We take a look at a modified KTM Duke 200 that has been altered to give it a Scrambler look and mild off-roading capabilities. It has been christened the ‘Street Tracker’.
When KTM launched the Duke 200 in 2012, it became an instant success since it was fast, affordable and looked the part. Three years on, we see a lot of them on the roads which has reduced the exclusivity factor of the bike. The fact that it comes in limited colour options makes it really difficult to make your Duke 200 stand out. But worry not. The good folks at Café Nomads have a solution. Keyne Wilson, owner of Café Nomads has modified a Duke 200 belonging to a friend of his into a ‘Street Tracker’ to make it into a machine that tackles bad roads as well as it tackles corners.
Café Nomads has been in the business of modifying cars and bikes since 2004 and they love working on old school vehicles or giving a retro look to newer vehicles while increasing their performance by reducing weight. However, in the case of the KTM Duke 200, they couldn’t reduce much weight since the bike is already feather light and they had to add new touches to it. The Street Tracker is powered by a 199.5cc motor taken from the Duke 200 producing 24.7 BHP of power and 19.2 Nm of torque and also retains all the other mechanical components, so the performance is unaltered. However, visually it bears no resemblance to the naked street-fighter.
The first thing that one would notice on the Street Tracker is the absence of front mudguard and the huge 18-inch off-road tyre which is mounted on old-school spoked wheels. The other changes to the front include a change in position of the speedometer which has been moved to the handlebar now, a new round headlight, protected by a black mesh grille, period looking orange indicators, modified handlebar and a vintage number plate. Move to the side and you notice that the frame colour has changed to silver along with a host of other changes of which the tank and seat are the most noticeable.
The fuel tank has been made in-house at Café Nomads workshop and has recesses for the knees. It holds an extra litre of fuel which increases the bike’s range and is painted in a pearl finish light blue shade which looks awesome in sunlight. The split seat of the Duke 200 has been replaced by a hand crafted custom seat which is covered in brown leather and is very comfortable. The exhaust outlet pipe gets aluminium fins which help in cooling and protect the pipe from the small stones which the front tyre might throw towards it. The rear tyre has been replaced by a 17-inch off-road tyre to complement the overall look of the bike.
The tail light and indicators taken from a vintage bike have been mounted on a small metal fender giving it the retro look. The increase in the front wheel size has increased the Street Tracker’s ground clearance which helps it when marking its own territory off the road. Keyne believes in retaining some of the original elements of the bike and has added tiny orange coloured details to it. All together these modifications cost between Rs. 1-1.5 lakhs and Café Nomads takes close to 45 days to execute the job. The cost does look high but when we look at the alterations made and the exclusivity factor, it seems well worth it.
Interested in getting your KTM Duke 200 modified into a Street Tracker? Contact Keyne Wilson from Café Nomads on +91-90047-90280.
