You all know by now that I love lightweight bikes, but KTM’s newest offering has me a bit confused. I’ve got a baby Duke for a couple of weeks, so let me know what you want to know about it while I try to figure things out!
The Duke 200 is what the industry likes to call a “world bike” – it’s built for other markets, but if you’ve already spent the development money then it’s not that expensive to experiment and bring it to a market like America where you normally wouldn’t bother selling a 200. The Royal Enfield Himalayan has a similar story.
Photo from KTM.
What’s truly appealing about the little Dukie is the MSRP of $3,999 (plus $300 freight). That’s Honda Monkey money for something that can legally hop on the highways of America – though you probably won’t be making a habit of cruising in the fast lane with 26 horsepower. There really isn’t anything else that resembles a full-size motorcycle at this price point, which makes it an interesting proposition if you can live with the limitations.
Photo from KTM.
It’s $700-$1,500 cheaper than bikes like the Honda CB300R, Yamaha MT-03, Kawasaki Z400, and KTM’s own Duke 390. Let’s find out if the savings are worth the sacrifice!
I’ve already got the Duke 200 in my possession, and our first date was a day at Horse Thief Mile at Willow Springs:
Photo by Nathan May
Now I’m going to spend some time seeing how it holds up as a commuter. Check out KTM’s page on what they call a “Light Heavyweight”, then let me know your questions/thoughts below!