[SunnyBoi]

I know this thread is about my Duke 200 but I want to dedicate this post for the predecessor, the "Workhorse".

The Apache belonged to a very good friend and I have been seeing it since new. Sometime in 2015, he received a surprise birthday gift from his wife - a RE Thunderbird 500. Since then, the Apache had taken a backseat.

Two years later in April 2017, we were discussing about something when the matter of the Apache came up. He told me, why not take it? At that moment, I did not have a bike in Bangalore and gladly took him on that offer. So I went to his place later that week with a new battery in hand since the old one would have been toast. The bike ofcourse did not start. The old fuel had gunked up the carb. We got it opened up by a mechanic and the pilot jet was just jammed and the head came off, making it impossible to take out with a screwdriver. Oh well, somehow we got it started and I ride it home.

Why is this Apache special? Apart from it's history, the engine had been modified. It was bored out, new sleeve and a bigger piston put it, effectively making it a 193cc instead of the standard 149cc. A bigger carb from a Pulsar 200 was also being used along with a K&N Filter. This bike was the perfect sleeper. Looks like any other Apache on the road but goes like no other!

The day after it reached my house, after a good clean



Workhorse gets its first service! I got a great deal of Motul 300V from Amazon and ended up buying 8 or 9 liters of it. Ever since, 300V is the only oil its running on. The damaged pilot jet was replaced with a new unit and the workhorse was ready to release all those horses!



New Rubbers. Zapper FY1 from the R15 doing duties in the front



The venerable Michelin M45 does duties in the rear



Workhorse experiencing the David and Goliath moment with an Africa Twin parked at home next to it



The instrument cluster came off



It was upgraded with all LEDs and polished lens making it look better than new!



Workhorse even did light touring whenever it was needed



It was time for a serious brake upgrade



All done! Ironically the Apache had a bigger rotor and better feel than the RX despite the same pads and caliper.



May 2023. I come to Bangalore on bike for couple of days and I meet up a good friend at his house. Finally got to see his Duke 200 in the flesh. He did tell me he was looking to upgrade to a 390 Adventure at the end of the year. Hmm, this looked like a good contender for the next workhorse, especially experiencing first hand working on a Duke myself and the ease of getting parts for it.



Around June 2023, I was back working in Bangalore. I had a long 50KM commute everyday and the workhorse took it on like a champ. However, the cracks soon began to appear. All this while for the past 5 years, I've only been changing the oil and basically not doing any other maintenance. Small things started to fail. The side stand that would droop too much, one way clutch breaking down and having to resort to kick starting. One of the days, the bike refused to start after a routine grocery shop stop and I could hear loud puk puk noises when starting, as if there was major exhaust leak. Spark plug intact, exhaust intact, still why? Turns out the carb just fell off the manifold, sigh. It worked itself loose and I never saw or felt the signs. In no way were these faults of the workhorse, but a testament of my negligence. All this while. the Duke 390 was getting the superb treatment.

Fading into the sunset?



At this point, I was thinking what next with the workhorse. Should I replace with a newer bike? Or go all out and get it modified in other aspects to overcome its current shortcomings? I wished the suspension was better on the workhorse and I needed to do something about the foot-forward stance, I needed rear set footpegs. Suspension from the Himalaya/Xpulse and rear set footpegs from the RTR? Or do I get a different bike? I was happy with the power it put out and the 35-36KMPL I would get from my daily commute.

While mulling over these, I was returning from work one day, late October 2023 and the clutch cable snapped. I somehow rode for another 10KMs, parked the bike when I couldn't ride anymore then took the metro and reached home. In my closet was a brand new clutch cable, still sealed and purchased 2 years ago and I was too lazy to change it despite the obvious signs since then. Enough was enough. The workhorse desperately needed a proper service and it was time.

Heading back to Mysore for its fixes



I rode back with my Duke 390. I have used the Duke in Bangalore for couple of days at most, but never on a daily 50KM commute, 6 days a week. Riding the bike everyday finally after putting so much effort into rebuilding it was great. However, filling up the bike every 3 days with 800rs of XP95 wasn't. The duke served me for 3 weeks in Bangalore while the workhorse was getting serviced.

List of fixes. Head rebuilt to fix slightly leaky valve stem oil seals. While in there, why not put fresh piston rings, timing chain, chain pads and tensioner? new valves, clutch plates, rear shock absorber rebuild and slight fork bend were also corrected. A new complete one way clutch was sourced and I could use the self starter again.



The next day, I rode back the workhorse slowly, varying speed between 40-60KMPH to seat in the rings. Power had definitely increased thanks to new top end and rings! I was told to follow running in procedure for about 800KMs. At the end of 800KMs, I had slowed down a lot and didn't feel like going fast. Maybe I've become older and an uncle now but hey, all for the better.



All this said, The ergonomics still irritated me. I couldn't shake off how much better the Duke felt in terms of suspension and ergonomics. The brakes? Workhorse was far ahead in a different league even with the Duke and its new master cylinder and EBC pads. I still love the brakes on my workhorse too much.

Another 2 weeks go and I hear my friend with the Duke 200 moving away from Bangalore. This probably meant he would sell his Duke for sure. I deliberated for two days and messaged him.

...but wait, what happened to the workhorse? It may be retired for now but it will get its moment in glory soon with a proper cosmetic restoration. The chassis has surface rust on many spots since its over 17 years old now. More things will get fixed and it will do duties back in Mysore whenever I'm there. The workhorse for me is a permanent addition to my stable. The Dukes may go but the workhorse will never leave.

[SunnyBoi]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

I deliberated for two days and messaged him.

I messaged him in the evening around 5PM and the bike was finalised by 5.30! He did tell me the battery is flat so I went home first, took out battery from my 390. Swapped it onto the 200 and the bike started up!

This is when I noticed bike had only done 29300KMs despite being a 2012. Just tells you how spontaneous my decision to buy the bike was, I did not know any details other than it was well taken care of by my friend! I take the bike out, give it some gas and I was stuck wondering whats happening, umm nothing's happening? I was too spoiled by the 390 and somehow I expected it to be faster. I'm now going off on a tangent but the only time I rode a Duke 200 was in 2012 when it was just launched, it was a very short test ride and honestly I couldn't remember anything from back then. Again highlights how less prep I did for the purchase.

Finally the 200 is home!



The 200 also had Pirelli Diablo Rosso 2s just like my 390. I firmly believe you look at a bike's tyres and you'll know how well its been taken care of and I have been super duper lucky!



Posing with another orange 200



The 200's battery was charged back up and then put back



Rode the bike to my hometown. I was surprised how fast the bike was, I could actually maintain similar 3 digit speeds as I did with my 390 even on 2 lane roads.

200 meets the Cedia for the first time!



Unfortunately the fork oil seals gave way. Got em replaced



Bike gets blessed by the Gods! Yes one of the indicators broke off. Ugh. The headlight bulb was replaced with a Philips LED bulb, which I really like from having use on both my 390 and Workhorse.



Onto the fixes then. I had a sneaky feeling I'd buy this bike so I bought lot more seat dampers than what was needed for my 390 hehe. This part is definitely worn out on 99.9% of KTMs of this age.



Brake pads replaced with Brembo Sintered pads. I had also flushed and bled the brakes with fresh fluid, it still felt bad and hence went for the easy way out to improve brakes by using better pads. The master cylinder will be replaced with a better unit soon.



Sigh, the set button broke on the dash. Common complaint with all KTMs of this era, I put in an order for a new shell immediately.



Clutch lever replaced with an adjustable unit. The lever is longer and has a rounder profile making it more comfortable. The old lever had worn out pivot, as is the case with 99% of older KTMs and definitely improved the clutch.



Installed an average speed and mileage improver. Yes it definitely works for me. A relay with fresh wires and a fuse complementing the improver was also installed.



I started getting some crazy good mileage numbers! I still was riding the bike slow coming from the Apache on my daily commute, plus I need to get really comfortable with the bike before I can start pushing it faster



First batch of upgrades land. Husqvarna indicators, New meter shell, another set of brembo sintered pads to replace the set I put on the bike, 300 mm rotor from the 390 and caliper spacers for the 300mm conversion. Not pictured are 2 new caliper bolts from KTM.



I now had a decision to make. Do I do a proper restoration on the 200 like my 390 or do I only fix whats not right? I leaned more on the latter, I simply do not have enough time nowadays to do what I did with the 390. I feared it could lead the 200 towards the same fate as the workhorse. I'll go with the latter option for now and see how it goes.

I usually don't name my bikes or cars however the 200 was named Daisy by my friend when the bike was with him. I'll continue the tradition, henceforth the 200 with be called Daisy!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[ebonho]

Sunnyboi, would this seat dampers part number be the same for our 390s as well? Will get mine replaced too.

What about for the pillion seat? Mine is rocking a bit even when locked.

Also could you please share the link for the meter shell. That would be great pre monsoons.

Cheers, Doc

[SunnyBoi]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Sunnyboi, would this seat dampers part number be the same for our 390s as well? Will get mine replaced too.

What about for the pillion seat? Mine is rocking a bit even when locked.

Same dampers for both front and rear, same for 200 and 390. You'll need about 8 per bike, 4 for front and 4 for rear.

Originally Posted by ebonho

Also could you please share the link for the meter shell. That would be great pre monsoons.

Get it ASAP. Get a spare too while you're at it, I washed Daisy with the tape out in and the buttons stopped working for a short while and then I saw moisture on the screen. Do not wait for something to break as the speedo is an expensive part

https://mysparemarket.com/products/k...ku_id=51846901

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

Same dampers for both front and rear, same for 200 and 390. You'll need about 8 per bike, 4 for front and 4 for rear.

https://mysparemarket.com/products/k...ku_id=51846901

Thanks a bunch buddy!

Also, a silly request. The rubber boot of my left mirror is torn a bit at the pivot bellows area. Is there a way of getting a replacement without changing the mirror (I understand all later mirrors have a longer stalk than our Gen 1s, but more than that I dont really want to replace a fully functional undamaged original mirror just for the torn rubber).



Cheers, Doc

P.S. Its in direct line of sight so its been really bugging me. The front right indicator stalk finally is not drooping thanks to a brilliant cotton and cloth/crepe bandage and Feviquik trick at the SVC.

[V0rtex]

Hey can you be explain what these are “average speed and mileage improver”, and how I can obtain one for my bike. Do these fit all bikes?

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by V0rtex

Hey can you be explain what these are “average speed and mileage improver”, and how I can obtain one for my bike. Do these fit all bikes?

He's referring tongue in cheek to that big ass Roots Vibrosonic horn. That parts the seas before him.

Cheers, Doc

[V0rtex]

Originally Posted by ebonho

He's referring tongue in cheek to that big ass Roots Vibrosonic horn. That parts the seas before him.

Cheers, Doc

So he was joking about the mileage improver, it’s just a huge horn haha.

[V0rtex]

After reading about these 1st gen 200s, I’ve been strongly tempted to buy one. The only issue is that I live in Kerala, where most of the non-Adventure KTMs are abused by squids. It’s very hard to see KTMs especially the older bikes in decent condition.

[SunnyBoi]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Thanks a bunch buddy!

Also, a silly request. The rubber boot of my left mirror is torn a bit at the pivot bellows area. Is there a way of getting a replacement without changing the mirror (I understand all later mirrors have a longer stalk than our Gen 1s, but more than that I dont really want to replace a fully functional undamaged original mirror just for the torn rubber).

P.S. Its in direct line of sight so its been really bugging me. The front right indicator stalk finally is not drooping thanks to a brilliant cotton and cloth/crepe bandage and Feviquik trick at the SVC.

Same is torn on Daisy too, same left mirror. Must be a common thing!



Just the rubber part isnt available. I'm thinking of swapping the mirrors to RTR units, they look similar but with better visibility.

Originally Posted by ebonho

He's referring tongue in cheek to that big ass Roots Vibrosonic horn. That parts the seas before him.

It's a Roots Megasonic just one is enough to part the seas

Originally Posted by V0rtex

So he was joking about the mileage improver, it’s just a huge horn haha.

It really works! Seas part, I dont have to brake, slow down and accelerate again. My average speed AND mileage does go up!

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

Same dampers for both front and rear, same for 200 and 390. You'll need about 8 per bike, 4 for front and 4 for rear.



Get it ASAP. Get a spare too while you're at it, I washed Daisy with the tape out in and the buttons stopped working for a short while and then I saw moisture on the screen. Do not wait for something to break as the speedo is an expensive part

https://mysparemarket.com/products/k...ku_id=51846901

Ordered the dampers. They come in a pack of 10, and they had only 6 of a pack remaining, and i wanted to replace all 8 on both seats.

Ordered the meter shell from your link too. Was a bit skeptical to read, "original, refurbished" though. New old stock meters. Polished. What exactly does that mean?

But seeing as there are tons of fakes for as low as 300 to 350 bucks, and that this recommendation came from you, I went against my normal just in time buy only what needs replacing non packrat non Bullet instinct of a reformed Duke rider and ordered 2. Since what happened once can and will happen again. And like my 500, I plan on keeping my 390. And original parts will get more and more scarce.

And the correct black 390 specific hub cush rubbers have come as well. Thanks for that headsup!

Cheers, Doc

[SunnyBoi]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Ordered the dampers. They come in a pack of 10, and they had only 6 of a pack remaining, and i wanted to replace all 8 on both seats.

I have replaced the seat dampers on my 390 with RE chain pads? theyre much larger and they actually do a better job distributing the load. The hole on the seat has to be enlargened a bit to take in these pads, this is another choice for the "bulky riders" like myself.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5683188 (2013 KTM Duke 390 - The Crypto Bike!)

Originally Posted by ebonho

Ordered the meter shell from your link too. Was a bit skeptical to read, "original, refurbished" though. New old stock meters. Polished. What exactly does that mean?

I also dont know what that means. Ive ordered about 8 meter shells from him, 2 for myself and rest for my friends so he's a reliable source.

He sells a lot of parts over MRP. If you ever want to buy anything from him, do your homework and purchase. I've bought sintered pads from him for 1500 or 1600 a pair before, compared to ~2700 from the showroom. The husqvarna indicators and 300mm front rotor were also purchased from him, they were cheaper than MRP.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by V0rtex

After reading about these 1st gen 200s, I’ve been strongly tempted to buy one. The only issue is that I live in Kerala, where most of the non-Adventure KTMs are abused by squids. It’s very hard to see KTMs especially the older bikes in decent condition.

The 200 is hands down a better city bike. Commuting or spirited riding. Its also super smooth compared to the 390. The mileage is to die for. Really really easy on the pockets. And as mentioned by Sunny, its no slouch at touring either. My Poona Goa hotel touch record for the first IBW still stands in the name of Baby Duke 222. 6 hours and small change. With a tea break in between. Through Amboli.

Cheers, Doc

[SunnyBoi]

The previous updates shared were from between December 1st till about 2nd week. Unfortunately in the 3rd week of December, I had an accident, was riding Daisy slowly with a pillion on a narrow road, an auto struck my handle, I lost balance and fell. My knee hurt badly and I knew something was very wrong. I managed to ride home though. The pain did not subside next day, that's when I went to the doctors. An Xray and MRI later, I had a tibial fracture along with most ligaments badly damaged.

This meant I was out of riding bikes for a long time. I had to wear a knee brace and use crutches for 2 months, I still somehow managed to drive my car to work and back during this time after an initial 10 days of rest. Daisy lay dormant till then.

As far as Daisy goes, the damage seemed minimal. The right handguard was broken near the handle, which I thought was fixable. Handlebar was bent, the leg guard had folded in completely. The megasonic bent back and left a small dent on the chassis. The rear brake lever had folded on itself a full 90*.

Once I was back riding near February end, I rode very slowly, slower than usual. This meant I started getting some unbelievable efficiency numbers on the dash


I kept riding the bike in its as-is condition with a bent handlebar and a non existent rear brake for a while. I just had so much work I couldn't take time off to get fix up Daisy.

Orange Pi anyone?



The fixes started slowly. First was the new meter shell. It went on with a fresh rubber gasket



The old gasket was in bad shape. Anyone changing meter shells should also look into replacing the gasket too.



Since the front mask was off, I swapped the indicators to Husky ones. Daisy got her legit HSRP plates while I was still commuting in my Cedia

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

I now had a decision to make. Do I do a proper restoration on the 200 like my 390 or do I only fix whats not right? I leaned more on the latter, I simply do not have enough time nowadays to do what I did with the 390. I feared it could lead the 200 towards the same fate as the workhorse. I'll go with the latter option for now and see how it goes.

To be honest, I was leaning heavily towards keeping the bike running with little or no cosmetic improvement on the cards. However after this incident, I changed my mind to build up Daisy similar to my 390 as much as I can. My bank account will face a further dent but I just cannot live with myself knowing Daisy will get a step motherly treatment compared to the 390.

The handlebar bend was a simple fix, take it off, get it straightened. I didn't have the time so ended up swapping it to a new handle. Even with the new handle, it was bent towards the right. I then noticed the base was twisted to the right. Ended up buying a new handle base along with new rubbers for it. Even swapped out the scratched bar end weight with a new unit. Handle Grips swapped to new Apache RTR units.



Broken white handguards swapped with new orange units. I had another spill and the same fall - thankfully nothing happened to me. The mask carrier broke - black piece betweeen the orange end pieces and headlight. The numberplate got some scratches and the bracket got bent. Not too worried since I'll make up a relocation bracket to under the headlight similar to my 390 soon. The front brake master cylinder was swapped to one from the latest gen dukes.



Daisy posing on sunset



I finally got some free time and used it up to clean up Daisy with 10 years of dirt and grime









The belly pan came off to clean all the old oil stains and to verify if any fresh oil would leak. The water pump area looked particularly bad



I eventually took off the tank cover to clean the underneath. I had taken it off before to wore in a relay for the Megasonic, I did not have enough time to clean it properly then



All cleaned up! Also took this opportunity to drain the coolant and replace it with distilled water so I can flush out all the green coolant residue. My choice of coolant will be Glysantin G30 which is purple and I did not want ti discolored with green residue. I've also got a new radiator cap which should make Daisy run a bit cooler as I suspect the one on it right now is weak due to age as I had experienced on the 390.



I unfortunately did not take after pictures as it was late in the night and I still had to ride 25KMs back home.

Once I started up Daisy, I was greeted with a Check Engine Light. Looking at the flash code, it was 15 - bad rollover sensor. The bike still started, which is weird. I double checked by disconnecting the rollover sensor and I still got the same code.

This got my my mind racing. Grr why now? Is it because I used a pressure washer? How do I fix it, do I have to buy a new sensor? Wait, I can swap the rollover sensor from my 390, but accessing it is a pain thanks to the ABS module. Ugh. 20 out of my 25KM ride, the CEL vanished! It never reappeared till date so I guess it was just water getting in and causing temporary havoc.

Sometime later, I swapped the rear suspension with my rebuilt 390 rear shock. 390 shock on the left, 200 on the right



Used some bricks to prop up the rear while swapping shocks. The new bolts I got from KTM were of the completely wrong size so had to use the old original bolts. They were seized in badly and took a lot of effort to get them out the first time. I'll swap the bolts again to new units soon.



The Megasonic after the accident was broken, this was due to a crack in its body after its impact with the chassis. I got the body replaced with a salvage unit. It sounded as good as new, but the horn tuning screw would now just go out of whack after every hour's ride. I got fed up riding around with a screwdriver, tightening or loosening the screw everytime it stopped working. Eventually got a good deal on some Bosch Europa supertone horns, which are the Bosch equivalent of Megasonics. Instead of having one horn, Daisy will now have two! Two more pairs, each for the 390 and Cedia. Muhuhahaha!



This is how Daisy looks as of couple of days ago! Just one fo the two horns is on for now, I need to redo the wiring harness after the relay to support two horns first. Yes I was lazy to put back the belly pan and its been a month already. Maybe soon.



So whats next? The oil change is coming up soon in another 400KMs - I've already covered around 4000KMs despite 2+ months of non usage. I bought a new clutch arm a while back to replace the worn one on Daisy but realised I had to take off the clutch cover to change it. If I'm taking off the clutch cover, why not also change the timing chain and tensioner? The list just piles on.

I got a new coolant overflow bottle to replace the yellowed one on Daisy. I then saw little bit of oil residue in the coolant tank. Maybe the water pump seals have gone bad? There is no water mixed with the oil for sure. This means I need a new water pump seal and a new water pump rebuilt kit - latter was not in stock with KTM last time I checked. Might as well take off the radiator and also clean it completely.

The throttle body will need cleaning for sure seeing how bad it was on the 390 due to age again. That requires lot more things to be removed, especially the airbox and the side panels.

The tank cover has cracked around the fuel cap. The plan is to buy as new one and paint it in a really nice shade of orange - details will be revealed once its done

The headlight will get a serious upgrade soon, making late evening commutes much safer.

The 300mm disc conversion is still pending, I want to use up the sintered brake pads on it right now before the swap.

Lot of fixes needed for Daisy but I'm not in a hurry. I'll get to them slowly whenever I get the time. Unlike my 390 thread where I had done everything and posted all the info in one shot, this thread will be updated as and when fixes happen. Stay tuned!