Shane Watts' 2006 KTM 200 XC-W - Dream Rides - Dirt Rider Magazine

It is a proven fact that Shane Watts is capable of winning on just about any bike. The Aussie's current bike is the KTM 200 XC-W, and we were fortunate enough to snag the bike long enough to take a spin! The most noticeable thing about Watts' bike is that he has safety-wired half of a grip onto his existing Tag grip, making one very thick piece of rubber to grab. Shane's choice of handlebar is the Fasst Company FleXX bar, with the blue (softest) rubber cushioning installed for even more shock relief and vibration damping. Combined with a GPR stabilizer, the KTM handles well and makes short work of bumps and chop. However, the suspension had a very middle-of-the-road character, with decent bottoming resistance and progression but a fairly normal feel to it.The motor on Watts' bike was just as great as you would expect. Jetted to be totally clean and crisp, the throttle response of the 200 had that hard-to-get feeling of connectivity, where your right hand feels as if it is twisting the rear wheel. The bike is an absolute wheelie machine, and finding the sweet spot on the motor only took a flick of the wrist. The exhaust certainly barks, but the motor retained its fairly inoffensive note, which I was pleased to hear. All in all, KTM 200s have become pretty popular lately, and I can definitely see why.When I returned to the pits after about 30 miles, I handed the bike back to Shane and said a big thank-you. Curious, I just had to ask him about the suspension on the KTM, stating that I was surprised by his setup, or lack thereof. Watts couldn't help but laugh when I said this. "That's because I just pulled it out of the box this morning, mate!" Stock suspension, I should have known. For a minute there, I forgot that Shane Watts could win on everything!