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-   -   The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/138082-ktm-duke-390-ownership-experience-thread-213.html)

:uncontrol This was exactly what I was trying to prevent.
I had to lube my chain a couple of times. Other than that, the Duke has never given me an opportunity to make my hands dirty. Touchwood!
For me, riding is liberating. Yes, its dangerous, doing speeds (I am not a really fast rider. I 've never gone past 130kmph) on the Duke when you know your rims may crack. But then, like its sung in the 'One Republic's' song, "Everything thing that kills me make me feel alive". What's the point in worrying about it and dying every moment? :)

Ironically, you are not doing him any favors.

My funda is very simple mithun. I got a 2 year warranty from Bajaj when I bought the bike. So that's my insurance policy.

That is what buys me complete and total peace of mind. Knowing there is a huge corporate giant watching over me and their product. Ready to replace anything and everything should I happen to break it.

So I enjoy the bike as it is built to be enjoyed. From the first couple of hundred kilometers of its life. And till the end my Baby Duke would dice it out with bigger bikes one on one, including her bigger sisters the 390s, ridden by some really fast guys (one of them who is scorching the tracks at BIC for the past year). She ran like a gem, she was a doll.

Knowing fully well that if I had to break something on her, I'd rather break it within the time period of company protection than outside it.

Or reconcile myself to always being scared, worried, technically anal, and continue being the same outside waranty as well.

Maybe its how different people are built, but if I wanted to undergo torture, get hypertension and develop ulcers, lose my remaining hair and have it turn silver, I sure would not pay someone 2 lacs to do it.

LIFE would be more than sufficient. And would do it for free.

You are right. It is a harsh and misunderstood statement. Please clarify what you meant by 'peace of mind'. Does occasional niggles on the bike take away your peace of mind? Or did you mean that the thought of getting stranded in the middle of nowhere during a solo ride take away your peace of mind?

I do agree that the KTM products comes with minor niggles when compared to the the likes of Ninjas or the R15s or the Inazumas. I picked up these three because I think these specimens could be the benchmark of quality in our market. But think about the premium it demands over the competition. At the end of the day, I would also have loved to get the Ninja at a 1.9L ex showroom. But it is not fair and life will never work out that way. You get what you pay for. And for the price I paid, the quality is more than I expected. But this is a subjective thing. Or may be I am adaptable. Or may be I dont let these stuffs take away the joy of riding. Or may be I am just plain ignorant!

And coming to the FAQs.

Does it have niggles? Yes. Many niggles and ONE un attended problem.
Does it take away my peace of mind? No.
Do you have to spent your entire weekend with hands smeared in grease/WD40/engine oil and your breath smells gasoline? No.
Will you be going out and seeing your mechanic more than my wife or GF?No.
Will I get stranded in the middle of a jungle, get mauled by a tiger or will the tiger spat me back because I dont taste good? No. If you maintain the bike properly. But still Depends on your understanding of the golden words of Mr.Murphy, be it ANY bike!

Now, please tell me your definition of the term 'peace of mind'.

Someone has been watching Roar.

And probably not for the tigers .....

Great !!! In fact these words are re-assuring and makes me feel not to worry about getting a Duke.

Peace_of_mind - Not about niggles here and there. To me, the bike, I love, shouldn't end up at the service center very often and lay down there for days ... Of course getting stranded in the middle of a road/jungle can happen to any vehicle, but if many riders start seeing it as a common problem with a particular vehicle make, then it is a concern.

Thanks once again for your re-assuring words. Of course I understand nothing is perfect.

Added this note: You get what you pay for - It may be correct in some cases, but in my experience, I have seen people loosing their peace of mind with products which are sold as premium ..

:thumbs up I can assure you that it will not be the case if you take care of the bike.

Guys, Completed 1 year with my 390 today. Close to 17K on odo. Last 6 months I rode very little as I had been travelling a lot. Overall with the duke, life on the fast track has been quite gratifying.

It was just an article in the magazine some where in July last year that got me interested in this bike and I just did the booking on a gut feeling. I had a few priorities of course the primary being the performance / top end speed, ergonomics, ABS was an added bonus, the over all naked look of the bike got me hooked and I plonked my money into the bike blind. No test ride, not even a display bike to check out, nothing.

Life is not perfect, we are not perfect, so to expect a machine to be perfect would be a far fetched idea. There were niggles like any other bike. My chain used to slack every 300-400 kms initially, the engine dies on you suddenly, vibrations and stuff. I had a scratched sticker on rear right side during delivery which is still not replaced by the dealer.

But did I loose peace of mind? NO. Did I worry? NO. there were some concerns along the way. but nothing huge. I keep technicalities to minimum. I am not too concerned about the gear ratios or the lean angle or into heavy details. that's not me. I just ride. I trust my bike, he has never let me down ever. I speak to my bike, express my feelings, when tired I ask my bike to take me home safe and he does. My bike is like an elder bro to me, who takes care of me and forgives my cranks.

Life is good. Life is short. We ride a 390 while the aam janta ride the commuter bikes. we are a privileged lot to experience something exhilarating . So Just ride. Have fun. Share your experience. let go of niggles and trivias. why crib.Just ride- Ride safe.

You are absolutely right, Doc. But it is more to do with the irrational rather than rational. Sharanvenu opined about OCD.

Speaking for myself, I am a stock market trader and depend on trading for a portion of my income. Being Irrational, emotional is the last thing you want when you trade. The market will chew and spit you out before you know.

But I am slightly obsessive compulsive about my toys. Whether be it my Hifi, car, car stereo, bike, laptop, mobile. I don't know why when I can keep zen like peace even if I make a losing trade, I can barely tolerate even the slightest rattling noise.

My wife is one of the calmest people I know. But she does not tolerate fiddling with her kitchen accessories. The attitude towards one's toys, machines cannot be generalised as their overall approach towards everything else. Many people have been calling our kind, names, though subtly. But the only way they can help is to ignore our possessiveness towards our machines, and help by sharing their knowledge,

Been there, done that :D

For me handling is very important, I don't see myself exceeding 120 on our highway, might try on a bike like Daytona, but frankly nothing beats the feeling of taking curves, as of now the roads are extremely bad, planning to take TD of RC390, cornering needs committed seating position, so natural choice would be the RC twins. I am in no hurry as of now! will take my own sweet time to get the next ride :thumbs up

I know all about OCD bro. Your problem is like that of the first year medical student who suddenly starts imagining all the world's diseases happening inside him. And is convinced he is showing al the signs and symptoms. And if one gets knocked off the list, he'll promptly find another to obsess about.

See, now you are doomed. If nobody else's, you're going to be receiving many PMs from me. :D

I would want you on your A game.

My trader at Religare knows all about my Zen like peace.

My KTM service engineer, lead mechanic, head service, and regional service lead too.

I prefer to pay people to do the worrying for me. And then give them a lot to worry about.

Mine too. She's also one of the most disorganized persons I know. But there's a method in her madness so to speak.

It matters not what names you are called. Here at least, the new slew of worrying hinging on paranoia has come and hit this thread after a long long time. Around 200+ pages at last count. Not to mention some similar on my Baby Duke thread. Most everything that is deserving of being discussed and dissected, already has been.

So its not surprising the reactions of the old crowd here. Some are surprised, amused, but silent. Some are not so silent. Soem don't understand what the fuss is all about. Some wonder at all the same cliched hackeneyed arguments and theories doing the roaunds again for the nth time (after all, like you guys, even we do the rounds of all the "popular" forums to learn stuff, if not actively participate).

So if you guys think we are being unfair, some of us might be thinking you are being unfair by calling us unfair. :uncontrol

Peace.

:D Most probably true.

Most welcome. :)

Speaking of the service engineer, again a bad experience. After a haitus of two days, the stalling problem is back and with a bang!!. Stalled as usual at a red light, but the difference was it took a very long time to start. Went straight to the service station. The SE requested me to keep the vehicle for a few days with them, so that they can find what the problem is. Gladly agreed.

Will give it on Teusday.

Peace.

DId you try to start it in neutral or in gear with clutch pulled in?

Oh I didn't notice. Even the SE asked the same thing. I am taking out the bike tomorrow morning to analyse the problem. I will updat after that.

As per personal experience, the bike starts immediately with no problems whatsoever in neutral. Whereas startups was often tough with clutch pulled in gear.

Hmm. Will definitely remember next time. Meanwhile hope that the SE identifies the problem.