The Bothan Spies of Asphalt & Rubber have been hard at work during the recent months, and they bring us news from Austria: the KTM 200 Duke will be coming to the USA as a late 2020 model.
The KTM 200 Duke is not a new model in the Austrian brand’s lineup, as it is available in various markets world, and most notably in the Asian markets where tiered licensing and cost-of-ownership constraints make the 25hp motorcycle a great choice for street riders, but it is a new and curious model for the United States.
North America already gets the KTM 390 Duke, which makes the addition of the 200cc model an interesting move from the “Ready to Race” brand (of note: Mexico gets the previous generation KTM 200 Duke, which is curious in its own right).
Details are light at the moment, but we certainly doubt that KTM has plans to get rid of the 390 variant of the Duke, meaning that the KTM 200 Duke is surely going to sit alongside its larger sibling, perhaps as a stronger appeal to newer riders.
Made in India, the KTM 200 Duke could also be a strong contender on price, and our spies are telling us that a price tag of $4000 can be expected when the bike is announced, which is $1,500 cheaper than the KTM 390 Duke.
With a seat height that’s an inch lower than the 390 (31.6″), and a dry weight of 309 lbs (140 kg), the KTM 200 Duke should be a motorcycle that new riders can find approachable and easy to learn on.
Combined with that price point, the KTM 200 Duke is almost as cheap as a Honda Grom, but yet still a full-size “real” motorcycle.
Canvasing the rest of the motorcycle landscape, you would be hard pressed to find anything else under the $4,000 price point at the other top brands – and that is probably the point for bringing the bike to market in the USA.
From what we understand, official word from KTM North America about the KTM 200 Duke is coming in a few weeks’ time. We are sure more will be revealed then about the company’s strategy with this machine. Stay tuned.
Source: Bothan Spies
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