KTM’s Duke range of street bikes is a favorite among motorcyclists around the world—myself included. Having owned two Dukes so far, I understand why this is so. KTM, despite not having the best track record when it comes to reliability, really does take its slogan “Ready To Race” very seriously, and its bikes always have an edge over the competition. The same is true, even for its smallest Duke in the global market, the 200.
In 2020, KTM released the 200 Duke in the U.S. market. This came to the surprise of a good number of folks, as the bike was initially expected to be too slow and even unsafe for U.S. freeways and interstates. While the 200 Duke is by no means a fast bike, it was proven several times that KTM’s smallest pocket rocket can hold its own on major thoroughfares, while being a blast to ride on a twisty road. Meanwhile, in the Asian market, the 200 Duke is heralded as a top-tier commuter machine, with a lot of riders aspiring to upgrade to it.
In India, the country where the 200 Duke is one of the most highly sought-after street bikes, KTM has made it even better by refreshing its look with sporty new colorways. Apart from the popular Electronic Orange paint scheme, it’s also now available in Dark Silver Metallic, much like its bigger sibling, the 390 Duke, whose new color options were released back in 2021.
Both paint options have the same artwork, and the fuel tank has a contrasting color for the "Duke" decals. The Dark Silver Metallic receives a sleeker, more subtle silver subframe, while the Electronic Orange has a subframe painted in orange. Both color schemes include an orange finish for the alloy wheels and a black trellis frame.
Having said all of that, the modifications are only cosmetic, represented by a new paint scheme. The 2022 KTM 200 Duke continues to include a halogen headlamp, an LED taillight, LED turn indicators, an orange backlit LCD screen, and switchable ABS. On the other hand, the hardware and feature list have not changed. The 2022 model continues to employ a 199.5cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that produces 24.6 horsepower at 10,000 rpm and 13.51 ft-lbs of peak torque at 8,000 rpm.
