Team-BHP - The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siddy (Post 4000973)

Glad to know we are in the same boat:D As you mentioned you service the bike as per your requirement, what interval do you follow now? How often do you change oil? TIA.

Over the past 1 year, my usage of the motorcycle has reduced drastically. It sees the light of the day only once/twice a month, else it's kept under wraps. Hence, getting it serviced according to the normal schedule and changing the oil doesn't make sense, as it doesn't run like a normal 390.

Therefore, I change my oil every 6-7k, sometimes even more (went upto 9k without oil change). I also keep an eye on the behaviour of the bike (like harder gear change) and if it warrants, I get the oil changed.

The dust problem here in NCR demands a cleaning of the air filter every time I pull the bike out. In the last 1 year, I have changed the air filter twice already even though the bike hasn't run enough to require that change. The air is that bad here!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siddy (Post 4000973)

Yes I'm gonna follow the manual for now, later on I plan to follow the 120 day schedule, sticking to the 7500 km window would be a problem for me because I ride only on weekends and 7500 kms would take up huge time.
I plan to keep the 390 for a longtime, it takes care of all my needs. Won't be upgrading for another 3-4 years.

Post warranty period there is no need to service the bike/change oil every 120 days. The oil and other consumables do not degrade. So stick to 7500km.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VW2010 (Post 4001145)

Actually as long as your downshifting was already rev matching you would hardly see or feel the difference what the slipper clutch provides. Atleast thats what i felt. I tested back to back a pre slipper clutch RC390 vs newer RC390. Both had their rev limiter disabled meaning i was able to rev it hard. The slipper clutch was good specially coming out of the curves where you didnt have to rev match as you got out shifting down and the acceleration was linear throughout.

But its personal feedback and to me not having a slipper clutch is not a problem. In fact i am today searching for the 2013 early KTM 390 models to pay may be 50% of current market price. There are so many virgin KTm 390 from 2013 that was hardly used or abused and the delta difference to me is not worth plunging say 2.2L today. Also with 2017 on the way i am sure these 2013 KTM's can be had on or around 1L which is a killer deal :) and they have run less than 5K kms so far.

Good decision to go for a older bike. A con of slipper clutch is the reduced engine braking. If you manage to use it right (and you don't drive in traffic regularly) engine braking is a very useful tool in riding.
But I think 1 lakh for 2013 bike with less than 5k km is very optimistic :)
The new ones go for 2.2 lakh on road and the 2017 will come with a small price bump.

Quote:

Originally Posted by schakravarthy (Post 4001183)

Ready to race.. but do check if all the bolts are tightened before you set off.

Quality issues have been a part of KTM in India it seems.
The side stand on my 1 month old duke has paint chipped off at one place (due to my riding boots rubbing at that point maybe) & I could see rust forming. Quickly cleaned it and applied black nail polish to arrest the rust.

Secondly, I could see another small rust spot on the rear tyre hugger's metal pipe (the one that goes around the rear tyre), gave it the same nail polish treatment. Normally people won't notice it, but when you sit next to your bike with a stool and wash it properly, such small quality issues are evident.

Quote:

Originally Posted by schakravarthy (Post 4001183)

" Lower portion of mudguard fell off somewhere. Heard a strange noise early morning while riding, didn't stop... maybe it was the mudguard saying goodbye 🤔 "

This was an issue in my late '13 390. I believe it was solved in the later batch with new bolts. The problem was that the bolts KTM had used to fasten the mud-flap to the fender were of poor quality, and got loose quickly and promptly fell off. Later on KTM started using different type of bolts to fix the mudflap and the mudflap is now rock solid.

It is strange that your friend has a new bike and is again facing this issue. I have not seen this being reported for the newer lot bikes:confused:

Okay so its been almost two months that I have owned the bike and I now have clearer opinion on it, now that the initial euphoria has died down.

Things I love

Acceleration - though initially it did scare me but now I am used to it, great nonetheless
Handling - its very flickable in city unlike my R15 and also great at leaning
Tyres - Enough has been said here about the tyres already and I can't think of anything else
Heat dissipation on the 2016 variant - its substantially better than the earlier dukes and its now bearable to ride this bike in stop and go traffic.
Strong Midrange - During my trip to Narkanda with my wife and luggage the bike was cruising at a steady 125-130 without breaking a sweat.

Things I hate

Brakes - I just hate the brakes on this bike, the feedback is just not there. I will probably upgrade to Brembo pads once these ones get worn out
Seat stiffness - While its softer than the earlier bikes its still not great. On my trip to Narkanda both I and my wife had to take frequent bum breaks, the pain at times was unbearable. It was a terrible site too, on the return leg of journey we actually bought additional towels and out them on our respective seats :D. But honestly this isn't meant to be a tourer so one cant blame KTM for this. I will have to come up with a solution myself
Fuel tank range - I could have done with a better range, I lost count of the number of times i refueled on my trip.
Front end doesn't feel too planted - I am a cornering junkie and I felt that the front is a little too light and times moves around while cornering hard on less than perfect surfaces, but I had always known this and made a conscious decision to buy the duke over the RC for the other benefits it offers so have no one else to blame.

I have completely stopped using my car ever since I bought the bike, also with my new job my office is just about 2 kms from my place. In a car I actually take more time to find a parking spot than driving to the office.

In this time I picked up the Via Terra Raptor tail bag that I use for my office commutes ( to avoid looking like a dork while carrying my laptop bag and my lunch that I usually carry along :D ) and the Via terra velox which I used on my trip to Thanedar and Narkanda, both of which are absolutely top notch and total bang for the buck.

I still consider this to be the best bike one could buy at this price point, Iplan to upgrade to a Z 800 whenever I have enough dough but I would definitely keep this one with me for the fun one can have on it.

Adding some pics of the bike as well as some pics from my trip

Quote:

Originally Posted by noo.b (Post 4007402)

Seat stiffness - While its softer than the earlier bikes its still not great. On my trip to Narkanda both I and my wife had to take frequent bum breaks, the pain at times was unbearable. It was a terrible site too, on the return leg of journey we actually bought additional towels and out them on our respective seats :D.

IMO Duke is not exactly suited for doing long trips with a pillion. Given the acceleration, the pillion has to sit closer to the rider at all times. Else they will be in constant fear of toppling over, every time you start from standstill. The grab rails are not of much use either. Even a firm grip on grabrails wont make things better. :)