[ebonho]

Originally Posted by samschenker

Doc, but KTM does have a range of bikes in the 'Travel' segment which includes models like Adventures & the SMT?

I for would love to see a 390 SMT, but all i we can do is dream & hope

Yeah I know. Was commenting more on the "touring/tourer" tag which somehow conjures up a very different (mainly sedate) image to an Adventure (more performance SUV on two wheels).

If you notice, straight from the factory, none of the Adventure KTMs come with humongous tanks. Telling ....

P.S. I agree. I drool over the 690 SMT too.

[samschenker]

Originally Posted by ebonho

If you notice, straight from the factory, none of the Adventure KTMs come with humongous tanks. Telling ....

As per the specs 990 Adv & 1190 Adv comes with a 20 and 23 liter tanks respectively & that's decent enough for right?
But from what i read there are hell lot of aftermarket tanks available for the Adv series bikes.

Only the 450RR (Rally replica) bikes come with 30+ liter tanks(IIRC 35L) from the factory.

Sorry for the discussion.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by samschenker

As per the specs 990 Adv & 1190 Adv comes with a 20 and 23 liter tanks respectively & that's decent enough for right?

Thats an effective tank range of approximately 150 miles only. And a 20 liter tank looks positively tiny when seen on an Adventure - they are intimidatingly tall big bikes. If you go on to most of the international adventure riding forums, this is a common peeve. Most popular after market tanks are actually 40+ liters.

[malcolm]

just read bike india mag and as per ktm ceo he saying mostly both a faired version and the naked are expected in india every six months a bike will be launched for the next 18 months

[anilupadhya]

Originally Posted by navpreet318

Hahaha. You just listed out the features of the enduro touring bikes like the GS and the KTM Adventure. Sure it is possible but would a company risk cannibalizing its own top of the range bikes. Also when you factor in all those features, the price automatically goes up. The engine is not exactly a huge cost impact then.

A light weight bike (~130-150kgs) producing around 40-50hp is perfect for adventure riding.
Adventure biking is all about taking the offbeat path. and you wouldn't need all that power the big bikes produce to go over gravel or challenging terrain. Instead it could get scary on gravel with such power. Plus considering the weight of the big bikes + the luggage, it would require popeye's miracle drug for you to lift the bike after a fall, especially after a long exhausting ride.

Seasoned adventure riders tend to pick up enduros and modify them to become adventure tourers.

The Adventure 390 will start flying off the shelf if released across the world.

Originally Posted by ebonho

1) Longer enduro-grade fork travel with more damping.

A: Most the raid guys have managed longer/stiffer springs and inner tubes. Indian, local fabricated. I can live with those, if Bajaj cannot/will not do it cheaper.

From what i have read in certain forums, the manufacturers, including KTM, are now compromising on the quality of suspension to keep the cost low and maximize profits. therefore seasoned riders go for aftermarket suspensions soon after riding out of the showrooms.

Originally Posted by ebonho

4) 19" front and 17" rear alloy rim "tubeless" spoked wheels, with options for dual purpose tyres.

A: Again, most Raid guys have used the workaround of the Impulse front wheel and tyre (19") with adaptor plate, spacer, etc. for the front. For the rear all have kept the alloys with just tyre change - not ideal. Proper spoked wheels are only possible on a budget from Bajaj. Anything else we do will be jugaad.

Thinking aloud!! Do the enfield classic and thunderbird 500 have tubeless tires? if yes, they could be customized to suit your needs. or you could still use the wheels of the impulse and stuff it with bib-mousses to cut down your chances of punctures.

--- Going OT here---

Doc, Even I intended to do some jugaad with the suspensions on my current pulsar 230. I know that the bike's chassis is not designed for such stuff, but what the hell.. i will be using it for a short duration and have plans of riding to some remote areas. would you have any idea on how to procure a front suspension with a 250mm travel and a good offroad rear suspension.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by anilupadhya

From what i have read in certain forums, the manufacturers, including KTM, are now compromising on the quality of suspension to keep the cost low and maximize profits. therefore seasoned riders go for aftermarket suspensions soon after riding out of the showrooms.

My only issue to date has been a busted left fork seal. I think the KTM fork is actually quite a lot better than most of what is available in India off the shelf today. Some better weather/e;ement protection would make it much better.

Made by Endurance under license from WP sure, but to put things into perspective, even if you consider the Duke sales is about equal to that of Bullets (with Endurance forks) - so you can move economies of scale out of the picture, the Duke fork legs costs four times more than what the Bullet fork leg manufactured by the same company costs.

Thinking aloud!! Do the enfield classic and thunderbird 500 have tubeless tires? if yes, they could be customized to suit your needs. or you could still use the wheels of the impulse and stuff it with bib-mousses to cut down your chances of punctures.

The Enfield tyres are useless for the usage I am talking about. For a 19" front I would either go with a Secura Sport or the Dunlop Uni Grip or the Impulse A/T tyre. For the rear, the best we have here in India are the Ceat Vertigo and the MRF Moto series. None of these are tubeless I think.

Doc, Even I intended to do some jugaad with the suspensions on my current pulsar 230. I know that the bike's chassis is not designed for such stuff, but what the hell.. i will be using it for a short duration and have plans of riding to some remote areas. would you have any idea on how to procure a front suspension with a 250mm travel and a good offroad rear suspension.

You are in Bangalore so the best person I know what this would be Prashant of Indi Motard. I can PM you his number if you do not already have it. Also I do not know if he deals in this, but Shekhar of Pacer Yamaha also could help you. A good used fork should be available in around 15-20K. But what do you plan to do about the rear? Why not just go with the 200 NS 43 mm forks - they should be much better than your spindly 220 forks.

[MadBiker]

Pro biking chennai says the bike would be launched in February and asked to check for booking after a couple of weeks. Can some one bug the PBK in your respective cities for more info?

Been without a bike for too long now and the duke 390 is the only bike that interested me after selling the ninja 250... Fingers crossed. Hoping to see the Hoolingan on streets soon.

[sarsh11]

Originally Posted by MadBiker

Pro biking chennai says the bike would be launched in February and asked to check for booking after a couple of weeks. Can some one bug the PBK in your respective cities for more info?

Been without a bike for too long now and the duke 390 is the only bike that interested me after selling the ninja 250... Fingers crossed. Hoping to see the Hoolingan on streets soon.

Which probiking store did you inquire at?
I asked at the Adyar store and they said that they have no news about its release or booking dates.
And salesman's opinion was that the bike would reach the stores only by August/September. I gave him my number and asked him to give me a call if he got any news regarding both the Duke 390 and the Ninja 300R.

[preetam_KORG]

Same here as well, I enquired about the 390, bangalore PBK showrooms have no clue whatsoever.
Some say bookings will begin by march, someone said the 390 would not hit dealerships before June/July. Strange that there are a lot of rumours doing rounds on the web, but nothing concrete has surfaced so far from people that actually matter.
However Venkat's Auto Service people are sanguine that the bike will see light of the day by March end or April beginning. They even said that a set of their mechs are already undergoing training to undertake servicing of the 390. They were even pretty confident that both the ABS and non-ABS versions will be sold here, further going on to say that the ABS unit on the 390 might be from Nissin like the one on the baby ceeber.
Let us just hope that the Duke 390 ABS be priced under 2.5L OTR Bangalore!

[MadBiker]

Originally Posted by sarsh11

Which probiking store did you inquire at?
I asked at the Adyar store and they said that they have no news about its release or booking dates.
And salesman's opinion was that the bike would reach the stores only by August/September. I gave him my number and asked him to give me a call if he got any news regarding both the Duke 390 and the Ninja 300R.

There is only ONE Probiking in Chennai. I spoke to the Showroom Manager. (I know the showroom guys through the Ninja 250 ownership) He mentioned that it is expected pretty soon. But No details are given from Bajaj to the showroom guys yet. I'm as eager as you all are.

[hsub]

My contact from the factory says it is now pushed to Mar/Apr time frame. Earlier he had said Jan/Feb so looks like they are experiencing delays getting it out.

[neerajpv87]

http://motoroids.com/news/bajaj-puls...aught-testing/

Is this the new Pulsar 375?

[ebonho]

Sign of things to come, and vindication of the clout India can and does and will bring to bear in the global market.

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/news/ktm-sales-2012/

If we asked you which Germanic company was the largest motorcycle brand by volume, you would likely guess BMW Motorrad…and you would be wrong. Snap!

Displacing the venerable brand from Bavaria, which set its own sales record, KTM’s 2012 sales year of 107,142 units has handed the Austrian brand the distinction of being the best-selling Germanic brand worldwide (by a margin of less than 1,000 machines).

Seeing 32% growth in its worldwide market, thanks in part to a 15% increase in the United States, as well as strong sales in India, KTM is rapidly transforming itself from a boutique brand and into a juggernaut in the motorcycle industry. While in the US, KTM’s off-road segment remains king, and is lead by the KTM 350 SX-F & KTM 500 EXC, worldwide it is KTM’s on-road market that is making headway for the Austrians.

KTM’s growth doesn’t just come from its partnership with Bajaj and sales in India, as the Austrians saw a 9% kick in sales in Europe, which bucks the rest of the industry’s 12% tailspin in that market. Furthermore, that increase in sales was good for a 7.5% market share increase — a huge piece of pie-taking for a single year.

Helping make that boost have been the KTM 125 Duke & KTM 200 Duke machines, which will soon be joined by the KTM 390 Duke. Selling 8,000 KTM 200 Dukes in India alone, it is no secret that KTM’s small-displacement machines padding the company’s figures handsomely. As for profit,

With all the star-power coming from KTM’s on-road offering, the question still remains though: when will KTM USA start taking the American street-bike market more seriously? Only time will tell.

Source: KTM & KTM USA

[Abhi_Automobile]

Guys,

A website says that the launch is slated for March. Although I generally tend to not believe these kind of websites, they claim that it is from a high ranking KTM official.

This may be true methinks. Whatsay?

Source: Motoroids: http://motoroids.com/news/ktm-390-du...-specs-images/

[volkman10]

KTM Duke 390 to be launched by April.

Austrian bike maker, KTM, is all set to launch two new exciting bikes into India within a year. KTM has confirmed by April 2013 the much awaited Duke 390 will be launched and early next year a smaller version of the racing spec RC8 superbike will be launched. Though exact details of the motorcycle cannot be confirmed, it is expected that KTM will launch the RC25 sports bike. This bike should feature a 250cc engine and will come with a full aerodynamic fairing and colour scheme like its bigger brother. It could develop 30 BHP of power.

http://www.motorbeam.com/bikes/ktm/k...Z8SayKWFMPP.99