The KTM Duke has been one bike we all have been eagerly waiting for in the Indian market and now BS Motoring has ridden it and shared their initial riding impressions. The wait has been long but was worth it though to see the magnificent light sports machine develop to where it is today. The first wraps were taken off the bike at the EICMA Motor Show when we got to see the bike in flesh and blood (in pictures though). The KTM Duke 125 and the 200 were both built simultaneously to cater to the Indian and the European markets. All the R&D work took plae at the 165 acre state-of-the art R&D facility of Bajaj Auto at Akurdi in Pune under the guidance of KTM engineers.
“From the beginning it was clear that the 200 Duke would be made for the Indian and other developing markets, where the 125 is not so interesting, because there isn’t the low-power legislation that we have in Europe. So we developed both models in tandem with each other using a common platform, so that the chassis and almost all the running gear are shared by both bikes, and the engine is essentially the same, except for the cylinder head, valves, piston and crankshaft assembly, and throttle body. But, without the restrictions imposed by the EU regulations, this has allowed us to produce a bike with 73% more engine performance, but weighing exactly the same as the 125. I think this makes it 100% more fun!” Andreas Wimmer, 37, KTM’s project leader for all street singles, up to and including the 690 model range.
The Indian version of the KTM Duke (apparently to be called the KTM Duke 200) is powered by a liquid cooled, 4 stroke, 199.5 cc engine having a Bore X Stroke of 72mm X 49mm and 4 valves. The engine is a redesigned version of the 125cc motor powering the European Duke. The engine delivers a power output of 26 BHP @ 10,000 RPM and about 19.5 Nm of torque at similar rev ranges. Other engine parts like the crankcase, 6 speed transmission, radiator, air filter and exhaust silencer are shared with the 125cc Duke. The bike is indeed a new breed of light sports with a kerb weight of 122 kg. The 6 speed gearbox is very smooth and precise in shifts. In terms of mileage the bike doesn’t disappoint either! According to Mr. Wimmer, the Duke 200 is expected to return a mileage of about 30 kmpl. The bike is fitted with 43 mm inverted telescopic forks supplied by the Indian suspension components manufacture, Endurance. The wheel travel has been kept to about 150mm at both ends keeping in mind the Indian road conditions.
The braking is provided by 300mm ByBre steel disc at the front and 230mm at the rear. The bike is really light and provides exceptional handling capability. The bike rides on 17 inch wheels fitted to 110/70 R17 at the front and thick 150/60 R17 at the rear. This is the first Indian bike to sport radial tires at the front. The tires have been jointly developed with MRF exclusively for the Duke. With a wheelbase of 1350mm, the bike doesn’t feel too long yet a full grown motorcycle. The manufacturing facility of Bajaj is already manufacturing the 125cc Duke and exporting to the European countries. The production for the 200 Duke is supposed to start in January 2012. The bike is rumoured to be priced at a killer pricing of Rs. 1.25 lakhs!
KTM claims a 0 – 60 kmph time of 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 134 kmph.
Source – BS Motoring
Loading ...
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
evrything abt duke seems perfect
looks,performance,handling m price evrythin is spot on
bajaj surely has a winnr on its hands
btw @ faz i hav read somwher tht duke’s @10000rpm shows speed of 127kmph in 6th gear on speedo n bajaj will most likly kep the bike ‘s rev limit to 10000rpm ….if its true den it means bike will b extremely shortgeared n will b a superfun to ride all the way till the limit but top speed surely wil tak a toll den
i think bajaj can do this wid duke n make flagship pulsar faster in top speed just to retain tht fastest indian tagline…wht u think??
Hritik, yes you read right. The Duke’s top speed is around 134 kmph and the company has actually gone for short gearing. Yes, the new Pulsar will regain the fastest Indian tagline.
Speed is nothing without handling,as R15 beats Pulsar 220 on every front except initial torque, How many of us rides daily on highway on bikes as its not safe to do so. Ktm duke 200 will not disappoint on highways too as it can cruze on a comfortable 100-110kmph with everything under control.even on cbr250 you cant make long trips because of its driving poisture on that front Duke 200 fares well as its having a wide handle bar and a comfortable riding poisture. so we all are going to have fun with a good mix of highway and city driving on Duke 200. cheers
Duke 200 will beat Cbr250 in bushes as its 25 kgs lighter and also features upside down forks on front, wider tyres (110-150), light alloy swingarm. It doesnt have fairing which is prone to get damaged , can be fitted with conventional legguard so the repairing cost after dropping will be very less. all in all a practical sports bike for india.
Ninu your completely right. i totally agree with your opinion on “Practical Sports Bike” But well CBR and KTM both have different test so lets see Which is more testy!!!!!!!!!!
KTM 200 DUKE claims that its top speed is 134 kmph & 0-60 Kmph speed in just 3.33 secs. now thats better than “250 cc CBR”.
read this official blog: http://www.zigwheels.com/news-features/news/ktm-200-duke-what-it-really-means/10795/1
people compare KTM 200 duke with Honda CBR, i want to ask how can anyone compare DUKE with CBR, duke is 200cc while CBR is 250cc. it almost 50cc difference in both bikes, both classes are different.
aryan it doesnt depends on cc all the time….it depends on bhp of a bike….like r15 is a 150cc bike bike but defeats pulsar 200cc in pick up and top speed….now say ,there is a 50cc difference after all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ Mohsin …………. who told you R15 is better than pulsar 200 in pick up & speed .. its a hilarious joke.
Pl check ur info.
pulsar 200 gives 23.5 bhp while R15 gives 17 bhp, way long to compare forget about speed.