2022 KTM RC 200: First Ride Review

The Visuals

Being a new generation model, the RC200 gets a brand new design and when I say brand new, I mean everything that you see here has been redesigned not only to make the bike look different but also to improve the overall aerodynamics.

Even with this new design, the RC200 continues to have some kind of aggression. I mean it doesn’t look as sharp as the outgoing model, but it still manages to turn heads. KTM claims that the RC200 gets some design inspiration from their MotoGP bike and I think they aren’t lying. The fascia houses a large headlamp unit which is flanked by two large vertically stacked LED turn indicators.

The mirrors are new and a bit wider – it does two things. Make the bike look a bit wider from the front and also improve the air flow. From the side, the most obvious change you will notice is the size of the fuel tank. It can now take 13.7-litres of fuel and that’s a drastic increase over the current-gen model. And if you look at the bike from the rear, you won’t notice a lot of cycle parts because KTM wanted to keep the design neat and clean there.

The Package

The KTMs were always known to be a level above its rivals when it comes to features. The new RC200 now gets a redesigned LCD screen. It is not a full colour TFT unit like you see on the 390 models, but this looks fairly good for a bike this size.

The other elements like up-side down forks at the front and a monoshock at the back – are all the same. In terms of safety, the new RC200 gets dual-channel ABS system but with the option of switching off the rear- in case you want to have a little more fun. The bike continues to get full LED lighting all over.

The Ride

I’m sure most of you guys know that the current-gen RCs are known for its aggressive and committed riding position – something that made a lot of daily commuters like me avoid riding that motorcycle as much as we could. But now, with this new model, things look a bit more comfortable and relaxed.

KTM has raised the handlebars by 15mm and that means, you don’t really have aggressive supersport ergos now. But if you still want to look sporty and racy, you have the option of lowering these bars by 10mm.

The other thing you should know is that the seats are new – both rider and pillion. The foam is now thicker and the design is new too. But what I really like about these seats are the finishing material. It is just nice to feel and touch. However, we will be able to tell you how these seats are once we get the bike for a proper road-test.

The RC200 continues to get power from the same 199cc single-cylinder liquid cooled engine. So the power figures are exactly the same but the overall behavior of the engine has changed so much and for good. The credit goes to the bigger airbox. KTM says the RC 200 gets a 40% bigger airbox to breathe more freely. And they aren’t lying. The acceleration and torque delivery, especially at the low end has improved by a huge margin. The throttle response too, is spot on. There’s no jerkiness, nor does it feel too cumbersome to operate.

The other main highlight of the bike is that it has gotten so much quieter. The noise, the harshness and the vibes are almost nonexistent and this is bound to reduce the overall fatigue that comes with long hours of riding.

Now the RCs have a good reputation on a race track. The bikes are extremely quick on its feet, easy to turn in and maintains good composure along the tarmac. The RC 200, even with its revised ergonomics, continued to maintain its track reputation. Even with a higher placed handlebar, it isn’t difficult to tuck behind that new large windscreen. The one thing that we didn’t truly like is the front braking performance. At slow speed, it is fine, but when it comes to high speed braking, there isn’t too much power to slow down the bike as required.

Verdict

The new RC 200 is extremely likeable. The folks at KTM have addressed most of the issues the previous-gen motorcycle had like smaller fuel tank, styling that didn't really give the bike a good road presence and finally the aggressive riding position. All these fixes have made the motorcycle so much more aspirational as well as comfortable. And we all know how good the RCs handle. So no complaints there. The engine too works well. Churns out good performance and the overall NVH is so much better now.

But what about its ride quality and city experience? Well, we got an opportunity only to ride on a test track. We'll tell you how practical the new RC200 is being a part of daily life as soon as we get the test bike for longer duration. Right now, at Rs 2.08 lakh (ex-showroom Pune), the new RC200 looks like a great deal.

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi