Which Bike To Go for As a Replacement To My Honda Unicorn?


Which among the lot as a replacement to my Unicorn


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Well,congrats for booking the Duke.
This bike has got decent handling,grippy tyres,good braking and a good riding position.
On the performance front,I have already mentioned 'Rev happy engine'.
The engine of this bike revs very cleanly to 11000 rpm and being true the fun starts once you cross 6000.
Since you have been in motorsports hence you can harness its character far better than me.

What is missing?
Simple,it has got a 200cc powerplant and on direct comparison with CBR 250,this bike easily fades away.I mean CBR's high speed handling and dynamics are far more predictable and definitely its more comfy too(it is subjective,you can find duke more comfy).FE of both is nearly equal as per my experience.

Why I asked to wait?Because Pulsar 200 NS is around the corner with equal power and performance for 20-25k lesser than Duke.

SO WHEN IS DUKE COMING?
 
Thread Starter #17
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Well,congrats for booking the Duke.
This bike has got decent handling,grippy tyres,good braking and a good riding position.
On the performance front,I have already mentioned 'Rev happy engine'.
The engine of this bike revs very cleanly to 11000 rpm and being true the fun starts once you cross 6000.
Since you have been in motorsports hence you can harness its character far better than me.

What is missing?
Simple,it has got a 200cc powerplant and on direct comparison with CBR 250,this bike easily fades away.I mean CBR's high speed handling and dynamics are far more predictable and definitely its more comfy too(it is subjective,you can find duke more comfy).FE of both is nearly equal as per my experience.

Why I asked to wait?Because Pulsar 200 NS is around the corner with equal power and performance for 20-25k lesser than Duke.

SO WHEN IS DUKE COMING?
The CBR takes like a decade to reach its top speed, The Duke too takes it sweet own time to get there, And I dont see any point in hitting Top speeds on public roads or highways, top speed only matters on a track.

To me what matters most is how fast it can do 0-60Kmph or 0-100Kmph. The Duke can outperform the CBR250 R in both cases and that makes it perfect for me. Agreed that the CBR is more comfy any day than the Duke. The Duke's seat can be best compared to a bench. Its that hard. But that's part of its character.

I never preferred Pulsars as well, The 200NS might be cheaper, might be the best Pulsar yet, But it still is another Pulsar.(No offence to any Pulsar owners including you, But its my personal opinion.) It has a lot of bells and whistles missing as well when compared to the Duke. And no Pulsar can survive the hard riding style that goes along in my biking. Hope the Duke stays strong when I put it through its paces.
 
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Nice Video , congrats on the booking, when is the delivery expected ?
btw i have only seen one on the road, looks extremely good and seems built to last even if you beat it to death - i guess thats what you dirt bikers are after!
 
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Nice Video , congrats on the booking, when is the delivery expected ?
btw i have only seen one on the road, looks extremely good and seems built to last even if you beat it to death - i guess thats what you dirt bikers are after!
Was a little held up with errands at home. I might be getting the Duke pretty soon. I called the Probiking store Manager today, He said they received 6 Dukes in today's consignment and that four are remaining. I might be going to Trivandrum next Monday to bring one home.[:D]
 
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Was a little held up with errands at home. I might be getting the Duke pretty soon. I called the Probiking store Manager today, He said they received 6 Dukes in today's consignment and that four are remaining. I might be going to Trivandrum next Monday to bring one home.[:D]

Congrats jalex,


I too looking for a new bike, earlier i have a RD 350 , and RX-100, But due to some back pain (slip disk) i sold all and now i have no bike, But my mind still searching for a spicy one. i have participated some rally's in 90's with my RX-100, I think we are in the same mind. I expecting your valuable feed back and more pictures, when you reach home you will cover 250 km, happy jounrney. [clap]
 
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KTM Duke it is. Looks fast, feels fast and is actually very fast. No doubt a head turner and good VFM too. Read loads about rusting and stuff on the Honda CBR. Hopefully there'll be no such problems with the Duke.
 
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Congrats jalex,


I too looking for a new bike, earlier i have a RD 350 , and RX-100, But due to some back pain (slip disk) i sold all and now i have no bike, But my mind still searching for a spicy one.....i have participated some rally's in 90's with my RX-100, I think we are in the same mind....I expecting your valuable feed back and more pictures, when you reach home you will cover 250 km, happy jounrney......[clap]
Wow, You had the RD[clap]. I never owned one but had the honour of riding quite a few thanks to friends. And feels great to learn that you have rallied on your RX100. Please do start a thread on the same along with pictures, I would love to hear all about it. And guess that makes it three of us Motorcycle Rallyists here on TAI now.

I'm sorry to hear that you have a bad back. I used to have real bad back aches when I had my Shogun and after long hauls. Riding the Unicorn in comparison felt like gliding on clouds. The Duke has a stiff suspension set up, atleast that's what the first ride tells me. Maybe it might change slightly after a run in or so. But still, it might be harder than normal bikes.

And for sure, I will be starting a new thread with the ownership experiences and keep you posted about everything I can gather[:)].

KTM Duke it is. Looks fast, feels fast and is actually very fast. No doubt a head turner and good VFM too. Read loads about rusting and stuff on the Honda CBR. Hopefully there'll be no such problems with the Duke.
I heard of some issues with the Duke- Leaking fuel tank caps, Radiator cap leaks, Oil leaks around the engine covers, Broken wheels with flat tyres after hitting a pot hole, bike dying out for no reason, USD fork leaks,etc. I'm not sure whether they happened due to abuse or thrashing the bike around, there is high chance for that happening. Most people nowadays cant make out the difference between riding hard and abusing the bike. Its a fine line and you can break it if you aren't careful enough. For instance I'd come across a picture of someone taking a big jump with the Duke a la a motocrosser. Its not meant for that kind of stuff, Its a street bike with alloys and all the above mentioned issues can arise out of such thrashing.
 
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hoo You had shogun, it's a good one..I like it

RD350 with me for 1 1/2 year, but the maintenance cost forced me to sold it. it was in 1990. it's also a modified one, so less mileage (around 15km). [frustration]
Rx-100 from 1990 to 2001,(KL-7,5442) it's also modified with yezdi wheels,front fork and power silencer, mileage was the issue (bellow 30km..)
But I like the both, I participated in some rally's in tamilnadu,(I studied my Eng. in tamilandu) and some local races..
sory to say i have no pics of my favorite rides.

I also thinking about Duke but the servicing. i think they start a shop in nearby place..
 
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hoo You had shogun, it's a good one..I like it

RD350 with me for 1 1/2 year, but the maintenance cost forced me to sold it...it was in 1990......it's also a modified one, so less mileage (around 15km). [frustration]
Rx-100 from 1990 to 2001,(KL-7,5442) it's also modified with yezdi wheels,front fork and power silencer, mileage was the issue (bellow 30km..)
But I like the both, I participated in some rally's in tamilnadu,(I studied my Eng. in tamilandu) and some local races...
sory to say i have no pics of my favorite rides...

I also thinking about Duke......but the servicing ....i think they start a shop in nearby place..
They said they might start new Probiking outlets at Cochin and Calicut within six months or so.
OT: My first bike was an RX100 as well, Guess we had somewhat similar registration numbers even. Mine was KL-6/5997[:D] and the two stroke bug is the reason for my zeroing in on the Duke. Its the closest thing that resembles a mad two stroke.

My vote goes to honda cbr.[thumbsup] Reliable engine and performance too. KTM duke is a new launch and servicing may be an issue.
It sure will be for me, The nearest service centre being around 240Kms away from where I live. I've already made a strong point about this in their feedback form which they gave me after the test ride. Hope the company understands that after service is vital in selling a bike these days.
 
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Hearty Congratulations Jalex, man its looks mighty!! ( that was really fast from booking to delivery! )

Looking forward to tons of pics and a long review :)

Safe Riding!
 
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