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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-422.html)

Guys, just curious how many 2017 Duke 390s are daily drivers?

I was, for over a year and a half (short distance though). Unfortunately, now I only have a car parking and no bike parking at work :Frustrati so forced to be a daily driver.

Thanks for the info. For a commute of 45 + 45 Km per day, would you suggest i save the money and go for Duke 390 or go for the Japs (R3 or Ninja). I found myself too short for a R3 and the wrists were hurting in a short duration. Sitting in my Duke 200 after an R3 felt like a throne. My mind is torn between the reliability of the japs vs the riding position of the Duke 390.

Without remap, you are not going to see any big performance difference. In any case, the stock Duke already performs quiet close to its top performance. It is not possible to get any big improvements out of the 373 cc engine. IMO not worth it.

I commute (almost) daily on my 2013 D390. But my total distance is 30km and mostly on highway or non-congested roads. Reliability wise, IMO the problems on Duke are overblown. It may not be as reliable as Japs but it is not like you need to visit SVC every other month.

But for 90km daily, I would suggest you go for RE Interceptor. You would be much more comfortable without sacrificing on power.

How about the Honda 300 instead if you want upright seating and Japanese reliability? The wrist pain you feel on a bike with committed seating can be addressed by grabbing the tank with your thighs and using your core.

Not the Duke 390, but I use my RC390 to commute quite frequently to office 20+20 kms. with my wife as pillion.
In my opinion the KTM 390 twins are just perfect bikes for the city. Quick, nimble and fun. But do look elsewhere if KMPL is an important consideration.

Duke definitely has a better sitting position than the R3, which is more committed. If your route involves heavy traffic, forget the 390. It is a heating machine. I am telling this from my experience of owning the 2013 version. Not sure if the problem has been resolved in the newer versions.

In my 2013 Duke 390, the bike used to overheat and shut down in the crazy Delhi-Gurgaon traffic. Just 10 minutes of heavy traffic was enough to shut it down.

Owners of the newer versions can comment.

One question before i go into a gyan post, but when you say you found yourself too short for the R3, do you mean the seat height or that you had to stretch much more to reach the handlebar. Because if the seat height is a challenge for you on the Japs, the Duke is way taller.

Let me try and provide some inputs, having had the Ninja 250R for almost 8 years, and the KTM 390 for a year and a half in my garage :

The twin engines are much smoother than the KTM single and are able to manage the heat way better.
The KTM on the other hand hates anything below 4K rpm and has the fan going off even in 20 degree weather if you are crawling in a jam for over 3-4 minutes. Not that I have seen it affect the performance or anything but its just irritating and LOUD. I have heard the newer 2018 version is better though.

A sporty riding position needs getting used to but once you are used to it, there is no problem doing longer commutes. I have done 600+ kms a day on the Ninja without any issues. The KTM has a better riding position though, and you sit much more upright. I have done only one 600 km a day ride on this but it is surely more comfortable in terms of posture, but the wind blast takes its toll compared to a faired bike.

The Ninja NEVER gave me a reason to go to a service center apart from regular service in 8 years and that's when it was not being used much.
The KTM hasnt given me a chance to complain either (until now), apart from the stupid Bluetooth in the console which rolled back my odo by a few hundred kms. I have completely stopped using that feature as I anyway use the Sena.

In terms of performance, the KTM brings a smile to your face all day because of its madness, bouncing off the rev limiter all the time.
The jap is much more composed, and the fun majorly starts at 6kish rpm going all the way till the 14K rpm redline. The R3 might be better there than the Ninja with better rideability, but I havent experienced it.
Oh and if you have to filter through traffic, its the Duke over the Japs.
Hope this helps.

Thank you all for your responses.

Similar situation as mine. NH 544 as commute. Mixture of 4 lane highway dotted with crazy set of people jumping in between. But not stop and go any time. Have never been enamoured by the Bullet for the fear of being stranded in the middle of an empty stretch or am i over-imagining issues.

Wow! I am similarly in love with my Duke 200. No other bike gives me the excitement the Duke offers.

I am hoping highway rides were better. My situation is going to be Highway rides 6 days a week.

I too have similar idea. Let me see if i can test ride the CB300 when it releases this week. My bet is it would be creamy and smooth and reliable, but a tad boring compared to even my Duke 200. I do not recall similar pain while riding the original R15. Maybe i was much younger back then or it was better suited for my short frame. This is the third thread that i am hijacking now, CB300R thread, and Bhpians Nkrishnap's onwership thread before that. I am hoping the mods dont kick me for doing this too often.

Like i explained above, never felt this issue in the R15, i think i was struggling to reach the handlebar (I was fairly certain i was hugging the tank), but by god is the R3 smooth as Hot chocolate! Within 1 day of reading Bhpian Nkrishnap's ownership review, i ran to the Yamaha showroom for the test drive and understood why he loves the bike. Must have been the stop and go traffic, but i never felt too comfortable and ended up with the pain in the wrist. Getting back on the Duke was like a heaven-sent gift after that and made me realise how much i love my bike. I get the merits of the twins, but not sure if my body is built for riding such distances daily.

Duke vs Jap twins, would strongly suggest the Duke. Reliability wise, the new Dukes are not an issue when it comes to mechanicals. The engine is smooth, seat is comfy enough, you have ample power at your disposal for the highway and when it comes to traffic, it will slice through it like RJ (from youtube)!

However, if you are willing to experiment, i would say take a test ride of the RE INT650. I rented a continental 650 and apart from the clip-ons, everything about it was beautiful. The engine is a solid performer, you can sit at 120-130 all day.
So with the INT650's more comfortable riding position, you have a solid bike at hand. Waiting period could be an issue though, if you are looking to make a quick purchase.

Have you considered the new. Jawa? The sitting posture is comfortable and the seat is low.

Feedback on Duke appreciated. RE bikes worry me. Not sure if i can overcome fear of being stranded.

Lack of showrooms and service near my native place is not helping as well.

The answer: Honda CB 300R. clap:

I too am in love with the looks of that. Reached out to the guys. But it seems Honda has around 250 bookings nationwide and wants to service that first in the month of August/September. The same is posted in the below post in that thread.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post4540558

I would wait and get it, if it meets all my requirements. There will always be some cancellations, or someone is not able to get the loan on time etc. Put your name in as a booking as a very serious buyer, and I am sure being in India, you will be accomodated cash in hand.