Re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread This bike has me at a loss !!! Just 2570km and 4 months old and feels and behaves like a 3 year old bike that is not serviced . Ruined last Sunday as well as this one , while the fun factor when all is well is very high , cannot help but feel I have simply not got what I paid for , this is my first ever automobile purchased on my own :/
The engine is coarser than it was during delivery ( I thought the idea was it gets smoother post first oil change but was I wrong !!! ) , the acceleration is erratic and unpredictable -exact same throttle application at the same rpm/gear , sometimes it jumps forward and sometimes it feels like an asthma patient .
The braking is unpredictable with back to back application requiring different extent of force/depression to achieve similar stopping power and moreover they squeal loudly (the rear squeals without even brake applied when even slightly leaned in ). 3 visits to SVC and failed to rectify this . Will be out of place even on a splendor nevermind this bike .
The tires - for all the hype I have read and yes they are sticky and when surface is comparable to Austria's , they behave superbly but I am not sure if majority owners are lucky to ride on consistently good surface or not because mine in the short span has suffered 6 punctures (all rear ) . And they are a horror show on the slightest hint of sand or gravel . My el cheapo enfield with el cheapo ceats handles better at similar lean angles on such surface and yet to have a puncture in twice the mileage . Not like I am riding on rural surface . Beautiful cantonment road for 90% usage and somehow nails have managed to lodge in blunt side first . They are built to a purpose and likely excel at that but they are so not durable . Hurts to see the smooth surface being ruined like that :(
Everything gets loose so fast - tightened handle twice , chain requires attention every 500-700 km , clutch requires attention in similar span , this is abnormal . And the vibration and buzzing , bolts tightened everywhere but no end to the buzz . Washing(careful normal pressure wash avoiding any contact with instrument cluster or even rear seat due to electronic beneath ) the bike makes it go bonkers , will stall intermittently for the next few days .
One might be wondering why I am ranting like this , well last sunday I convinced my close friend to go on a trip to celebrate the victory (world cup) but the moment she is astride the bike , the handle begins to wobble violently (And visibly as she commented on the same ). I have not ridden with pillion for few months but did a lot during the first few weeks and the bike was rock stable then , handle was tightened at 1700 or 1800km(as well as during first service ). The wobble was so extreme below 20kmph speed that I had to abort and hence ruin a great afternoon out . Go it tightened but mech thinks the front wheel itself might be out of alignment as we both agree it should not wobble like that just because of loose handle .
Manage to convince her again today , voila a puncture . Spray some water and even better - two punctures with one being so small that it is hard to tell what went in , it cannot be fixed from outside and leak seems very less . The other was leaking fast so had to abort again .
In general , it is proving difficult to enjoy riding this bike anymore , the engine harshness especially under acceleration means I cannot enjoy it as it is supposed to be ridden . Service support is 3rd grade and doesn't helps either . Know another RC 390 owner suffering even more , in his case coolant mixed with engine oil and bike is always at SVC . One might think I am being harsh but I am not , I am not treating the bike to bumper traffic and then complaining about heat or low rpm performance(which the less said about the better) but the way it is right now , it feels a bad second hand purchase nevermind a bike that should feel brand new .
Last edited by basuroy : 22nd February 2015 at 19:18.
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