Just wondering if anyone has experience with the 200 XC-W. Action in Victoria has one in stock and thought it would be such a nice lightweight bike for givin er in the bush ... DirtRider has an article on the bike that's pretty interesting: http://www.dirtrider.com/tests/offro...c_w/index.html
I'd almost dec'd to go with a CRF250X when I saw it in there the other day... hmmmm.....
If you are new to 2-strokes, it will take some time to learn how to ride it. It has to be on the pipe all the time.
Make no mistake, this bikes hauls & kick ass big time.
In my opinion it's a better woods bike than a 250f - it's way lighter, makes more HP and handles very good in the tight & nasty stuff. It's essentially a 125 frame with a 200cc motor (shorter and lighterthan the KTM 250 & 300's)
The XCW will have a harness for a head light and comes with a clever timer / computer, softer suspension & not so close ratio box. The XC has an ajustable tripple clamp, harder suspension and closer ratio box, but the magneto will have to be modified for a light, or just get a helmet light!
I was also wondering what kind of aftermarket parts are available (skid plate, rad guards etc. ) and if there's much tech support online like there is for some other bikes... I've googled both and haven't come up withmuch but I haven't spent much time on it.
What is period maintenance like for this bike? I like that fact that it wouldn't have the valve maintenance that the 4str have...
I'm 5'10" and 205lbs... am I a bit too chunky for this bike ?
Maintance on a 2stroke is very minimal, gearbox oil change every few rides (should use about 1/2 a litre) Other than that basically nothing. Chain and sprockets are the same as a 4 stroke and probably 1 or 2 sparkplugs a year. Also, it should have plenty of power. I rode an 01 300 mxc and an 05 kx250 for awhile last year and both were over powered for the bush and i'm 6'2 and 210 pounds. The only thing I would suggest is putting a flywheel weight on it, this will really help with the bottom end and make it much harder to stall. Also, there is absolutely no comparison from the early 80's 2 stroke to the new 2 strokes today.
If you haven't checked it out yet, go to http://www.ktmtalk.com/ There should be a huge amount information on there about the 200.
I agree with Summitteer regarding the fly wheel weight. It helps a lot.
KTMtalk is the best information you will ever get. Everything about anything about KTM. Check out the 2-stroke forum.
Maintenance is every 15 hours on a KTM 4-stroke & 20 hours on the 2-stroke. Difference is the 2-stroke just reads "check". Just keep the air filter clean, use the best 2-smoke oil you can get and you will be as happy as a pig in shit. Keep a few spark plugs handy.
Thanks for you responses... I'm excited about this bike now and think it's definitely what I'm after. I'll check it out this weekend and if the pricepoint isn't too huge of a difference btwn itand the WR and CRF 250s I'll take the plunge...
Hi There, I have a huge passion for the Orange things, I have 2 of the 200SX KTM's ( both of my kids ) they are the MX versions, and they are an awsome bike, I have been tinkering with one to ride as a tight trails bike, I did the flywheel weight (11 oz ) and thats about it, I have had the suspension revalved, but it was the MX version and had stiff springs, the new XC-w's have awsome suspension, as good or better than my 03 & 04 reworked suspension.
Plugs? forget it, these things run so good now, you will never change it unless you feel guilty, I 've run the same plug in my 01 300EXC for 6 years!!!!! The 200's have never had plug changes either!
Jetting on these is spot on, no need to do anything, run Maxima K2 oil, should last at least 5 years before you even need to think about doing anything to it. ( I have 10,000 km's on my 01 300, put in a piston last year, and this year I had to do a complete rebuild, crank etc $1,500 and it should kick @#$ for another 6-7 years!
I don't know what the differences are between my 04-200SX and the new 200XCW but I love my bike. I have put on an autoclutch and ride alot of the nasty tight trails on southern vancouver island. I'm 5'8" and 220lbs and it hauls my butt up all the hills. I'm pretty slow so I don't carry alot of momentum and it hasn't failed me yet.
I even dualsported mine but it really isn't practical for that application. I licensed mine so I don't get a ticket when I pull my bike off my truck on the side of the road and it is nice when there is a short road section between trails.
Hi there, I have an 08KTM 200xc-w and it's the best dirtbike I've ever had. It's very responsive on the throttle because of it's light weight (95Kg.) and has plenty of power. I've ownedtwo strokes andfour strokes, (95 DT200, 96 yz250, 97DR350E, 06DRZ400), and this bike is more fun on dirt trails than any of my previous ones. I still have the DRZ which is a dual sport and thus different. I've also ridden WR250F and CRF250x, compared to these the KTM200xcw is lighter and more responsive, it feels more powerful but that might be because it's lighter. It's also quicker turning on single track trails. I find the 250Fs are smoother with less vibrations and for climbing steep slippery slopes the four strokes can go slow and steady with lots of torque at low RPM, like a tractor. It's hard to keep my KTM at a steady low RPM on a climb because if the wheel spins the RPM take off and thus I have to ease off the throttle, and I find myself on and off the throttle a lot, which on a four stroke I'm quite steady. Also, the four strokes are more relaxed to ride and the electric start is a bonus,the KTM200xcw is a kick start and after about twohours of riding I wish it had an e-start. Apart from that, it's more thrilling to ride because of its power to weight ratio. I wanted a light bike with a kick start because I didn't want a battery. It's easy to kick start because it's small and it's a two stroke. It is also goodon a track for some MX, the suspension has about a foot of travel, I'm very happy with it.
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