My 2012 KTM 200 EXC

[johnnysneds]

The long wait is over (for my wife anyway!), ive still got 20 days, 3 hours, 14 minutes and 54 seconds of offshore duties to nail down. My KTM 200 EXC arrived home this afternoon. Big thanks to Darren and John for being so kind to help with the delivery

As always, ill be stripping it down to go over everything and give it a good lube. Got a few mods, Rekluse, Scott Steering Stabiliser, Hand Guards and that seat looks painful just from the photos. Ill be adding the left hand rear brake and ive also got a nice little mod to retain the hydraulic clutch function utilising a 450 hotstart lever and go kart brake master cylinder. That will be all for now, but im sure there will be lots more mods as I get use to it.

Im really looking forward to the 2 stroke experience. The WR is great but lacks that excitement I think Im going to get from the 200, and yes, im looking forward to all those gear changes and revving the tits off it!

Cant wait to get home, get it sorted and RIDE........

 

[KTMphil]

Looks gorgeous Jonny - congrats on getting it to Chiang Mai.

 

[johnnysneds]

Thanks Phil!

Hopefully ill be doing this soon hahhahaa

 

[LivinLOS]

Looks superb.. And its pretty much the ultimate ultra light rooster (outside of a 125 or 144 MX converted to woodsin)..

I really want to know how the power delivery is, how easy it is to get down or how digital on off it is.. Does it have changeable powervalve settings like the 300 ?? I was looking at low hour used ones on ebay uk and they are quite reasonable. Plus many are plated so could skip all taxes if you bothered to visa run it.

 

[jayc]

your off your head!!!, ride it first then see what you want to change .coming off a wr to this, ktm have got it nailed !awsome bike ir rode one back at xmas (and iv been tempted to ride yours for the last week)the seat on yours is soft as shit it's a very light and nimble bike your gonna love it.

All the best with the bike
jamie

 

[johnnysneds]

your off your head!!!, ride it first then see what you want to change .coming off a wr to this, ktm have got it nailed !awsome bike ir rode one back at xmas (and iv been tempted to ride yours for the last week)the seat on yours is soft as shit it's a very light and nimble bike your gonna love it.

All the best with the bike
jamie

hahaaa ok Jamie ill give it a go without all the fanny aides!!! Thanks for sorting this oot by the way, A1 service your providing. Ive been staring at the photos and drooling for the past 24hrs, porn has taken a back seat for now.

 

[Pounce]

Thanks Phil!

Hopefully ill be doing this soon hahhahaa

More like this Johnny...

 

[johnnysneds]

Hmmmm....yup...that's more like it!

 

[bigntall]

Ohhh boy, that looks sweet. I'm jealous.

Now have the wife check the hour meter as you know Dazza and John probaly put a few laps up "last Man standing trail" to see if the 200 was quicker than the 300 before dropping it off.

 

[johnnysneds]

Ohhh boy, that looks sweet. I'm jealous.

Now have the wife check the hour meter as you know Dazza and John probaly put a few laps up "last Man standing trail" to see if the 200 was quicker than the 300 before dropping it off.

Ha already zoomed in on the knobbies on the photos and they don't look used :RE

Hows the riding in Calafornia or wherever you are?

 

[Loop]

Nice looking machine there John will be nice to see it in action in 3 weeks time.

Just read it uses a PWK 36 carb...certainly should give it a nice kick.

 

[Midnitemapper]

Johnny that is beautiful looking machinery!

 

[BWG950S]

Ill be adding the left hand rear brake and ive also got a nice little mod to retain the hydraulic clutch function utilising a 450 hotstart lever and go kart brake master cylinder.

Nice looking bike Johnny.

Can you elaborate on the LHRB set up you are looking at installing? Will you be able to keep the foot brake as well or remove it?

I am looking at trying to set something up on my 950. I hope to have a Rekluse for it within the next 2 weeks.


Thanks ,
Jim

 

[johnnysneds]

I believe you have the option with Rekluse to retain the foot brake at more expense, its just a case of tee'ing off the brake line. I opted to remove it on both the WR and KTM. Once you use the lever you'll wonder why you didn't do it before. The feel you get is brilliant. The only reason I see to retain the foot brake lever is to give extra protection to your clutch cover!!! I recently had a go on someone's WR250 going downhill and could not for the life of me control the rear wheel the way I usually do with my WR's LHRB.

I have a complete list of all parts and where to get them from.
Here's the set-up for retaining your hydraulic clutch:

 

[BWG950S]

Trying to understand what I am seeing...But whatever it is it looks sweet.

Is the Hot Start Lever now your clutch? Running to the slave cylinder and the "go cart master cylinder"?

Thus running your clutch line to your rear master cylinder?

Could you post or PM the parts lists and suppliers?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[LivinLOS]

Rekluse has em.. I am waiting on a backorder clutch but will have a dual one sent when the clutch is in.

 

[johnnysneds]

Trying to understand what I am seeing...But whatever it is it looks sweet.

Is the Hot Start Lever now your clutch? Running to the slave cylinder and the "go cart master cylinder"?

Thus running your clutch line to your rear master cylinder?

Could you post or PM the parts lists and suppliers?

Thanks,
Jim

Jim - basically the hotstart lever is cable operated which pulls the lever on the go kart master cylinder which in turn operates the clutch hydraulically. Rekluse will supply a separate rear brake lever, brake line and master cylinder. Give me some time and ill send the parts list and suppliers to you.

 

[madjbs]

So the red lever is now the clutch and the old clutch lever becomes the rear brake? Is it not a bit difficult down changing while braking? Also, it looks like it might be a bit difficult to control the clutch with it stuck out so far and with the brake in the way, especially on a small 2 stroke where you use it quite a bit?

 

[johnnysneds]

So the red lever is now the clutch and the old clutch lever becomes the rear brake? Is it not a bit difficult down changing while braking? Also, it looks like it might be a bit difficult to control the clutch with it stuck out so far and with the brake in the way, especially on a small 2 stroke where you use it quite a bit?

The stock clutch lever is completely replaced by the Rekluse brake lever/master cylinder and yes the red lever is now your clutch lever. I have a similar set-up on my WR and its quite easy to operate the clutch with your forefinger only, it doesn't require the same force to operate as a normal lever.
You dont need the clutch lever at all. You can change gears up and down easily without the need to operate the clutch manually, in-fact you can quite easily do this with a normal clutch, but not as smooth as the Rekluse. Its like a quick shifter up/down but you have to roll off slightly as normal when changing gear.
The reason to retain the clutch lever is to pop the clutch to get over obstacles or manually slip the clutch if required, but to be honest its not required. Its exactly the same as a semi-automatic Honda Wave with a step through gearbox and a LHRB.

Here's a short video of a bike fitted with a Rekluse:
Now imagine NOT having to worry about a clutch lever and concentrating on your rear brake instead. Hope that explains things. (probably clear as mud!)

 

[madjbs]

Oh ok, I didn't realise it was an centrifugal clutch.

 

[bigntall]

Keep in mind if you want the cluthc override option w/LHRB you need to order the Rekluse Z Pro clutch and not the new Core EXP style Rekluse.

I ran the same style as Johnny's WR on my YZF for years and enjoyed it immensely. The newer design EXP Rekluse has some new and improved advantages in terms of clutch hook up but the downside is you will not be able to operate the clutch with the miniscule hot start lever due to the pull becoming 20% stiffer over the stock clutch pull with the EXP design. The older Z start pro design while having a mushier power delivery compared to stock clutch (the primary complaint of this design and hence the new Core EXP clutch design) has the ability to override the clutch with the tiny hotstart lever as there is very little clutch pull effort needed.

The only variable (that could increase lever effort) with Johnnys set-up over his WR set-up is the hydraulic slave cylinder that is cable actuated on one end and hydraulic on the other. Johnny did you ever hook up the hotstart lever to the slave cylinder and test the effort needed to actuate the slave? This is the only part that I want to see demonstrated as i have used and enoyed the rest of the package.



Hurry up home Johhny the crowd is waiting!! You know you'll need to take the 200 for a ride before you install the clutch right, just for beta testing. I can't imagine how light the clutch feel is on that 200 with hydraulic clutch. On my KTM 250 its like pulling your fingers through melting butter, bliss. That 200 looks shweeeet. Can't wait to trade rides with you and we can compare and contrast KTM's lightweight tools.

 

[KTMphil]

I wanna see you doing this up last man standing Jonny (before the Rekluse goes in)

 

[Loop]

^ lovely pic Phil,my mouth is watering...500cc 2 stroke and sand.

Got some great memories of riding the sand hills that use to be to the south of Sydney in the mid 70`s...fantastic fun.

Surely the ultimate 2 stroke/supermotard though,the Maico 700! 80 odd ball tearing hp!

 

[LivinLOS]

Maico have a new for 2012 690 also...

For anyone not scared enough by a 500 smoker.. we have this..

 

[johnnysneds]

I wanna see you doing this up last man standing Jonny (before the Rekluse goes in)

Why? that sandy hill looks easy, you should be able to do that!

 

[johnnysneds]

Some photos before I trash it and never see it like this again!

 

[KTMphil]

Gorgeous Jonny ..... will be a fun day Friday ----

 

[LivinLOS]

Looks so light.. Reckon its gonna be just the ticket if the power is smooth through the range.

You got mods into it yet or riding stock to start ??

 

[KTMphil]

Any idea what the fuel range is?


MY 300 EXC-E 2 stroke gets about 12km to 1 Liter of fuel (obviously varies with riding conditions) ---- I would have though the 200 EXC would get around say 15 km to 1 liter of fuel?

 

[johnnysneds]

Looks so light.. Reckon its gonna be just the ticket if the power is smooth through the range.

You got mods into it yet or riding stock to start ??

Just hand guards for now. Will ride it stock for a while to keep all the boo boys happy hil

The weight difference compared to the WR is sick.

 

[johnnysneds]

3 thousand kicks later, carb removed twice - found an issue with the throttle cable at the carb. Adjusted correctly and idle set up - it eventually barked into life.
Rode out my drive, back tyre spins up, bike goes side ways and nearly flips me off - ok I need to pay more attention at the lower rev range than the WR. kin' hell the throttle is responsive. Right off for a test ride with a bit of respect for the throttle! Initial thoughts - acceleration is weird compared to a 4T, it farts away after idle, feels like a flat spot then that ring ding ding wap, I take it this is when the power comes off the pipe. Its sooner than I imagined, I wasn't expecting it to higher up the rev range, friken' awesome. Gear changes every mili-second (maybe not but it felt like that). bam bam bam I was in top gear! It felt like there were 3 gears missing! 80kph and it was done. It did go a bit faster but then experienced some head shake and eased off. Gear changes were sweeeet, the gearbox was that smooth I didn't use the clutch, up or down, eventually pulling it in to stop it from stalling at the traffic lights. The suspension is stiffer than my WR, I really won't get an idea how good it is until I go off road. Seat is unexpectedly comfortable and the height is akin to my WR allowing 3/4 of both my feet on the deck.
Engine braking - I was expecting zero, but there is some changing down from higher up the revs which was unexpected, however I did get caught out at a few tight bends where I expected some engine braking assistance, wooops. The front brake was good but was over shadowed by how powerful and progressive the rear was, miles better than the WR's foot application -probably a decent master cylinder.
I did feel it was a tad snappy and felt a smaller rear sprocket will sort that out. Its nothing like the WR but then I wasn't expecting it to be. Its everything I imagined - light, responsive and exciting. Its going to take some setting up and getting use to for the dirt and I dont envisage too much dramas getting it right. All in all an exciting bike that requires some respect with the right hand!
Best thing about it was how easy it was to work on. Carb takes literally 2 minutes to get out, spark plug 30 seconds - a joy to work on and oh that smell is just the nuts.

 

[LivinLOS]

Does it have a powervalve with adjustment ?? With the multi spring setup like the 300 ??

 

[johnnysneds]

Does it have a powervalve with adjustment ?? With the multi spring setup like the 300 ??

No auxiliary spring, 250/300 only. I'm confident a smaller rear sprocket and the Rekluse will make this KTM bags of fun.

 

[bigntall]

Haha. Fantastic you're able to finally get on it at long last. Now tell us how much you loved rapping the throttle on the two stroke? None of this namby pamby only firing on every other stroke horsepoo. Its there, quick and hard, and in its own narrow powerband its all mental eh? It's always wonderful to read about people on a two stroke for the first time. I was laughing my arse off reading it. Awesome mate!! Can't wait to read about your first few offroad rides with it as it should be polar opposite from the WR. I'm thinking the rear brakes on the newer KTM's are bordering on too touchy. My 2011 KTM 250 also was really hard not to lock up, much more touchy than my 525. Sounds like the 200 is the same. Have fun on it.

 

[johnnysneds]

Yesterday I was bored and I had no option to install the mods I had sitting around....you know how it is!

First the Rekluse:

The Rekluse works miles better on the 200 than my WR, impossible to stall. I opted for 3 extra Tungsten balls on top of the 27 steel ones to give a more positive engagement and allow minimal slip. Thrapping through the trails today was great fun.

I also put the Left Hand Rear Brake on as there is no need for a clutch anymore, however saying that I will be installing a clutch perch override - just to get a hose made up and then I can finish it off. You can see the perch below. Im quite confident there will be enough leverage with the shorty to operate the clutch as the standard lever was easy to pull after the Rekluse went in.

Next fitted the Scotts steering stabiliser and greased both head bearings as there wasn't enough for my liking.

All in all very happy with the way it performed today. Still to set up the suspension/sag etc and the engine is running very lean - ordered a JD Jetting kit for it this morning. The bike came with different needles/jets but you can't beat James Dean Jetting Kits for getting it right first time. The bike is difficult to start and the JD kit should sort that out. Im hoping it will iron out the power band also and make it smoother. Ill wait and see what rejetting does to it before messing around with the power valve and sprockets.
I didn't really enjoy it to the fullest this morning because of those bloody knee braces I just recently bought pinching my knees. Once I removed them I felt more free and able to move the bike around better, unfortunately the heat and beer got the better of me by then!
I can't say enough about the LHRB, you have to try one to believe how much control you have with the rear brake. The master cylinder you get from Rekluse is that good its easy to lock the rear wheel up with one finger if required
Only negative - some of the steep loose sections today had me spinning the rear up. This was probably down to my lack of commitment before the steep part. The WR would have just motored up those part easily. Anyway just a bit of a learning curve I suppose. Its a problem ive had for a while, committing myself fully before steep sections. Where the WR will let you get away with it because of its low down torque the KTM doesn't want to know, commit yourself or push me up the hill.

 

[KTMphil]

Great great info.... you've done a fantastic job on that bike & after today looks like a great choice --well done.

 

[LivinLOS]

I like how he has blue mat under the Yammie.. And an orange under the KTM..

Its attention to detail like that which really shines

 

[LivinLOS]

I like how he has blue mat under the Yammie.. And an orange under the KTM..

Its attention to detail like that which really shines

 

[johnnysneds]

Washed both the bikes this morning, left them at the front of the drive to dry and proceeded to the bar for a Guinness or two. On my return something wasn't quite right in the garage!

 

[LivinLOS]

Washed both the bikes this morning, left them at the front of the drive to dry and proceeded to the bar for a Guinness or two. On my return something wasn't quite right in the garage!

Obviously..

The Kawasaki shouldnt be there in the Yammie spot !!!