KTM Duke 200
KTM has been creating news in one or the other way, recently KTM announced its plans for the launch of the Duke 390 and also a promised a new bike to fill in the gap between the D200 and the D390. The latest one though is the listing of the 2013 KTM Duke 200 with ABS on its Indian website, although the link still mentions EU (European Union) but it does hint us that the European model might also be made available in India.
The ABS unit in the D200 is a Bosch 9M-ABS developed by Brembo and Bosch which can be turned ON and OFF as per the riders need. The ABS unit is also said to be giving the finishing touch to the chassis qualities a bike in this segment deserves. The front disc size also has been increased from 280mm to 300mm, which provides additional braking power and as KTM terms it “fun without risk”. The ABS is mandatory for motorcycles in Europe, and also many other countries have now started making it mandatory since having an ABS unit makes riding safer on two wheels.
To further strengthen the news, the folks at Bike Advice have also spotted KTM Duke 200 ‘On Test’ in the streets of Pune which they believed to be an ABS version. Along with the introduction of ABS, the 2013 model also has a bigger 11-litres fuel tank borrowed from the Duke 390 to ensure longer rides, bigger front rotor and an engine cowl with ABS sticker. We predict it might be priced Rs. 10,000/- higher than the regular variant.
The KTM Duke 200 with ABS is also made by Bajaj at its Chakan plant which also make the KTM 200 without ABS, so making the same bike available will not be a problem since they share a common assembly line, also being made locally the price difference can be made as low as affordable for the Indian buyers. Although the website does not give any clear indication if the bike is available in India, but if it does, it will certainly heart burns to the existing KTM Duke 200 owners.
Also see – KTM plans to launch Duke 180 in India
KTM to launch full-faired Duke 125, 200 and 390 made-in-India motorcycles
Source – Bike Advice
