2020 KTM 200 DUKE
R I D E R E V I E W
P102
Oh, that poor rear shock.
The 200's arrival in the U.S.
has been a very long time com-
ing. It was originally released in
2011 as a 2012 model in India
and remained unchanged in
the subsequent eight years.
Much of the 200's DNA is
shared with the splendid 390
Duke, including the frame,
suspension (with a modified
shock), wheels, brakes and
bodywork.
However, the motor is not a
sleeved-down version of the
390's as many would think.
KTM engineers have designed
a new motor from the ground
up, although much of the archi-
tecture is shared with the 390.
The 200's is a 199cc single-
cylinder, running a double
overhead camshaft cylinder
head and is good for a handy
26 horsepower at 10,000 rpm
and 14.4 lb-ft of torque at 8000
rpm. While those numbers
aren't going to break your arms
free of their sockets, they do
translate to rather spritely per-
formance.
Our day trip around San
Diego gave us a chance to
wind the 200 out about as
much as we'd be happy to,
before arousing the interest
of San Diego's finest. With
a registered 72 mph on the
old-school-looking LCD dash
and more to come, the little
six-speed 200 kept up with
everything around it, which was
rather pleasant given its admit-
tedly small stature.
Power is best described
as surprising because a 200
single, in all likelihood, should
be this quick. The 200 offers
an ideal mix of power and
speed and makes for a far bet-
ter inner-city bike than almost
any of the Duke's bigger
brothers.
