2024 KTM 200 Duke Featuring New Decals

The KTM 200 Duke is powered by a BS6.2 compliant, 199.5cc, liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine, which produces 25PS and 19.3Nm. The engine is paired with a 6-speed gearbox.
The KTM Duke 200 is built on a tubular split-trellis frame, which is suspended on a 43mm front USD fork and 10-step preload-adjustable monoshock at the rear. Braking is handled by a 300mm disc up front and a 230mm rear disc brake. It comes with dual-channel ABS as standard. The bike rolls on 17-inch alloys, wrapped in 110-section (front) and 150mm (rear) tubeless MRF tyres. The KTM 200 Duke has a 13.4-litre fuel tank and weighs 159kg (kerb). The seat on this bike is 822mm tall, with the ground clearance being 155mm.
The KTM 200 Duke goes up against the likes of the Bajaj Pulsar NS200 and TVS Apache RTR 200 4V. The Honda Hornet 2.0, however, is just a rung lower and would not be considered as its direct rival. Although not as direct rivals, the Yamaha MT-15 and Suzuki Gixxer 250 serve as worthy competitors as well.
After years of riding some of the most powerful motorcycles available, I’d really forgotten how much fun small bikes can be, especially on the street. The KTM 200 Duke had been sitting in the UM garage for a while until I rode it. Once aboard, I found that I absolutely relished riding this pint-sized Beast. It most definitely deserves its place at the KTM Duke table, sitting alongside its larger siblings with their impressive reputations.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s only so much energy a 199.5cc single can produce. Even so, the remarkable DOHC motor does come up with way more power than I was expecting, and it does it all the way through the entire rev range to the limiter. Coupled with the 200’s feather weight, the willing, fast-revving engine translates the KTM into brisk acceleration once you’re out of first gear.
The motor has minimal flywheel weight, so pulling away necessitates a decent handful of throttle to bring up the revs. Being used to bigger bikes it’s easy to be a bit lazy with that, and embarrassingly, I stalled the motor on more than one occasion. However, once off the line and out of first, the 200 Duke pulls strongly and consistently, all the way to what feels like a stratospheric rev-limit.
Sure, the 200 Duke doesn’t have the luxury of being able to twist the throttle in top gear and be able to rip away from traffic like a literbike. Yet, sixth gear produces enough useable power to pull away from cars and trucks without drama, so it excels in the city environments. The combination of snappy engine and light weight means that the Duke responds quickly, and I can easily lane-split (in California) and merge from lane to lane without cutting anyone off or holding them up. So I always feel in charge and much safer in traffic.