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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-251.html)

A Metzeler set would cost you almost 17k. Average life varies from 11-15000 kms, depending on how you ride, brake and corner. Alternatives to the Metz can be the Ceat Vertigo or Michelin Sirac.

Of course, the MRFs on D200 are cheaper to replace. Durability shouldn't be your primary concern here. The grip, feel, cornering ability and the peace of mind that the Metzeler gives in unparalleled. I, for one, wouldn't mind emptying my pockets for a tire that's tailor made for my ride.

I wouldn't call the Vertigo and Sirac as 'alternative'. That would be too generic.
An alternative choice, in this case, would be the Michelin Pilot Street/Sport and MRF Revz. I've heard Pirelli too offer a tyre choice in this range, but I don't know much about it.
The Michelin series is no Metz when it comes to grip, but its not that bad as to be dismissed without a glance. I've rode on both the tyres and Michelin certainly makes a strong VFM case for itself.

Perhaps they might be generic, but then, one thinks of other options instead of the Metz, and these are the names that crop up in a flash. You'd need a lot of research to comprehend that Pirellis support the D390s too.
I've ridden a friend's D390 on Michelins enough to draw a conclusion about it, and I'd still humbly stick to the Metz. But hey, that's just me!

Kudos on the visor setup, and the support system, it'd be great if you could have taken some closer images of the support structure.
Forgive me, but it'd be a remiss if I didn't mention this. I think Team-BHP loyalty has been taken to stratospheric heights with this baby Duke stickering. lol: Kiddin.

Cheers!
V

Hey Mohit, the Mods look fabulous. What's the height of ZMR windshield? I have fitted the FZ windshield after sawing off a little at the bottom for better looks and drilling 4 holes in it. So it fits directly on to the console instead of the additional steel strap that hold the front number plate. The height is reduced and I feel the wind gust on my face. Further I am concerned that the screws could slacken due to vibration (it's held by rubber bush-thread inside the console and one bush has already slipped and dropped inside the display console) so thinking of putting the number holder steel strip back and try other way of fitting.

The RL and Hella seems cool. Please provide links to the same. How much does the electrical installation needs to be tinkered to instal these 2 items?

You are thinking "pirelli mt60", a regular fav of the supermoto crowd in the international market. Some guy put it on his duke 200. Do a quick google search. Looks bonkers!

If user feedback is anything to go by, this tyre will make light work of some gravel n sand and not give up anything as far as cornering grip goes. Availability is a concern though. In fact, I put up a query on availability of this tyre not too long ago on the tires thread. No response

Metz is touted as da bomb and it is, unless you meet gravel n even a bit of sand, something our roads have in plenty. Then the damn thing slips n slides all over town. The pirelli should be perfect.

I found this website selling this tyre, but very expensive.
http://www.sbkstore.in/parts/tires/off-road-tires.html

HeyZulfi - I saw it too. But they do not stock sizes for the 390. The lowest you can go on the front is 120 and 160 at the rear

I do not want to buy tires online. Would love to check it out in person

This - http://www.ktmduke390forum.com/forum...road-duke.html Duke 200 fellow seems to be in Bangalore. These tires should be available locally.

Another awesome tire IMO would be the Avon Distanzia, again going by the reviews. No personal experience. These are 90:10 Road : Offroad tires and do very well on gravel roads and mild dirt. Sounds like a perfect tire for the Indian roads. Most popular tire for the Supermoto crowd

Alas, availability............

Since we are on the topic of tyres, this provides some good insights.

http://riderzone.in/best-tire-for-ktm-duke-390/

The usual suspects really. Nothing wrong with the suggestions, but nothing most of us did not know already

I am looking for a tyre that is like a 80:20 or 90:10 Road : very very mild bad road bias, the kinds we encounter daily

I too am leaning towards the Michelin for the rear. Will probably knock on fellow member "Man of Steel" 's door in another few months. He should be able to give us a good long term review of the tyre

The only issue I have heard with the Michelins is uneven wear. But apparently that does not impact performance adversely

Can anybody update the thread with Speeds@rpm ? On what rpm does 100 Kph comes on RC390? Does anybody have similar data for RC200?

Guys, How do you determine the life of the Tyres? Do you check the tread depth or any other parameters like loosing grip / fish tailing / feeling mushy etc? can some riders post the picture of their worn tyres for us to get an idea? I was thinking that my tyre could last a little longer and a very dear and experienced senior rider advised me to change it immediately.

Has anyone faced any issues with tyre alignment?(this could cause uneven wear of the tyre) bearing issues? (rattling sound / tyre wobbling) I have read a few incidence of leaking seal (shocks). Has that affected the ride quality in any way ( I mean even the short ride to the service center. I know it is detrimental to ride with a seal ruptured shocks)

In my case, I pushed it a little too far with the rear tyre to call it dangerous.

One thing you will surely start to notice is the abs kicking in earlier than normal. A sure sign of the tire losing grip with the surface and causing a lockup.

A visual inspection is a must. My rear tyre started developing cracks in the centre even though there was sufficient tread left for another 1000km or so. The cracks were easily visible. The next was visibility of the steel belts in small sections of the tire. The tire had reached end of life. Tread depth is important. If you are down to the last 2mm or so, it is time for a change.

The bike rode absolutely normal. I did not experience any loss of traction too. No wobble, etc.

[quote=mrohit17;3631110]I have exactly the same horns. If you see the box, the MRP is Rs.300 odd. I picked them from Reliance auto for Rs.290/- including fitting.

@john doe

Er.. I'm not sure why I have been quoted here.
I do have Hella horns installed on my bike, but they came off my Punto ( the OE car horn. ). But I've never disclosed this info here before, let alone quote the price. :)