KTM Duke 200

Bajaj will launch the KTM Duke 200 at the Auto Expo, although the official company lines also suggests that the Bajaj small car and commercial vehicles will be the focus of the company, and not motorcycles. The Probiking line of Bajaj showrooms will turn fully orange as the company introduces the KTM brand in India with the Duke 200. The pricing of the Duke isn't final yet, but Bajaj is considering price points between Rs 1.1 lakh (directly opposite the Yamaha R15) and Rs 1.3 lakhs (solidly halfway between the R15 and the Honda CBR250R). We expect the motorcycle to receive a national roll-out shortly after the Auto Expo.


The KTM engine is all-new, featuring light aluminium construction, double overhead camshafts with finger followers, four valves, fuel injection and liquid cooling. The engine is heavily oversquare, allowing a big, short light piston to work a short stroke to provide quick-revving power. A light forged crankshaft, similarly promotes the quick revving power delivery, sort of how dirtbike engines are designed today - brand perfect since KTM is traditionally known for dirt bikes.
In feel, the engine feels good. It revs easily to its 11,000rpm redline, making 25PS at 10,000 at its power peak and 19Nm at 8,000rpm peak torque. The sound is a flat blat which sounds right for the bike but I suspect a little more intake noise or more bass in the exhaust (I hear there is an aftermarket kit coming) would make the bike sound more, erm, special.
The exhaust itself is an interesting design that routes the header pipe across the top left of the engine and down into a box-shaped exhaust with a nearly hidden exhaust tip more or less under the swingarm pivot. Bajaj says the mass centralisation achieved is one of the reasons the motorcycle will have awesome dynamics.
The gearbox is a six-speed close-ratio job which triggers a centrally mounted red-coloured shift light at the top of the tiny, all-digital dash. Shifts are effortless and quick and the rider has to work the gearbox hard to keep up as the engine charges up the rev band without any sort of intertia or lag.