Duke 200 tweaks for a better touring experience - Part 1: Replacing the 43T rear sprocket with a 42T

My KTM Duke 200 was a part of the initial lot that were produced during the initial launch phase. During that time, KTM bike enthusiasts will recall that the color options available was limited to orange. The  rear sprockets provided by the factory at that time were the 43 tooth (43T) version. The short stroke 200 cc motor, the gearing and the 43T rear sprocket resulted in a motorcycle that was heavily biased towards extreme acceleration. During this extreme acceleration, Dukers always hit the rev limiter in the bottom three gears - all the time. This was frequently noted as a "con" (all reviews concluded in pros and cons) in many of the online reviews written by the owners. While the insane acceleration was great for an Orange Day track racing or for 'street fighting', the acceleration was too aggressive for my primary usage - city riding and frequent long distance highway rides.

In mid 2014, my Duke, having about thirteen-odd thousand kilometers on the odo, was due for its next paid service at the authorized service center (ASC) in Mumbai. The guys at the service center were keen to replace my chain and sprocket set as part of the recommended maintenance schedule. By that time (early 2014), KTM had discontinued the 43T rear sprocket replacement sets and ASCs were fitting the 42T version on all the bikes. In fact, all new Duke 200s manufactured since sometime in 2013 were rolling out of the factory with 42T sprockets at the rear.

When I took delivery of my Duke 200 after the service, it was apparent that the "insane" acceleration  was less "mental".  During brisk acceleration - changing gears at just the right revs is now a lot easier. No more hitting the rev-limiter every time in gears 1-2-3. The Duke now also reaches a slightly higher maximum speed in each gear - reducing the need for frequent gear shifts. By applying the laws of sprocketing, mileage should have marginally improved too.

The sprocket change is a must for comfortable highway usage.

So is the new setup better? This setup is a lot more usable for highway riding. The Duke still has enough bite while accelerating for use on the highway. Playing catch-up with bikes in the distance is still easy. You don't bang  into the annoying rev-limiter in every gear anymore. The biggest advantage - the bike is now riding a lot smoother after the sprocket change! Do I miss the insane bit of acceleration with the 43T? Only sometimes!