KTM Duke 200

[awa355]

These seem to be good buying at $5,000.

What are The KTM's like to own, cost wise as compared to the smaller Japanese dual purpose bikes?

Would they last as long? I assume the performance would be at least as good if not better.

This write up makes it look good. http://autos.maxabout.com/bikes/ktm/duke/duke-200

[Daffyd]

I think I'd be going for the 390 Duke... virtually the same bike with a 373 cc motor and some minor upgrades, eg brakes.

[HondaLad]

Are you looking for a dual purpose bike? My impression is that the 200/390 Dukes are good little naked road/sport bikes, not really inclined towards gravel or rougher stuff.

[clint640]

My KTM has been pretty comparable to anything Japanese in terms of parts & running costs. In some aspects better, like the fully rebuildable suspension, mostly common bearing sizes, well designed & tough components that don't break/bend like the cheesy equivalents on some asian bikes etc.

These Indian made KTM's are a probably a bit different but I'd still guess they're made to a higher std than your average 200cc commuter. The only reason people think small japanese motorcycles are famously reliable is that nobody actually rides them very far there's a good chance the powerplant in this little beasty would last pretty well but a bit of lurking on some Indian biker forums should get you some good reliability info as they'll no doubt be racking up the k's

Cheers
Clint

[Gremlin]

It's a small commuter, I don't think I'd be contemplating adventure riding on it.

I tried that with my 990SM... yeesh, expensive and broke several expensive things...

[swanman]

I have one of these now for nearly 2 years. This is purely a road bike. They are great though. Nippy, light, great handling, super economical, can cruise at 100kmh all day. build quality is fine and I have not had a single problem. The engine is awesome for its size, perfectly injected, a little torquey and even has a zing at the top end. I would love to try the 390 but I know that I would ride it too fast and get into trouble.