RUST magazine: RUST#32

ENDURO
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Just a little bit of heaven! That’s the only way to
describe this iconic machine. In fact this piece of
history will not leave RUST’s garage – its simply will
not go on sale – ever! When KTM announced that it
would stop production of the 200EXC in 2016 we had
to have one in the collection before it was too late and
we’re stoked that we managed to find a new one.
The aim from the beginning was to progressively
transform the 200 into one of the very last ‘factory’ 200s
to ever be built (and it may well be the first as we’re not
sure the 200EXC ever became a works racer, with the
possible exception that Shane Watts may well have raced
one in the year he took the AMA GNCC title by riding
every enduro from KTM’s catalogue).
We’ve always loved the 200s – they are fast and light
and in the right hands can be thrashed, thrown about
and made into the best ‘dance partner’ across difficult
rocky or snotty terrain. We love that KTM have always
built them as full sized bikes, not so much a toy as a
weapon. The light 125 chassis with the 193cc motor
produces excellent low-end grunt and smooth useable
power throughout the powerband. This motor is an
absolute beaut and you can add a few extra horses too
without much fuss.
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