Car & Bike r15 vs ktm duke 200 vs pulsar 200 ns
- Thread starter psybronik
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I've ridden the R15 and Duke 200. I would assume the Pulsar 200 would be similar to the duke, but would recommend you get an opinion from someone who has ridden it.
R15
Pros:
1. Excellent frame, suspension and handling.
2. Silky smooth fuel injection. Makes the bike less jerky in low speed situations\traffic. Very refined engine.
3. Clip ons\riding position help you feel super connected to the road.
Cons:
1. Feels underpowered when compared to the duke. Especially in the low revs.
2. Riding position can cause some people wrist pain if you don't use your torso to hold itself up (instead of leaning on your arms). Can be an annoyance if you are stuck in traffic a lot.
Duke 200
Pros:
1. Excellent frame and suspension. Very flickable bike in the turns. Handles well, but see cons.
2. Extremely good performance for the engine size and price. Short gearing makes it a hoot to drive in the city with some crazy acceleration. Much more responsive than the R15 at low revs.
3. Riding position is upright. More comfortable in more situations.
Cons:
1. Fuel injection at low revs is a little lumpy. Opening the throttle slightly from it being completely closed is jerky. I'm anal about bad fuel injection so this may not bother you.
2. While the frame and suspension are excellent as far as handling is concerned, I feel the tires are insufficient for the power that the bike puts out and the kind of lean angles the bike is capable of. Riding this bike in the ghats is very entertaining until the tire starts skidding. This was resolved in the Duke 390 which has the amazing (but more expensive) Metzeller M5's.
3. Generally doesn't exude the same level of quality as the Yamaha.
Pulsar 200
I believe the Pulsar has a carb instead of fuel injection, so you will most likely not run into the issues with low-throttle-opening throttle response (con 1 for the duke).
Also I believe the Pulsar has different suspension from the Duke. IIRC it has been set up more for comfort than handling\performance (which both the R15 and Duke concentrate on).
To be honest all three bikes are very different from one another in character and intended use. I would recommend you test ride them and finalize based on where you use it the most.
R15
Pros:
1. Excellent frame, suspension and handling.
2. Silky smooth fuel injection. Makes the bike less jerky in low speed situations\traffic. Very refined engine.
3. Clip ons\riding position help you feel super connected to the road.
Cons:
1. Feels underpowered when compared to the duke. Especially in the low revs.
2. Riding position can cause some people wrist pain if you don't use your torso to hold itself up (instead of leaning on your arms). Can be an annoyance if you are stuck in traffic a lot.
Duke 200
Pros:
1. Excellent frame and suspension. Very flickable bike in the turns. Handles well, but see cons.
2. Extremely good performance for the engine size and price. Short gearing makes it a hoot to drive in the city with some crazy acceleration. Much more responsive than the R15 at low revs.
3. Riding position is upright. More comfortable in more situations.
Cons:
1. Fuel injection at low revs is a little lumpy. Opening the throttle slightly from it being completely closed is jerky. I'm anal about bad fuel injection so this may not bother you.
2. While the frame and suspension are excellent as far as handling is concerned, I feel the tires are insufficient for the power that the bike puts out and the kind of lean angles the bike is capable of. Riding this bike in the ghats is very entertaining until the tire starts skidding. This was resolved in the Duke 390 which has the amazing (but more expensive) Metzeller M5's.
3. Generally doesn't exude the same level of quality as the Yamaha.
Pulsar 200
I believe the Pulsar has a carb instead of fuel injection, so you will most likely not run into the issues with low-throttle-opening throttle response (con 1 for the duke).
Also I believe the Pulsar has different suspension from the Duke. IIRC it has been set up more for comfort than handling\performance (which both the R15 and Duke concentrate on).
To be honest all three bikes are very different from one another in character and intended use. I would recommend you test ride them and finalize based on where you use it the most.
psybronik
Discoverer
Thanks bro for such detailed reply ..i appreciate it
What if i go for duke 390 ??
Guys the price if r15 v2 here in western mumbai is 1.29l is this legit ??
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I have a 390 currently. Its an amazing bike as long as you know what you're getting into. Its not as good a city bike as the Duke 200 or R15 due to jerky low rpm throttle response and its tendency to heat up in traffic. Its gearbox also isn't as smooth as the Duke 200 (and is nowhere close to the refinement of the R15 gearbox). However, the power and tires\handling you are getting for 2L is unparallelled in the Indian market. Also, if fuel efficiency bothers you then the R15 & Duke 200 give around 35 kmpl in the city when ridden by my normal-sized colleagues. On the 390 however, I get around 22; but I'm a rather large fellow and ride like an idiot ;-)
psybronik
Discoverer
Thanks man i hav decided to go for r15 v2 ....i have a small question.....whats the difference between a normal version and the limited edition one ??? I like the gold grid limited edition one but its 10k costly ...is it worth it ???
I think its just a cosmetic difference, in which case its purely subjective as to whether its worth it or not. To each their own as far as looks are concerned.
psybronik
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