Nov 14, 2015 12:14 PM
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Flamboyance isn’t easy to carry off. But when you get it right, there’s nothing else in the world quite like it, is there? The KTM 200 Duke, I think, carries it off
The show begins, obviously with the Duke’s incredible presence. It’s like trying to have dinner without looking at the F-14 Strike Eagle parked on top of the dining table. Part of the appeal is unfamiliarity.
Forceful is a good word and it does substantially describe the power train nicely.
The 199.5cc engine makes a red-cheeked 25PS at 10, 000rpm, five hundred short of the harsh redline and peak torque is 19.3Nm at a high 8, 000rpm. That four-valve, DOHC engine requires water cooling and gets it. The coolant tank cap sticks out in the hollow in the front edge of the tank with a neat cutout in the front wall showing the coolant level. Bajaj say KTM insisted on finger followers on the cam for longevity and the KTM, paying homage to its dirt bike roots, comes with a light crank and an incredible appetite for revs.
As you can tell from the length of the engine section — despite lots of mechanical detail in it — the powertrain is a big part of the 200 Duke story. The handling is just as much a part of the appeal of the KTM. The frame is a pretty exciting bit of kit. It’s a steel trellis frame in the tradition of KTM bikes. The white mono shock at the rear is a sign that KTM’s well-respected suspension firm WP(White Power) are involved and this preload adjustable shock mounts directly on the swingarm. The swingarm is externally braced and is aluminium and quite long – all good things, though it’s going to be a massive pain in the, er, neck to keep it clean on our filthy roads, especially in the monsoon.
Get a KTM, it’s the nearest you will come to experiencing the power and the glory of the two-strokes.
