KTM RC200 Test Ride Review

KTM has fulfilled the heartiest desire of Indian motorbike aficionados by launching faired and track oriented RC200 & RC390. When KTM launched the naked Duke 200 & Duke 390, it was all desired to get these bikes wrapped around fairing one fine day and in the month of September 2014 KTM launched these two beautiful sportbikes built around same chassis and engine of Duke duos.
Test Ride By: Rakesh Gowda
Review & Text By: Farhan Kashif
Photographs By: Eshwar Lokesh
Bike Tested: KTM RC200
Price: Rs. 1,60,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi)
Styling:

The RC200 has a distinct styling and it comes with dual projector headlights, the DRLs are integrated with the headlight and also distinguished with a peculiar shape. The drawback of the Duke series- the windshield, is categorically corrected in RC series bikes. A Large Windscreen is deployed to deflect the wind blast at the high speed.

The RC200 has a razor sharp fuel tank which looks aesthetically very elegant but lacks in practicality as the fuel tank is limited to 10 Liters of petrol only. The battery is placed very smartly, hidden beneath the fuel tank.

The Fairing of RC200 comes in two parts; Fairing covering the engine & Fairing covering the Belly. The Belly covering fairing integrates the exhaust very beautifully. But the two piece fairing has lots of gaps which are difficult to clean and prone to rattle. The Rear seat of RC200 is designed as cowl and it is made up of good quality black foam. The rear end of RC gets all LED tail lights. Engine & Transmission:

The 199.5cc liquid cooled engine is a direct lift up from its naked sibling- Duke 200. Even after weighing extra 8.5 kilos grace a' fairing the RC200 feels as quick as Duke 200. The power is evenly distributed to all rev range but you have to keep the bike at its top of the power band to get the max power at each gear. The 6-speed transmission is smooth and the clutch felt light, tough the short gear ratio is continued as Duke 200.

Riding Dynamics:

The trellis frame which has come from the RC series of KTM is a specialty of the bike , mated to the upside down suspensions up front and the WP mono suspension at the rear does a wonderful job. The Duke chassis which is used with the additional sub frame in the RC is equally communicative and responsive as Duke's. For a superb handling the rake angle is also altered in RC200. Ergonomics:

The RC200 is an all n all race machine and it is fully devoted to the racer in you. It is a pure track oriented bike and if you are a person who wants to take racing seriously, this is the machine for you. The rear set foot pegs and the carved fuel tank to tug your knees into with an angled short clip on handle bar give you a confident posture perfect for track.

But then who goes on track daily??? the bike has some serious drawbacks unlike its naked siblings which you can use for both bumper to bumper traffic and occasionally on track, you can not treat RC200 as your daily commute. However, the compromised and aggressive seating posture is something that you become used to after sometime.
Difference in RC200 & RC390:

However, visually there is hardly any significant difference seen between RC200 & RC390 except color difference. There are some fundamental difference between these two including their hearts (engine):

  • There is no additional weight bars at the clip-on handle bar of RC200
  • The RC200 comes in matte black finish and RC390 has white color all over.
  • At the rear beneath the seat, where there is grab handle hidden has white treatment in RC200.

Verdict:

Personally, I like the Black beauty more than the alpha white male the RC390 as far as color is concerned. The RC200 is a premium product with some glitches that can be neglected for a fun filled ride and a stylish machine that comes at a very affordable price tag keeping its performance and value for money proposition in consideration. Motorcycle Courtesy: Central Mysore KTM, Mysore.
See full details of KTM RC 200 »

More reviews of KTM RC 200

Motorcycle Trellis Frame- All You Need To Know + [Video]

Dec 31, 2017
Nowadays in the world of modern motorcycling, the Trellis Frame is by far the most used and the most preferred frame among all others. In this the frame is made using aluminum or alloy tubular bars and are joint together in a triangular form using the cantilever method. This divides the load evenly across all ends of the frame and also allows for the frame to be lighter and able to carry a higher capacity of load.

Reviews of other KTM Bikes

KTM RC 125 Vs Yamaha YZF-R15 V 3.0- Comparo

Jun 14, 2019
Ktm India is going to launch RC 125 anytime from now, the full faired and lowest capacity "RC" brand from the stable of Austrian bikemaker will lock its horns with Yamaha YZF-R15 V 3.0. This battle is likely to happen because of the price bracket where both the bikes are going to be placed. Let's find out how the upcoming KTM RC 125 in spite of its smaller capacity motor fares against the Japanese YZF-R15 Version 3.0.

Why KTM Duke 125 Will Sell And Why It Won’t In India

Oct 22, 2018
The bookings for the Duke 125 are now open and its ex-showroom price will be around Rs 1.25 lakh, which puts it in a highly competitive zone. Still, we believe that India is the most unique market in the world where chances of anomalies are very high. That’s why we have come up with a list of reasons explaining why the Duke 390 will be a success and why it won’t be.

KTM Duke 125 Maybe Coming But Do You Want It?

Oct 16, 2018
I am sure that you guys have heard by now that the 2019 Duke 125 is allegedly coming to India but the question of its Value proposition still remains. How many people in India would want to buy a 1.5 lakh Motorcycle having a 125 cc engine? Well, let’s try to answer that.
View all reviews of KTM Bikes

Reviews of other Sport Bikes

Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 First Ride Review

May 20, 2019
Suzuki Motorcycle India has launched the elder sibling of their Flagship brand Gixxer in India. The Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 has been introduced to the Indian market by the company. The Gixxer SF 250 is a fully faired motorcycle and it comes with various features on board including Dual Channel ABS as standard fitment. However, like any other thing the new Gixxer SF 250 also misses out few things that we will bring into your notice. We got the chance to take a ride of the brand new Gixxer SF 250 even before it was officially launched Pan India. Here is what we found out about the bike as initial impression in our review.

Why Pulsar 180F Sucks- A Critical Analysis

Feb 4, 2019
Since the design rehash formula worked wonders for a motorcycle which has already captured a big portion of the 150cc market. It should definitely work for a bike which hasn’t even begun competing on the same level as its siblings. So Bajaj decided to use the design of the Pulsar 220F and put the 180cc engine in it. The sad part isn't that they are diluting the image of Pulsar 220F, but they are also doing the right thing economically.

A Timeline Of How Hero Karizma Was Destroyed

Dec 27, 2018
Hero Karizma is finally down to selling Zero units per month. Imagine being a motorcycle giant with thousands of showrooms across the country and yet you weren’t able to sell your flagship motorcycle. Not even a single person in a country of 1.3 billion people want to buy Hero Karizma, a motorcycle which was once regarded as the king of the entry-level sports bike. How did this happen? What series of decision actually led to the downfall of such a hugely popular bike? Well, today we are going to figure out exactly that.

Yamaha YZF-R15 V 3.0 Vs KTM Duke 125- Comparo

Dec 3, 2018
The trend nowadays is of small displacement high powered bikes which can deliver mileage and performance. Such bikes usually have the chassis of a performance bike but lack a big engine. Two such bikes in India are Yamaha R15 V3 and the recently launched KTM Duke 125. Both are built on the same philosophy I mentioned above, so let’s compare them to figure out which one is the best.

2019 Ducati Panigale V4R- 10 Important facts about the bike

Nov 14, 2018
Ducati Panigale V4R was one of the most highlighted bikes at EICMA 2018. It is an upgrade over the Panigale V4 S, which was released several months ago. However, as its name suggests the V4 ‘Stradale’ was not homologated for the World Superbike Championship, something the fans were eagerly waiting for. That’s why Ducati V4 R exists today, with its smaller engine, increased power and a legal status for the WSBK. Here are 10 important things that you need to know about the 2019 Ducati V4 R.
View all reviews of Sport Bikes