Himalayan vs Duke 200 Comparison Review

Royal Enfield Himalayan vs KTM Duke 200 Comparison Review:


Pricing & Features:
The Royal Enfield Himalayan retails for a whooping 1.74 lakh Rs. on road, Delhi, which is 15,000 Rs costlier, than the KTM Duke 200, costing 1.59 Lakhs. The RE Himalayan is offered in only two color variants, whereas the Duke offers an option of 3 different color schemes. The exciting part about the RE Himalayan, is that it comes with 21 inch front wheel which makes it really stand out. On the other other hand the KTM Duke 200 is offered with wider front and rear tires as standard. Lets find out which of these two bikes is more practical for mainstream use.


 Himalayan vs Duke 200 Video Comparison Review:

Price, On Road, Delhi:

RE Himalayan:  1.74 lakhs

KTM Duke 200:  1.59 lakhs


Performance & Tractability:

On paper, the RE Himalayan, has a huge advantage over the Duke 200, the RE Himalayan has about 210cc more cubic capacity than the Duke. But does the RE really have a performance advantage over the Duke? In terms of power, both bikes have approximately same output on the dyno. However, the Duke scores higher on the power-to-weight ratio, which makes the Duke 200 35% more powerful against the sluggish RE Himalayan. In contrast, the Himalayan has better torque-to-weight ratio, which is delivered at half the engine speed of the Duke 200. Due to the torquier engine on the Himalayan, riding uphill and slow speed tractability is a pleasure. Himalayan is not meant to hit the redline on the rev indicator, whereas the Duke 200 is always eager to do so. The Duke 200 has the capability to achieve a top speed of 137 kmph on the speedo which is about 12 kmph higher than the Himalayan.



Power to Weight Ratio (PS/ton): RE Himalayan - 133, Duke 200 - 181 (difference 35%)
Torque to Weight Ratio (Nm/ton): RE Himalayan - 176, Duke 200 - 141 (difference 23%)

Power (PS@rpm): RE Himalayan - 24.5@6500, Duke 200 - 24.6@10000
Torque (Nm@rpm): RE Himalayan - 32@4000-4500, Duke 200 - 19.2@8000
Kerb Weight (kg): RE Himalayan - 184, Duke 200 – 136


Displacement (cc): RE Himalayan - 411, Duke 200 – 199.5
Handling & Ride Quality:


Tyre Size:

Front: RE Himalayan – 90/90 - 21, Duke 200 - 110/700 17 Tubeless

Rear: RE Himalayan – 120/90 - 17, Duke 200 - 150/60 17 Tubeless


Wheelbase (mm): RE Himalayan – 1465, Duke 200 – 1367


Comfort & Ergonomics:
The Royal Himalayan has quite upright sitting posture and ample of space is provided for the rider and the pillion as well. The RE Himalayan seat cushion has a memory foam like effect, if someone might have used one can understand. On the other hand the KTM Duke 200 seat is too firm and suitable for small to mid size riders. Getting pillion on the Duke 200 can be a nightmare. But for pillion to get on the RE Himalayan can be cautious effort, as chances of shin hitting with the carrier can be murderous. RE Himalayan has a transroader appearance, which pays off to certain extent, but the Duke 200 is a naked street-fighter for short journeys and careless riders.

Seat Height (mm): RE Himalayan - 840, Duke 200 - 810

Fuel Efficiency:
Both the RE Himalayan and the Duke 200 has an ARAI certified mileage of 35 Kmpl, which is quite interesting number for such a heavy on one side and such a radical motorcycle on the other side. Though the Himalayan came in just 3 kmpl lesser mileage than the Duke 200 in our road test. The Duke 200 managed to give a mileage of 35 kmpl in mixed conditions. With the purchase of Duke 200 you can save upto 11000 Rs over the RE Himalayan over a span of 5-7 years of average usage.

ARAI Mileage: RE Himalayan- 35, Duke 200 - 35 kmpl

Fuel Cost (for usage of 60,000 km):
RE Himalayan - 1.31 Lakhs.
Duke 200 - 1.20 Lakh.

Reliability & After Sales Service: 
Royal Enfield has been in the Indian market since decades, but the product quality from Royal Enfield is questionable, if you every get glimpse of a brand new RE vehicle have a closer look and you will surly find 5 niggling issues in the motorcycle. On the other hand the Austrian giant is well equipped with all the quality tools at their end, but due to Bajaj interference and Indian value engineering methods the reliability of the mechatronics parts remains questionable. Though the Himalayan is not incorporated with intricate technology as the Duke's, the Himalayan's service cost is much higher than the Duke basically due to it high engine oil fill volume.

Resale & Cost of Ownership:
The RE Himalayan and the Duke 200 are bound to depreciate at similar level, however it leads to a bigger difference in the cost of ownership in-between these two bikes, the ownership cost for the Royal Enfield Himalayan is exorbitantly high by 27,000 Rs compared to the Duke 200 for an average usage of 5-7 years down the line.

Resale Price (after 5 - 7 years & 60,000 km):
RE Himalayan - 78,750 Rs.
Duke 200  - 79,500 Rs.

Total Cost of Ownership (Price + Fuel Cost - Resale Price):
RE Himalayan - 1.38 Lakh
Duke 200 - 1.14 Lakh

Verdict:
The Royal Enfield Himalayan is still a crude motorcycle if compared to the Duke 200 in terms of fit and finish, engine refinement, power delivery and extra heavy frame with minimum use of aluminium alloys. Though the Royal Enfield Himalayan is different category motorcycle compared to the Duke 200, but both motorcycles are meant for riding pleasure at different geographies depending of the liking of the rider. But practically speaking if you are an motorcycle enthusiast you need to be riding a Duke 200 as the Himalayan offers may offer comfort which a cruiser like Bajaj Avenger also can offer. Talking about the real off-roading capabilities of the RE Himalayan, it needs to shed a lot of weight and increase the power to weight ratio to be like a real off-roader. This conclusion sums up to the our winner which is the Duke 200.
Best Cluster every on Indian manufactured motorcycle, RE Himalayan
Fuel filler cap on the RE Himalayan
Tank side frames to carry extra fuel, tagged with RE name plate on the Himalayan
Bar end weights on the RE Himalayan

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