KTM Duke 200 rides through water: Here’s the result [Video]

With the monsoon creating havoc all through India, there are many motorists who find avoiding waterlogged roads impossible. In the news in the recent past, news about vehicles getting stuck on the waterlogged streets became common. Yet, there are times when one just cannot miss going out and avoid waterlogged. Here are two videos that show a KTM 200 Duke going in extremely deep water and coming out successfully. However, the second video shows how the clutch plates of the KTM gave up on the way back and it had to be towed by a Royal Enfield.

What happened here?

The first video by Lokesh Swami shows waterlogged streets of Jaipur, Rajasthan and how the rider wants to cross it. After the local residents warned him of the water level, Lokesh tried taking another route to reach his destination. However, the water level on the other route turned out very surprising for him. The video is taken from the helmet-mounted camera and the water level can be seen almost around the fuel tank of the bike.

In a bid to keep the water out of the exhaust, the rider keeps the throttle at a very high position, causing the engine to rev at a higher level. However, since the bike cannot move quickly due to the level of the water, the rider has to slip the clutch and use minimal power. This caused the clutch to wear down quickly. It should be noted that the KTM 200 Duke has an underbelly exhaust, which can cause panic in the rider’s mind. However, when crossing waterlogged streets and the exhaust is underwater, there’s no need to rev the engine at such a high RPM. Instead, the engine needs to be in constant 2,5000 rpm, which is enough to keep the water out. However, due to panic, many forget about it and use as much throttle as possible. It should be noted that the KTM 200 Duke has been tested for deep water wading and it can cross deep water without much of a hiccup. However, if the water is near the air intake or above it, the engine will stop. Trying to start it again in the water can cause the engine to seize. The air intake of the KTM 200 Duke is located under the seat, which was barely above the water level.

In the second video, the rider can be seen facing clutch issues. The KTM 200 Duke could not gain speed due to the clutch failure and it had to be towed. First, the KTM RC200 pushed it for some time. Later, the Royal Enfield Bullet also pushed it on the highway. This is the reason one should be extremely careful while crossing such deep water and avoid it as much as possible.