Who's ridden a KTM200?

[firffighter]

I finally got a chance to ride my son's '99 Gasgas EC200. What a hoot! Very fun bike with nice power delivery and easy to ride.

Got me to thinking. I miss having a light flickable bike. I love the 250/300's, but for flowing terrain, it is so fun to have a smaller bike.

I have owned 2 KTM200's and they are definitely lighter feeling than my son's Gasgas200. I think the Gasgas is more planted, but not as flickable as the KTM.

I loved the KTM200, but found them to delfect quite a bit in the gnarly stuff.

Anyone own or spent time on the KTM200.

I would love to get another Gasgas 200, but they are so rare.

 

[GMP]

I had one and hated it. To be fair, it was an older one but the motor is basically the same and PDS never worked as well for me especially on the lighter KTMs, and I have ridden a couple newer ones. Bad vibration, terrible suspension, never knew what it was going to do next. It was a fast bike with very good grunt for a 200 though. 300EXC was better because it was heavier. Never looked back after my '00 GG XC250, except for a brief flirt with a Cannondale 440.

 

[bukwheat]

I had an 03 200exc...found it to be just like you and GMP describe. Never could come to grips with the suspension, deflected off most everything. I went to an 06 GG 250 and discovered "nirvana"....

 

[shark4465]

had 2 of them loved the motor hated the rest

 

[GMP]

Mine vibrated BAD, more than my 300EXC, and it was mechanically sound. Just a bad balance either by design or mfg. QC. It would get me more tired and pumped up than a bigger bike. Funny, but when I could, I tended to ride it more like a 300 to avoid the vibes in the upper mid rev range. Some guys used to call them the "little 300" because of this.

 

[thumperrider1]

I had an 09 200XC and it was awesome. Suspension was revalved and resprung. The 200 feels much lighter than a 250 when you are riding it. The newer WP stuff from 09 + is very good. Mine had less vibes than my 2011 GG and my 05 YZ250.

A 200 likes to be ridden aggresively and you need to hit your lines right if you have any real steep hillclimbs. For tight singletrack it is a sweet bike.

 

[firffighter]

I would agree for the most part. I had a '99 and a '01 and have to say that the '99 with conventionals was better suspended than the '01.

Yes, I agree that that bike deflected quite a bit and could wear you out. When you encountered obstacles, the tactic was to pin it and hold on for dear life.

But, when there was open flowing trail, that bike rocked. You could really push it in the corners and whip that thing between trees like crazy. I love the motor. It had great low end for a 200 and I acutally didnt mind the hit because it is a small bike and not intimidating.

I guess what I am looking for is a bike I can push rather than hold back. With my Gassers and even my KTM 250/300's I feel I am holding them back rather than pushing them. With a smaller bike, I can feel like a hero and get less worn out.

I would like to try a newer KTM200 to see if they have improved at all.

 

[Jakobi]

I'd like to try a newer EC200 (2012) and see how they go between the trees. I don't particular find the 300 too powerful though and am not intimidated by the hit at all. Just a matter of picking the right moments to bring it on!

 

[thumperrider1]

If GG made their 200 based on a 125 frame and not the 250/300 I would buy one.

 

[onegreyghost]

200 ktm

I have owned 5 of them. I am 160 pounds and they will rip. The motor has a lot of bottom end. I live in TN we have long steep hills and plenty of rocky streams. They key to the handling is finding a tuner that can set up the light flickable chassis. The best I found is Bruce's suspension in north Carolina. He has been sidelined due to some medical issues but I believe he is recovering. He is phenomenal with WP and PDS he rides a gg 200. Google Bruce's suspension and give him a call

 

[firffighter]

Anyone ride a Gasgas EC200 and KTM200 back-to-back?

We have the EC200, but it has been too many years for me to remember exactly how it compared to the KTM200.

I think the inherent issue with the KTM200 is that it is based on the 125 as opposed to the Gasser 200 based on the 250.

I think you automatically get a more planted bike in the Gasgas because of that.

I never had the twitchy feel on my KTM 250 or 300, just the 200.

I also never used a steering stabilizer back then and I'm sure that would have helped a lot.

 

[noobi]

I have, the pre 08 ktm 200s are pretty much as everyone has described, they are very light and very twitchy, engine was sort of mellow I thought. The newer 08+ ktm 200 had better suspension and a super aggressive engine. It liked to be ridden balls out all the time, made heaps of power pretty much everywhere, it was pretty scary I thought, because its light it made it kind of sketchy to ride.
I own an 07 gg200, its not as light as the ktm, but its almost as flickable, is a lot more stable at low speed, and the engine is very smooth. I can idle up some pretty nasty, bumpy, rooted out hills without too much difficulty.
The gasgas feels smaller too, the ktm 200 are quite tall, and has the weird ktm feel through the legs, like you're riding a bike that is squashed up around the seat.

 

[john01]

I've never tried a KTM 200 myself but a club member has one that I'm gonna try. I've been thinking about a 2012 GG 200 myself but think I'm going with the 250 now. I have a 08 Husky CR144 that is light weight with crazy low end grunt and a screaming top. I'm going to be turning it into a 165 as soon as they sort the kits and I think this will be a KTM 200 killer; we shall see. BTW I agree a GG 200 on a lighter fram would be sweet!

 

[firffighter]

Great input.

There is something about KTM's that I can never really get along with. I've owned 4 of them and never held onto one for more than about 6-8 months.

If you read some of the posts on ktmtalk, the very first thing mentioned is a suspension revalve. Some spend 1K+ on getting their suspension set up.

With all 3 Gasgas I've owned, all without a revalve, I am immediately at home.

Guess I need to hold out for a Gasgas 200 if I want to make the change. Or, maybe I'll convince my son that my EC250 is easier to ride and steal his EC200

 

[Jakobi]

Guess I need to hold out for a Gasgas 200 if I want to make the change. Or, maybe I'll convince my son that my EC250 is easier to ride and steal his EC200

Shouldn't be too hard! Young fellas moto! No replacement for displacement!

..its not until you get a bit older and wiser that you realise less is more

 

[MrBlah]

I have a 2006 ktm 200xc revalved for woods use (terrain tamer, one fork rebound one fork compression) and a 2011 gasgas 250 with 45mm zokes revalved by a local tuner, my son will ride my 200 every once and a while so I get to ride them back to back.

the gasgas forks are better, in fact they are the best I've ever rode on for woods use, but the 200 will turn right under it, and is much more flickable in the tight stuff, but if it's more than 2nd gear the gasgas feels better in the turns. The 200 feels downright tiny compared to my gasgas, almost toy like, in bar banging stuff the 200 is the bike to be on, but if I'm not literally smashing my barkbusters on the trees every 20 feet, or super technical rocky stuff I want to be on the gasgas, I leave a trials tire on the back of my 200.

my only complaint about the 200, the rear shock likes to kick, it will kick when I hit logs and it will kick out when I try to slide the back end, it's not as good as a linked setup, but it is a trade off, that 200 is so light and simple I really love them, given a choice I would take a gasgas with a linkless setup, just so I did not have to deal with those bearings and the added weight, I like "KISS"

I would own a new ktm 200 if they did not make them so big and tall now, they also slowed the steering down, 2006-2007 are the only 2 years I like and I would not ride one without a scotts damper. 2008+ they got bigger and fatter between the pegs, and they slowed the handling down, I dont like them at all, might as well be on a 250/300.

I also own a 2008 ktm 450 exc-r, did 126 miles of jeep trail and single track yesterday, it's a lot of work making that thing turn in the tight woods, I much prefer gasgas handling over the 08+ ktm handling

 

[jeffs2200]

Get an 09 or up KTM 200 and be happy. No need for suspension work. I have a 2011 GG 300 and an 09 KTM 200. The 200 is lighter and more flickable but does not deflect or do any thing else weird. Lots of guys on this board who just can not get along with the KTM or stand to hear positive comments about them.

There is a good reason they sell so many though.

 

[MrBlah]

Get an 09 or up KTM 200 and be happy. No need for suspension work. I have a 2011 GG 300 and an 09 KTM 200. The 200 is lighter and more flickable but does not deflect or do any thing else weird. Lots of guys on this board who just can not get along with the KTM or stand to hear positive comments about them.

There is a good reason they sell so many though.

I would rather be on a older one and fix the forks, the chassy is so much better IMO

the west coast guys all bitched till ktm made the chassy handle desert type riding better

 

[Jakobi]

IMO in todays market you'd be hard pressed to find a 'bad' bike out of all the manufacturers (china excluded). Pick a size, a stroke and a colour and ride the tits off it! They all have pro's and con's most of which are rider dependant.. Too many variables to list. The only true test to know what will work for you is to try it and see.

PS I like GG cause they offer so many colours

 

[GMP]

I was at the local KTM dealer this weekend. Is it just me or do the new KTMs seem really big? I agree with MrBlah, the '06s were more compact and flickable, the 250 I rode seemed almost GG 250 size.

jeffs2200,

I really, really wish I could just fall in line and feel good on a KTM, bring it home, ride it, and call it the greatest bike ever made. It would make things so much easier. But I can't, and either can many others, and thats why we are here. I also suspect thats a big reason why linkage has made its way back to the KTM.