[Kameshwar]

Thanks slalom. Stompgrip ones are 4699 INR and the other smaller ones for 2899. The smaller ones seem more specific for the Duke. Yet to check it out.

[scarecrow]

Faced an issue today morning - Bike console didnt come on. Battery seems to be ok as the indicator and horns are working. Need to get it to the service station somehow now

Did anyone face a similar issue + what was the solution.

One learning, ensure everyone has signed up for the Orange assist. Is definitely useful in such situations.

Regards
Ronald

Originally Posted by sps

From where did you buy the fazer windscreen.I am unable to find one in trivandrum. Also which was your previous windscreen.

Another option is the windscreen from Motoadda http://motoadda.com/perfomance-parts...full-tint.html. Slightly expensive, but its better built and no modifications are required.

I have installed the same on my bike. Just ensure you put some rubber bits at the areas where it touches the console, when installing it, to ensure there are no vibrations.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Kameshwar

Thanks slalom. Stompgrip ones are 4699 INR and the other smaller ones for 2899. The smaller ones seem more specific for the Duke. Yet to check it out.

Stompgrips are the boss when it comes to traction pads. They are a bit expensive but totally worth it. Many of my riding buddies have these installed and have nothing but nice things to say about them. I personally use the tech spec snakeskin

To save on some cash, you can do this - Cut up one pad into small squares. One pad would then be enough to cover both sides of the little tank of duke. You can sell the other pad to another duke owner. Many have done this and halved the cost

[VW2010]

Just wanted to post a feedback. I sold my 390 as i had to travel out of the country. I came back for good and as i have said earlier, the cheapest and best value for money bike currently in India for me is the KTM390. Though i would love to get my hands on the benelli 899 the overall cost is a killer for me considering on our roads the 390 has enough to stay pretty much within 15-20 minutes of any such big bikes.

I took a test ride on the RC 390 which i wanted to try. Here is a feedback and probably a comparison and my wait time to decide which one i may end up picking.

The RC390 i tested was the pre 2016 version which means no 320mm disc, no slipper clutch and no better seats. I test rode for close to 20-30 minutes in different traffic situations. First impression is very positive. The RC390 feels more compact, flick-able as well as actually like-able for my taste.

Few things bothered me was the lack of full RPM range. I was hitting the rev limiter in every gear and the full throttle twist felt unnessary when the rev limitter almost kicks in way before. The situation was same in KTM390 but the bike almost feels faster due to the naked nature.

The seating position is very aggressive and with long arms it does get a little uncomfortable, thanks to the pathetic grip they supply with this bike. The reason i say its pathetic is because one ride in the Ninja 300 shows how much better that bike is when it comes to rider comfort.

The power delivery is terrific and the lean angle for even normal riders is quite more than what you can achieve with the KTM390.

The KTM390 handle bar is way lower for a naked bike and the discomfort I get with stock 390 is pretty much similar to the racing position discomfort on wrist with the RC390. In fact my KTM390 had raised handle bars and i had to change my usually seating position to avoid the wrist pain. Only versys feel right when it comes to my height, bikes seating position and handle bars.


Now grapevines - Poor Rev range, needs to be open till the max RPM, Pathetic tank design (the tank actually is totally uncomfortable if you plan to take an aggressive race position to avoid wind blast. It basically crushes your ribs and stomach because of the protruding tank design) and the poor low quality grip.

Also tested the N300. Have to say the N300 is the best of the 3 for all reasons except cost and maintenance.

KTM for acceleration but N300 for everything else. The N300 is smooth, better seating position, high quality visible in every component, much smoother twin engine, nice 14K rev range, slipper clutch, and decent brakes. The KTM brakes way better in comparison.

The tank is also designed to take those aggressive position when needed while the stock position is a mix of naked and sports giving a great balance.

KTM390 - For everyone
RC390 - For enthusiast who dont mind aggressive seating position and can ride not worrying about the discomfort in traffic. (Engine feels it heats faster than the KTM390. may be i revved so hard)
N300 - For daily travel, touring and more. Has better tank capacity, better quality and better comfort overall.


With cost no factor R3 or N300 makes more sense while best VFM any day will be the KTM390 which is why i may end up with the RC390 or the KTM390

[Siddy]

Got my 2016 Duke 390 last Thursday (2nd June) and I've been addicted to its acceleration. Rode a Royal enfield for the past 7 years, first a Thunderbird and then a bullet 500 but this thing is crazy.

Few observations when compared to my previous RE's:
1. Light weight! I can easily move the bike inside my parking, earlier with the RE's it was different
2. Brakes! amazing stuff. ABS kicked in on the rear wheel quite a few times, no fishtailing, no lock ups
3. Corner stability, I've been cornering my RE and at times the rear wheel used to move sideways! But the metzelers on the Duke stick to the road
4. Overall fit and finish is top notch. Lot of plastic parts
5. Acceleration is scary & I am saying this in the run in period. The first 3 gears are short ones. while the top gear is perfect for touring
6. Bike cruises at triple digit speeds with half the revv band left

Overall I am really happy with the buy. The initial price and the spare parts cost add up to the peace of mind!

Just one question to other duke owners, how durable is the bike? If I plan to keep the bike for say 4-5 years will it last without any serious issues/replacements?

Did Amby valley(lonavala) ride last Sunday!

[VW2010]

If I plan to keep the bike for say 4-5 years will it last without any serious issues/replacements?

Cheaper to replace the whole bike by 4-5 years than any other bike you can think of. Dont worry about durability. The bike is built to last that 4-5 years of abuse if not use.

[MileCruncher]

Folks, I have been facing an issue on my bike. my D390 has done close to 15.5K and the original Metz are nearing their end of life, may be another 500Kms. One thing I noticed though both in the front and rear that the right side of the tyres are slightly more worn out than the left thereby creating an unusual curve. This is evident both in the front and the rear tyre. Any idea what could be the cause and and what should I do to avoid it in the new set.

TIA!

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

One thing I noticed though both in the front and rear that the right side of the tyres are slightly more worn out than the left thereby creating an unusual curve

Firstly, 16 odd k's on a Metz? Congos!

Secondly - without actually seeing a picture of the tyres, my first thought goes towards normal camber wear. Most roads have a camber to help rainwater move off the road, some more aggressive than others. This is normal and nothing to worry about

To even stuff out, corner hard on to your left

Other than that, check if the tyres are aligned properly, suspension has been set up correctly for your weight etc but the nature of your query IMO points straight towards camber wear. As mentioned earlier, some pics might help

[nitrogary]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Folks, I have been facing an issue on my bike. my D390 has done close to 15.5K and the original Metz are nearing their end of life, may be another 500Kms. One thing I noticed though both in the front and rear that the right side of the tyres are slightly more worn out than the left thereby creating an unusual curve. This is evident both in the front and the rear tyre. Any idea what could be the cause and and what should I do to avoid it in the new set.

TIA!

This is normal.
There are at least a couple of reasons for this
1. You ride on the left side of the road - what this means is
a. left handers are slower and smaller radius than right handers
b. Tires therefore travel more distance when leaned right than left.
c. You carry more corner speed taking right turns - typically due to more visibility thru the corner too.

2. Roads normally have a crowning on them - to avoid water stagnation. This gives an angle to it - say a few degrees. That means the contact patch is biased

3. Motorcycle tires for bikes like yours are dual compound - hard in the middle and soft on the sides. So you will see more wear on performance tires. I doubt if many people lean commuter bikes so much that they can notice the difference profoundly, plus they are harder compound which last a lot more than say your stock metzelers.

4. Typically motorcycle exhausts are on the right side - for the ktm, i know its more or less below the bike, but it can cause biased weight distribution. This is debatable so any good data is welcome.

For our friends who ride on the other side of the road you will see wear on the left side of the tire.

hope this helps

[Siddy]

Hey Dukers!

Need help on the below queries:
1. The engine makes rapid ticking noise at low rpm (feels like tappet noise) & this disappears post 5000 rpm, is this typical in all duke 390's?

2. The rear suspension from factory is set to 3 (pre load), considering I am 100 kgs should I take this one notch up to 4? The bike is not stable while going over bumps at times

3. I am still running in the bike (450 kms done), I heard the bike comes with mineral oil from the factory, did you all notice any difference after the 1st service when the oil is changed to fully synthetic?

TIA!

[CGB]

Originally Posted by Siddy

Hey Dukers!

Need help on the below queries:
1. The engine makes rapid ticking noise at low rpm (feels like tappet noise) & this disappears post 5000 rpm, is this typical in all duke 390's?

2. The rear suspension from factory is set to 3 (pre load), considering I am 100 kgs should I take this one notch up to 4? The bike is not stable while going over bumps at times.

3. I am still running in the bike (450 kms done), I heard the bike comes with mineral oil from the factory, did you all notice any difference after the 1st service when the oil is changed to fully synthetic?


TIA!

1) Yes. Normal and nothing to worry. If its persisting after 5000rpm, then take it to service centre.
2) Yes. Overloading the rear will make the front numb with zero feedback.
3) The bike never comes with mineral oil. Motul 7100 20W50 is used, which is fully synthetic.

[Siddy]

Originally Posted by CGB

1) Yes. Normal and nothing to worry. If its persisting after 5000rpm, then take it to service centre.
2) Yes. Overloading the rear will make the front numb with zero feedback.
3) The bike never comes with mineral oil. Motul 7100 20W50 is used, which is fully synthetic.

Thanks for the answers!
Regarding point 2, do you think setting it to 4 would be good or to 5? Or should I change the setting and ride, then decide?

Regarding point 3, I've heard from a few dukers that the factory oil is mineral because it helps the running in process. Fully synthetic oil to run in a new engine would be a bad idea right?

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Siddy

Regarding point 2, do you think setting it to 4 would be good or to 5? Or should I change the setting and ride, then decide?

For your weight, riding on the street - Minimum 5. You can take it up to 7 as well. My recommendation would be to experiment and see what works best for you. But I would not want to go below 5 for sure

[Siddy]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

For your weight, riding on the street - Minimum 5. You can take it up to 7 as well. My recommendation would be to experiment and see what works best for you. But I would not want to go below 5 for sure

Thanks, i'll set it to 5 on Saturday and check.
Took my wife out for a ride the other day and bike was so unstable over undulations.
The factory setting is dangerous with a pillion!

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Siddy

Thanks, i'll set it to 5 on Saturday and check.
Took my wife out for a ride the other day and bike was so unstable over undulations.
The factory setting is dangerous with a pillion!

Very dangerous! With a 55 odd KG pillion, I cranked up the suspension to 7 and the front end still felt light and very vague. Next time, will try cranking it up all the way to 10 and work my way down from there (if required) whenever I am out riding with my wife