Let me guess! You want to buy a new bike for yourself, right?

You are considering buying the KTM RC 200, but you don’t actually know whether it is a good bike or not. Not only this but you are also wondering whether it will be good for long rides and daily city use.

Don’t worry, you will find all your answers regarding the KTM RC 200 in this article.

Is KTM RC 200 A Good Bike?

Yes, KTM RC 200 is a good sports bike. It is still one of the prime choices of people looking for an entry-level sports bike. But it comes with its own set of pros and cons which you should know if you are planning to buy it.

When it comes to entry-level sports bikes then the Indian market is dominated by only two motorcycles. One is the Yamaha R15 and the other is the KTM RC 200.

Both bikes have their own fan following and you must have seen the riders of these bikes competing with one another on the roads.

And if you are reading this article then one thing is very clear i.e. you like the KTM RC 200 a little more. But is KTM RC 200 a good bike?

Well, the answer is a big yes. KTM RC 200 has been a very popular motorcycle ever since it was first launched in India. And the case would have been very different if it would have not been a good bike.

However, it is not a perfect bike! It has many advantages and disadvantages as well. So the question that you should be asking is: Is KTM RC 200 a good bike for me?

The question is can you overlook its disadvantages and enjoy its advantages?

Well, you can only answer this question if you know about its positives and negatives in the first place, right?

So let me tell you about the pros and cons of the KTM RC 200.

KTM RC 200 Pros And Cons

Let me first tell you about the advantages of the KTM RC 200 and then we will look at its disadvantages.’

KTM RC 200 Advantages

There are 9 advantages of KTM RC 200:
1. Ride and handling
2. Aerodynamics
3. Performance
4. Tractability
5. Front brake
6. Heat Management
7. Lightweight
8. SUPERMOTO ABS
9. All LED setup

Let me tell you about them one by one.

1) Ride & Handling

KTM has done a great job in improving the ride and handling of the RC series. It has reduced a lot of unsprung mass and as a result, the KTM RC 200 feels extremely agile to ride and handle.

I just loved how quickly I was able to change direction on it. It is easy to maneuver and you cut close corners with ease in city traffic. This bike feels very lightweight on its feet.

As far as its ride quality is concerned then KTM has also improved the cushioning of the seat by a huge margin. It feels comfortable and it will not be problematic for your butt to ride this bike for long hours.

Overall the KTM RC 200 offers great ride and handling in its segment.

2) Aerodynamics

The design of the new KTM RC 200 wasn’t received well by people. Honestly, it is a kind of design that not many people will like.

Even I didn’t like it at all when I first saw it in the pictures. But it looks very good in person and it kind of grows on you.

Having said that, this design has made the new generation KTM RC 200 aerodynamically very great. You will not face wind blasts of any kind even if you are cruising at a speed of 100 kmph.

Not only this but you can also achieve a higher top speed on this bike as compared to its older generation. And it feels very stable as well.

3) Performance

Performance has always been the USP of KTM bikes and the same is the case with RC 200. It offers a superb performance.

This bike is powered by a 199.5cc liquid-cooled engine. It produces a maximum power of 25 PS @ 10,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 19.2 Nm @ 8,000 rpm.

The performance of the bike is not as hard-hitting as its BS 4 or BS 3 generations. It now delivers a very linear performance.

Having said that, it still provides the best performance in its segment. If I have to compare it with Yamaha R15 then I will definitely pick the RC 200 any day when it comes to performance. It is marginally quicker between the two bikes.

4) Tractability

KTM RC 200 has always been a track focused bike. Therefore it was never a pleasant experience to ride it in the city.

It used to stall a lot in the city traffic. But this is not the case with the new generation KTM RC 200. The tractability of this bike has improved by a huge margin.

You just could not ride the previous generation RC bikes at a speed of 10kmph in the 2nd gear. There was a lot of engine knocking at lower speeds and they would just stall. You had to do a lot of gear shifts if you didn’t want it to stall.

However, the newer KTM RC 200 offers great tractability. In the third gear, I was able to ride the bike at a speed as low as 15 kmph. And there was no sign of engine knocking or stalling. The same third gear took me to a speed of 83 kmph.

You can watch the tractability test in my KTM RC 200 review video below.

5) Front Brake

KTM has also redesigned the front brake of the RC 200 to reduce weight from it. The 320mm disc brake at the front does not look as great but it offers superb braking. It offers a very crisp bite and feedback. I was able to stop this bike at its place with a slight press of the lever with a single finger.

Full marks to its front brake, all bikes should come with such brakes. Having said that, its rear brake is the worst. We will talk about it in detail in its disadvantages. So keep reading!

6) Heat Management

Older KTM bikes had very poor heat management. They used to produce a lot of heat and because of the poor heat management, they used to stall a lot in the stop-and-go traffic.

However, this is not the case with the new KTM RC 200. It still produces a lot of heat in bumper-to-bumper city traffic, there is no doubt about that. But now it doesn’t become uncomfortable and nor does the bike stall in the middle of the traffic.

Having said that, whether KTM RC is a good bike for daily city usage or not is a whole other topic. We will talk about this in detail in the later part of this article.

7) Lightweight

KTM RC 200 looks very bulky from the front and side but it is actually lighter than its predecessor. Which was in turn already a lightweight bike.

The lightweight of the bike makes it very easy to ride in city traffic, even if you are a short rider.

If you are a short rider then you can also watch our KTM RC 200 seat height test below.

8) SUPERMOTO ABS

KTM RC 200 also comes with a SUPERMOTO ABS feature. With this feature, you can disable the ABS at the rear brake of the bike.

This features becomes really useful if you are a stunt rider or participate in motorsports. With this feature, you can make your bike slide to change quick directions.

The good thing about this feature is that it is intelligent in itself. The ABS at the rear brake gets turned on if the front tyre of the bike starts sliding.

9) All LED Setup

Another positive point of the KTM RC 200 is that it comes with an all-LED setup. From headlights and indicators to taillights, everything is LED on this bike. Therefore you will not have to shell out more money to purchase LED lights for it.

So these were all the advantages of the KTM RC 200. Let us now look at its disadvantages.

KTM RC 200 Disadvantages

There are 8 disadvantages of KTM RC 200:
1. Committed riding position
2. Rear brake
3. Ground clearance
4. Pillion Seat
5. Features
6. Price
7. Mileage
8. Gear Shifting

Let us look at these negatives in detail one by one.

1) Committed Riding Position

The seating position of the KTM RC 390 has become a lot more upright compared to its predecessor. However, it is still on the committed side.

If you haven’t ridden a sports bike before then it will take you probably a month or so to get used to this position. And if you ride the bike for long hours then you will definitely feel the pain on your wrist and shoulders.

You can watch our KTM RC 200 riding position video below to know more about its seating position.

Now you are probably wondering whether the KTM RC 200 is a good bike for long rides or not, right? Well, we will talk about this in detail in the later part of the article.

2) Rear Brake

As discussed, the front brake of the KTM RC 200 is top-notch. However, its 230mm rear disc brake is just pathetic.

It neither offers the bite nor does it offers the feedback. The bite of the brake is so bad that you will not even feel there is a disc in the rear. KTM should really do something about the rear brake of the bike.

3) Ground Clearance

The ground clearance of the KTM RC 200 is 156mm, which is decent enough. However, if you will ride it with a pillion then there are very high chances that the bike will scrape at big speed breakers.

Because of the weight of the pillion rider, the rear suspension gets pressed marginally, which in turn reduces the overall ground clearance of the bike.

4) Pillion Seat

If you generally ride with a pillion then KTM RC 200 might not be the bike for you.

The cushioning of Its pillion seat has improved very much compared to its predecessor. However, it is still not comfortable for a pillion rider.

It is only good for a short spin. If you ride with a pillion for more than half an hour then they will surely going to complain.

When we talked to one of the owners of the KTM RC 200 then he complained of the same thing. If you want then you can watch our KTM RC 200 MotoGP Edition ownership review below. You can also watch other videos related to RC 200 on our YouTube channel if you want.

5) Features

Other than the basic features like dual-channel ABS, slipper clutch, and SUPERMOTO ABS, you don’t actually get anything on KTM RC 200. You don’t even get Bluetooth connectivity on it.

So if you want a feature-rich bike then you should probably look at Yamaha R15.

6) Price

Considering all the features that the KTM RC 200 is offering and all the features that it is not offering, I feel it is a little overpriced.

No doubt it is one of the best bikes under 3 lakh, but I think it is missing that value-for-money factor now.

KTM bikes were popular in India because they offered unmatched performance at an affordable price. This I think is no longer the case. Because if you want the same performance then you can opt for Bajaj Pulsar NS 200.

It basically comes with the same engine and offers almost the same performance. And costs almost 1 lakh cheaper. Spending a whopping 1 lakh for added fairing does not make sense to me.

7) Mileage

Mileage has never been a strong point of KTM bikes and the same is the case with the KTM RC 200.

If you ride it the way it is meant to be ridden then you can not expect a mileage of more than 35 kmpl. This is considerably low compared to other 200cc bikes available in the market.

Having said that, if you ride it in the relaxed mode then you can expect a mileage of up to 40 kmpl.

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8) Gear Shifting

While I was reviewing the bike, I found its gear shifting to be a little hard. Considering the price point of the bike, I think this is one of the main disadvantages of KTM RC 200.

Even the owner complained about the same thing when we took his ownership review.

So these were all the drawbacks of the KTM RC 200. Let me now answer some of the questions that must be bothering you.

Is KTM RC 200 Good For Long Rides?

No, KTM RC 200 is a track-focused sports bike and it is not meant for long rides. If you will do long rides on it then you will definitely feel the pain in your wrist and shoulders. As a result, you will have to take multiple breaks.

The riding position of the new KTM RC 200 is marginally upright as compared to the older generation. However, it is still a lot on the committed side because it is a track-focused machine at its heart.

It is meant to be pushed around a race track and not cover long distances in a stretch. Therefore if you will take it on long rides then let’s just say that it will not be a pleasant experience.

Having said that, it is not written anywhere that you cannot take it on long rides. There are people who are doing long rides on their superbikes these days. So you can definitely take the RC 200 on long tours.

But the experience will not be as pleasant as you will think it would be. After riding it for around an hour, you will start feeling pain in your wrist, shoulders, and lower back.

As a result, you will have to take a lot of breaks during your long rides to give rest to your body. And when you will reach your destination then you will just want to rest and not roam around.

Is KTM RC 200 Good For Daily Use?

Yes, you can use the KTM RC 200 for daily use. It has an upright seating position compared to its predecessor. This makes it good for going to the college or the office. However, you will hate it if you get stuck in the traffic.

KTM has improved the ride and handling of the KTM RC 200 by a huge margin. It now comes with better cushioned seat and an upright riding position.

Combined these two together and you get a machine that you will enjoy riding in the city. So you can definitely use the RC 200 for your daily commutes.

However, it still has a committed riding position. And once you get stuck in the bumper-to-bumper traffic then you will start feeling the toll on your wrist, lower back, and shoulders.

How Long Does KTM RC 200 Engine Last?

The engine of the KTM RC 200 can last as long as you want it to last. There are people you have ridden their KTMs for 2,00,000 kms. The life of the bike’s engine depends on how you ride it.

KTM RC 200 is not as reliable as its Japanese counterparts but its engine is pretty reliable. And as long as you take good care of it, you can ride it as long as you want.

KTM RC 200’s engine runs on a high compression ratio which means there is a lot of pressure on its piston.

Generally, people say that bikes with high compression ratios do not last long. But I have seen people who are riding a KTM for more than 8 years and there are also people who have ridden them for lakhs of kms.

So the life of the bike’s engine actually depends on how you take care of it. Make sure to get it serviced whenever required and you can enjoy your KTM RC 200 for decades.

Is KTM RC 200 A Good First Bike?

Yes, you can definitely buy a KTM RC 200 as your first bike. It offers great performance but the power delivery is not as maniac as it used to be. Therefore you can easily manage it even if you haven’t had a bike before.

The bike is lightweight and offers great ride & handling. This makes it very much manageable for beginner riders. Having said that, since the KTM RC 200 is a sports bike therefore it will definitely take you a month or two to get used to it.

Once you purchase the bike, do not start pushing it to its limits. If it is your first bike then I am guessing you have mainly ridden a scooter all your life. Make no mistake but there is a huge difference between a sports scooter and the KTM RC 200. So get used to the bike for a couple of months first and then start testing its limits.

Is It Worth Buying KTM RC 200?

So we have looked at all KTM RC 200 pros and cons and we have looked at a lot of other things as well. I am sure by now you must have made up your mind as to whether to buy it or not.

But since we are Indians, the one last question that must be arising in your mind is: Is it worth buying KTM RC 200?

Well, the answer to this question is both yes and no.

Buying the KTM RC 200 makes sense if you only want a bike with sports looks and good performance. The RC 200 seems to offer them both. And if you will listen to your heart then it will tell you that it is worth buying.

However, if you will listen to your brain then the answer will be no. One look at its price point and you will realize that it does not seem to offer value for money.

If you are only after performance then you can opt for the Bajaj Pulsar NS 200 instead. It is offering the same performance and costs almost a lakh cheaper. If you will go with the KTM RC 200 then you will be paying 1 lakh for the added fairing only.

And if you want the looks and features and can compromise a little on performance then you can go for Yamaha R15M. It looks better and offers a host of features at a cheaper price point.

FAQs

Is KTM RC 200 Dangerous?

Yes, like other bikes KTM RC 200 can be dangerous if not ridden carefully.

Is The KTM RC 200 Good For A 2 Person Long Travel?

No, KTM RC 200 is not good for two person long travel. It has a committed riding position and the pillion seat is not that comfortable as well.

Is RC 200 Suitable For Beginners?

Yes, RC 200 is suitable for beginners. Its lightweight and amazing ride and handling make it a good entry level sports bike for beginners.

Is KTM RC 200 Good For Short Riders?

KTM RC 200 has a seat height of 835mm, which makes it difficult to ride for short riders in city traffic.