or ask what I was looking for. I had described my experience in an earlier post in this forum. I came back disappointed and decided to wait for the unveiling of Himalayan.

The launch and subsequent reviews of the Himalayan made me realise, this is not the bike I am looking for. The Himalayan is too obvious, too much attention grabbing. I prefer stealth over attention.

Then I came to know about another dealership opening, this time OSL Triumph. By that time Scrambler was launched. I contacted over phone, and their representative picked the call. He was very reassuring and ready to provide test ride on the day itself. I visited on 21.11.2023 took the test ride. It was a short one but satisfying. I booked and paid the full amount on the day with a promised delivery on 25.11.2023.

Delivery:

As scheduled, I reached the dealership at about 3 pm. They handed over the documents and the bike after one hour. Two dealership persons just handed over the keys to me and explained the speedo console and its operation. No cake cutting or unveiling. I just asked my friend to take a photo and it was done.

Riding impression:

Oh! My my! The first thing you notice while riding this bike is how easy going it is. Start the bike, slot the gear and pull the throttle a little. It just glides. Gear changes were smooth, and the acceleration was linear. From the dealership I had to ride about 15 kms in stop-go and slow moving traffic. The bike could easily keep 30kmph in 4th gear without any hiccups. It can pull from there in 4th and maintain the poise. Likewise 40kmph in 5th. If the traffic speed is steady the even 6th gear can be slotted while moving at 40kmph.

After that 15 km in traffic, the road opened and I began to accelerate. However I maintained an average speed around 75 kmph with occasional speed burst. 80 is reached just below 4000 RPM. But the speed limiter was set at 90, so could not test higher speed or presence of any vibration. Till 80 it was very smooth.

I rode nearly 110 km (including the city traffic) at single stretch, but the journey was uneventful. Out of 110 km, I was able to ride about 90 km in 6th gear itself. The engine being very much easy going, did not required change of gear while slowing down at diversions, or picking up speeds. Did not check the brake bite, but it was fine in the traffic, so no worries there.

But not all are rosy!! The engine does heat up in traffic. I did feel the heat on my legs in stop-go traffic. But once on open highway I didn't feel anything. May be the heating will improve after the break-in period.

And the headlight could have been a little brighter. It was just sufficient, but a little more brightness would have been nice. I am not a fan of Aux Lights, will have to find a better solution for night ride.

Final thought:

After I sold the Duke, there was a void. I was riding the scooter and driving the Nexon, but the grin a motorcycle could bring was simply not there. It was like passing the days but without living those. Whenever I saw someone riding a new bike, I would place myself at his position and satiate my desire.

The Duke was like an angry and moody girlfriend. She needed constant attention and patting. But if you can live with that anger, she would reward you with unmatched excitement. Everytime you pull the throttle she never misses to elevate your enthusiasm. She is raw but she is a gem. Just learn to live with her.

And then the Speed 400. She is like the perfect wife you married a few years back. She knows your strength and shortcomings and yet she chooses to be with you in high or low. She still has that anger, but now matured enough to hide it under her smile. She still got that rawness but learned to socialize with grace. Poke her and she will show you her true colour. If you need your life easy, she is glad to accompany you. If you need that grin while riding, you know what to do....

We made a small Youtube video, sharing it here.

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 200 Duke was accompanied by a Yamaha FZ-150 for the 10-day trip across the state.

BHPian kiki_13 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am part of the rare species of female bike riders in India. Most of the girls stay away from motorcycles thinking it is meant for boys/men. I would like to promote responsible riding of motorcycles by women. From a 100cc scooter to a 200cc motorcycle, the journey was exhilarating for me. I read many travelogues on TeamBHP and would like to contribute my travel stories here as well.

My first geared motorcycle is our Duke 200 (which I now fondly call Kiki). I fell head over heels in love with motorcycling and the machine equally. The sheer fun of riding, low-end torque, manageable weight, superb braking, and above all the looks - definitely female!

Eventually, we had to buy another motorbike in order not to fight for a chance to ride. That’s how we welcomed the FZ-150 to our abode! This was a ten-day trip across various landscapes of Karnataka on two bikes.

One State, Many Worlds - The tagline for Karnataka Tourism is true to every word.

The flat landscapes around Hubli give way to lush forests and river Kali towards Dandeli and the Anshi National Park. Snaking through the Kali Tiger Reserve, emerge on the coast of Karwar, welcoming you with blue waters. Ride south and (southwest to) enjoy the unique beaches at Gokarna - with small forests skirting the shores. Travel another 50 kilometres towards forest and hills to be mesmerised by the wonderous Yana Caves. Satiate the appetite with some of the best vegetarian recipes at Udupi. Eventually, the fresh coffee directly from a plantation near Chikmagalur before heading home, and that's the 10-day road trip in a nutshell.

With our rides ready for a 2000km trip through the north and west parts of Karnataka - our beloved Duke 200 and Yamaha FZ-150 – we started on a fine Saturday morning. The ride was eventful on the monotonous PB road with kind and encouraging elderly men admiring a lady riding a motorcycle. Bharati Lodge - an old building with parking available inside the premises - situated right next to the central bus station has clean rooms and options for all budgets. The traffic on the Hubli-Dharwad Road kept us awake most of the night. Hubli comes alive on Saturday nights with a young crowd (mostly students) from the neighbouring Dharwad city who are seen having a good time at fancy eateries and updating their Instagram.

After an early breakfast from the local favourite Ayodhya Restaurant opposite the bus station, we journeyed towards Dandeli via Dharwad. The road from Hubli to Dharwad is fantastic except for the traffic signal at every 200 meters. On the other hand, the Dandeli Road is in good condition and meanders through wooded routes. Nature First Eco Village is an ideal place to stop for a day if you want to skip the hustle and bustle of a tourist place. A sumptuous breakfast was Rs.100/- including a cup of tea. Continuing, we passed through Haliyal and reached our Airbnb place in Dandeli by lunchtime.

Dandeli is part of the Western Ghats region with an elevation of 472 metres having a tropical highland climate. It is named after a local legend, a deity called Dandelappa. Located alongside the Kali river, Dandeli is famous for white water rafting and other adventure activities like Kayaking, Zorbing, Jungle safari, Canoeing, River crossing etc. Anshi National Park, which was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2007, is part of Dandeli. In the olden days, the region was known for paper mills, sawmills etc.

The dark and wild Kali Tiger Reserve

With one full day to spare at Dandeli, a ride to Castle Rock sounded exciting. Unfortunately, crossing the border to visit Dudhsagar was arduous due to restrictions (unavoidable RTPCR test). Castle Rock is a small village surrounded by dense forests bordering Goa. These woodlands fall under Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, also called Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve. This region is famed for birdlife besides Wildlife. It was gratifying to ride until the border on the Karnataka side, as we were on the other side during our Goa ride.

It was thrilling to traverse through narrow and winding roads to reach Ramnagar, a chief town on the Panjim-Belagavi highway. It serves as a good pit stop to fuel up for the ride ahead, through the forest with scant sunlight. A deviation takes you towards the famous Old Magazine House - a hotspot for feathered friends. The road in the ghat section is under construction at many places. The ride is at snail speed though the scenery compensates for the bad roads. It was a delight to stroll around the empty Castle Rock Railway Station. A small shop nearby serves piping hot local cuisine.

Spread over a vast area of 1300 square kilometres, Anshi National Park – recently renamed as Kali Tiger Reserve (KTR), was on top of the bucket list of riding routes. The SH34, Ramnagar-Karwar road connects Karwar to Dandeli via Joida. This is the usual route taken, but a detour from Sangave the interior roads with twists and turns take you to Ulavi via Syntheri Rocks. A little ahead of Ulavi, this road connects to SH146 and finally at Anshi joins SH34. The jungle of KTR has a very distinct vibe compared to the adjoining national parks of Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa. Some routes are through dense forest with narrow meandering roads, with a stream on one side. Several minor roads lead to interior villages, with many options to explore the area.

The most popular attractions are Syntheri rocks and the pilgrimage site of Ulavi. From Ulavi, there are other stunning places to visit. To name a few: Shivapura Hanging Bridge, a Panchalinga cave and a viewpoint. There are 4WD jeeps, which will take you around these places for Rs.1000/- per Jeep. Locals say the off-road is doable on a motorcycle, so you can give it a try if you are itching to ride your ADV motorcycle on these 4WD routes. It is said that crossing the Shivapura Hanging Bridge to reach Yellapura cuts the distance by more than half, though only two-wheelers are allowed to cross. There are many resorts and homestays around the national park area. Stay in one of them and explore the national park and the hinterland.

Continue reading BHPian kiki_13's Karnataka travelogue for more insights & information.

With the recent prices that we see in the petrol, I am assuming all of us would be feeling the pinch. I thought we would use this thread as a sounding board on what we are doing wrong and what we could do better to get better fuel efficiency from our vehicles.

BHPian rohitoasis recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Allow me to start with a disclaimer. I do not claim to be an expert. What I have penned down below is a series of observations I have done over a period of last year or so. This might be true only to my bike, its current condition or my riding style. There are points where I do not have any logic or explanation to the behaviour. I thought I would minute these observations down.

With the recent prices that we see in the petrol, I am assuming all of us would be feeling the pinch. I thought we would use this thread as a sounding board on what we are doing wrong and what we could do better to get better fuel efficiency from our vehicles.

My bike is nearly 9 years old. But for the first 7 years, I had never bothered to check and document the costs associated with the ownership. I used to stay 2 km away from office and had to fill petrol once in a month. I used to service the bike once in 3 months irrespective of the mileage done. I covered around 21K km in this period of 7 years. With 6 day working, it was used basically for this 2+2 km commute.

In June 2019, I got transferred to Coimbatore which is around 50 Km away from my hometown Palakkad. I was amused at the thought of an extended commute. By a fortune or misfortune, the rubber switches in the instrument cluster gave way on the last week of my stay in Chennai. So I had a new speedometer console installed and with the odometer reset, I was able to document this second phase of motorcycling fairly decently. There was a steep learning curve on fuel management and service intervals from this day onward. I am now nearing 20K Km of this second phase of life. These observations are not done in the most scientific manner and I do not claim to have technical expertise to claim if they are actually valid observations or some kind of placebo effect. I could have used any of the readily available apps. But I started the job or recording my fuel consumption as a task to keep my nephew busy and have a routine to follow rather than spend time on mobile gaming and created and kept an excel sheet updated. At least sometime, learning to use excel and its formulae could be an essential life skill for the future.

Why I fancied this new phase of my motorcycle ride

This is the view from my house:

Few of you may recognise this bit of NH544.

We purchased this house almost 30 years back just because of the view of the highway and my attraction towards automobiles. Through the years, I would watch a lot of cars and in recent decades; tonnes of bikers in this piece of road and secretly wish on long rides. With a 6 day work week, it is not the most practical option to go on rides on the weekend and it excited me to have weekday commutes of decent length. (That and me being an introvert, I rarely enjoy large groups and group rides). When you combine these with the bike that I own. Duke 200 is one of those bikes with just enough power not to overpower its chassis. It has a super stiff chassis and amazing cycle parts for the money it charges. You think of executing a manoeuvre and the bike just responds the exact same way you wished it for. Makes it fun even at 3/10th or 4/10th of its massive capability. Yes, the rides give me sore bum, but the joy you get in riding this easily exceeds any inconvenience. With such roads and a mighty steed at my disposal, these commutes become the bright spot of my daily routine.

How I combatted boredom in these rides.

For the first few weeks of this commute, I would set up benchmarks for me. To reach a landmark within a set time or complete the journey in set time or have an average speed of XX. These rides were fun for some time.

From a time when I chased average speeds. (Notice the sticker of the new speedo unit):

Soon I realised the impracticality of having time or speed based targets. With 5 traffic signals in the 22 Km from Kerala Border to my house, multiple speed cameras and occasional random police checks, I understood it was not safe to target average speeds anymore. With this realization, I decided to maintain the rides to never exceed the speed limit. So I would do around 70 kmph (10 km/h lower than the speed limit to avoid any fines due to speedo error).

When you reduce speed there is a whole new world awaiting you:

• You start noticing details that eluded your vision originally. You see the beautiful morning sunrise (My morning commute starts at 0645 Hrs) and evening sunset (Commute back is at 1740 Hrs). (Though this started to blind me and I had to get the dark visor for the helmet. Was not available in the Chennai showroom, so had it brought from Revzilla and brought to India by a colleague).
• You are gifted with longer reaction times to any obstacles on the road.
• You have time to review your braking distances and time required to accelerate to speed (Helps you target and hone into gaps in traffic).
• You learn better throttle modulation.
• Gifts you the Zen-like ability not to get coaxed into races with teenagers.
• And finally grants you extra range on the limited fuel that can be filled in your bike.

This was probably the first time I realised I could achieve substantial range from the tiny tank of fuel:

After this, I tried to replicate similar mileage numbers at the next tankful. This photo is after an entire day's commute. Still showing tankful after ride of 100km:

Before I start what I am planning to share, here are a few FAQs.

FAQs

Q) Are you crazy? Why would you use a bike for a highway commute? It is not safe

A) To answer the first part. Yes, a little bit. Anybody who has an obsession to this musical bit for nearly 30 years can be classified slightly insane.

To answer logically, the commute on a car over this distance on a stretch with is littered with Traffic Signals, Tolls and highly policed Speed trap system is expected to be higher than a commute on a bike. If I am unwell to ride, I always had an option of buses (Pre-lockdown of course).

Q) Why use a Duke for commuting? There are always better options in biking sphere for commuting.

A) Several reasons. Over the years I have ridden very few bikes, but in the ones that I rode, only two have felt super engaging, The R-15 and the Duke. In fact ever since reading the reviews by Shumi in Overdrive, this was the only bike which actually got me to the dealership to do a test drive. I laid down the advance for the bike after a 2 Km test drive. Have been in love with that bike ever since. When I thought of possible upgrades, I did try out the R3 as well, but even that felt very calm compared to the Duke. This bike has spoiled me for anything above or below its price range.

Q) You ride a Duke. How are you bothered about Fuel Efficiency for Christ Sake?

A) This has been the only investment I have done of this magnitude in my life. I love it today as much as I loved it the first day I rode it. I have never mistreated the bike. Red lined very rarely. Hit the rev limiter only once in my life (and that was a shock for me). I like the bike for what It offers. It does everything with ease where the weaker bikes struggle. I am happy with the knowledge that when needed I have always something extra on tap. Never been bothered about fuel efficiency till I had to do these commutes. The need to worry about fuel efficiency came from the inconvenience of fueling up more than twice a week. Would I wish for a bigger tank on this bike at the cost of loss of dynamics. An emphatic no!

Continue reading more on the analysis and check out BHPian comments for more insights.

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 will be launching the 2017 Duke range in India on February 23, 2017. The Indian launch comes around 3 months after the 390 Duke's global unveil at the EICMA Show in Milan last year.

The new 390 Duke gets some updates in terms of its styling and features on offer. The front fascia gets new LED headlamps that feature a split design and come with DRLs. The sub-frame has also been redesigned, while the fuel tank gets new extensions. The 2017 390 Duke will continue to be powered by the same 373cc, single-cylinder engine that is found on the current bike. It is mated to a 6-speed gearbox and churns out 43 BHP and 35 Nm of torque. However, the engine is now Euro IV compliant, owing to the presence of a three-way catalytic converter and a side-mounted exhaust.

Some media reports suggest that KTM won't launch the 2017 Duke 200 in India. Instead, the Austrian bike maker will likely introduce a facelift of the current model, which will come with just a few new paint schemes and body decals.

Autologue Design has launched the custom-built KTM X-26 and the Yuvraj Special X-12 on KTM Duke 390. The bikes will be up for auction for charity soon and the custom kits will be up for sale from 22nd July 2015. The proceeds would go towards YouWeCan cancer awareness campaigns.

The limited edition KTM kit contains a tank cover, headlight, radiator cover, belly cover, side panels, tail tidy and tyre hugger. It is priced at Rs. 49,390. A rear seat cowl and anodized CNC machined bits are optional. The YouWeCan bike has additional custom parts including Two Brothers full exhaust system, BMC air filter, Race Dynamics ECU upgrade, rear set foot pegs and CNC machined custom oil caps and a custom paint scheme.

The X26 and the X12 kits will be available for the KTM Duke 200 and 390 bikes. These can be extended to bikes other than KTM. Autologue Design plans to make these kits to be available throughout the country and is looking for some potential partners.

Autologue claims that its customisation kits are built by taking the OEM design route e.g. chassis scanning, 3D modeling, CNC machined patterns, woven mat FRP and Standox 3 coat painting. They are bolt-on plug and play kits, requiring no alterations to the original bike frame, no drilling of holes and weighs up to 5 kgs.