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KTM 200 Duke...Possibly?
Blog Date - 18 August 2012
I first saw the 125 version of this on my recent travels around Germany. 2 young lads were sat on a wall at Cochem next to this and at first glance I thought "How the hell does a young man afford to ride a KTM Duke!?" I was of course thinking of the larger 690 or even 990 Duke. The bike seemed wrong though, too small. Closer inspection reveled it was the 125. I laughed, imagine that, KTM, the kings of all out blast, speed, power and mind bending insanity now make a 125.
Imagine my surprise then when I was at the Rocket Centre in Blackburn and I saw the Duke 125 on sale there...and a 200 version! I can see that possibly the 125 is meant to get the new rider onto a KTM and instill some brand loyalty so when they pass their test they go and buy one of the larger hedonistic models. But why on earth a 200? It is possible this model is aimed at the youth who's passed his or her test on a 125 and is limited to 33bhp for two years. The 200 produces 26bhp though, that's a staggering 7 bhp below the 33 limit. Why not produce a 250 or 300 that can reach that limit, in the KTM "Ready To Race" mentality?
Whatever else you can say...it certainly looks like a Duke...no bad thing.
I honestly don't know. Maybe there's another country out there where 200cc's or 26bhp forms some licence class. Maybe they couldn't squeeze a 33bhp motor into the 125 frame without expensive development. I would love to know, if anyone's got any other suggestions please tell me.
This bike however has really tweaked my interest. It is, basically, a bored out version of the 125 as far as I can tell. Imagine that, 126 kilos so it's as light as a feather, small and nimble like a 125 yet with that little bit of extra power to make the ride that much more exciting and manageable. It appears to be seriously well specified too. At the front hangs a pair of WP (presumably White Power?) 43mm upside-down forks. This is the sort of thing you'd expect on a crazy 600 super sports bike, not a glorified 125. There's another WP shock at the rear.
The brakes have been developed with Brembo, only one disc at the front but come on, 4 piston radially mounted Brembo developed caliper...more...much more than enough. Stainless steel exhaust. Ally swingarm. Digital speedo with all kinds of data. It's all there, like a mini Duke should be. Proper tyres too, none of this skinny toy bike stuff. You can even get an Akrapovic exhaust as part of the accessories. Bosch EFI and management computer. This is not some half hearted effort just to keep some bureaucrat happy, this is a serious bit of kit. It looks well too.
And the price? About £4,000. Now that's a lot for a glorified 125, but let's compare it to the 250cc offerings out there. Suzuki's forthcoming Inazuma is priced at £3,500 and it weights a lot more and is not as well built or specified. Honda's new CRF 250 L costs £4,000, produces less power and weighs more. I think the £4,000 price tag is not exactly cheap, but it is certainly comparable on paper.
I think it's a great bike! I think it's really refreshing, hopeful and exciting to see such machines in the small-but-not-125 class. Would I buy one? Oh gosh, there's a few things that are not to my taste.
There's the whole KTM mindset. "Ready To Race" is some kind of company mantra, a mindset. Even on the 200 the blooming computer displays"Ready To Race" on the digital clocks. It's all very exciting if your 17 years old or a born again lunatic with plans to burn off everything in your path and your licence is a thing to be abused, not cherished. I doubt there's a setting for "Ready To Ride To Work" or "Ready To Go Shopping". This bike is obviously made to go some, I'd be curious if it could go a bit less.
KTM do list a rear rack, so there's an option there to fit one of my enormous top boxes. The exhaust is stainless so that might survive a salty winter. I've never seen a ten-year-old KTM with 60,000 miles on the clock so I don't know how well built they are or how well they age. Is it comfy? How hard is it get get KTM spares? Are the motors reliable? Will it drink juice? There's so many questions unanswered.
And that's the rub, for me at least. You kind of know where you are with one of the big 4 Jap bikes. I know what to expect, what's likely to go wrong, how much it'll cost to run and I've a fair idea how they're put together. The KTM is an unknown quantity. Still, as I flick through the brochure I can't help but feel a little excited about the notion of owning one.
Reader's Comments
Vlad said :-
Awesome little bike it rides on the back of our camper( so light) . It's been so much fun in the picos and the Vosges. Two up over mountain passes and exploring out of the way places. Much more fun than a scooter . A big change from my tuono but it keeps your small capacity skills alive , the tuono feels huge . Does need a steering damper and European tyres , 1500 miles no probs.
Regards vlad
24/08/2016 09:10:32 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Cheers Vlad. Steering damper and European tyres? Is it a bit twitchy? Maybe you're just riding it too fast, hehe.
25/08/2016 11:26:17 UTC
Abhijeet said :-
There is a Duke 390 too. Built on the same frame and almost just as light. Just that it produces 44 bhp and does 0-100 kmph in under 5 secs!
26/08/2016 13:40:33 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
I've had a very brief ride on the 390 Abhijeet. It's like the most powerful 125 you'll ever ride. It feels bigger than a 125 if I'm honest but KTM still managed to squeeze in a whole lot of bike into a very small package.
27/08/2016 09:12:33 UTC
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