Updated Bajaj Pulsar NS200 vs KTM 200 Duke: Compared Through 5 Images

The Bajaj Pulsar NS200 has been a revered bike in its segment, for it has features bits like liquid-cooling and a six-speed gearbox at a pretty affordable price. Nearly 11 years after its launch, these features are still a first in its segment. Pretty wild, huh! So now, after Bajaj has given it the update of its life, we thought it’d be interesting to put it against its Austrian cousin, the bratty, aggressive KTM 200 Duke.

The Bajaj Pulsar NS200 has been a revered bike in its segment, for it features bits like liquid-cooling and a six-speed gearbox at a pretty affordable price. Nearly 11 years after its launch, these features are still a first in its segment. Pretty wild, huh! The 200 Duke, meanwhile, looks sharp and mean. After its latest update, the Duke finally looks like a direct descendent of the current-gen 1290 Super Duke R. While it misses out on an LED headlight, the halogen unit is flanked by an LED DRL and the bike definitely looks modern.

In terms of features, the NS200 continues with the same semi-digital console, which now also shows distance to empty, real-time mileage, and has a gear position indicator. The 200 Duke’s fully digital instrument console hasn’t been properly revamped in quite some time too, and it shows bits like speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, real-time mileage, average fuel consumption, and average speed.

At both the bikes’ heart is essentially the same 199.5cc, single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine. It’s been slightly detuned for the Pulsar, making 24.5PS and 18.7Nm. On the KTM 200 Duke, though, the engine shines in its full glory, churning out 24.5PS and 19.2Nm, proudly wearing the tag of the most powerful 200cc bike in India.  

With the update, the NS200 now flaunts a 37mm inverted fork and a monoshock. Its 17-inch wheels, meanwhile, are shod with a 100-section front and 130-section rear tyre. The KTM 200 Duke, on the other hand, gets a chunky 43mm WP fork and a preload-adjustable monoshock. Its tyres are fatter as well, with a 110-section one at the front and a 150-section one at the rear. While the discs are of the same size on both bikes, the KTM has radial ByBre calipers while the updated NS200 gets axially-mounted Grimeca calipers.  

This is where the two bikes are most different: their prices. The NS200, owing to its Pulsar moniker, carries a more affordable Rs 1,47,347 sticker price. The KTM 200 Duke, on the other hand, differentiates itself as a more premium product not only in terms of hardware and software, but also with its price: Rs 1,91,693 (both ex-showroom Delhi).