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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-423.html)

Adding in my few cents worth. When it comes to motorcycles, it's almost universal that what fits one doesn't fit everyone. Almost all of us prefer a motorcycle not for the ergonomics part but for the power, style factor which is what blinds our eyes in the wedding/honeymoon phase.

Slowly, when these phases are phased out, that's when the real pain in the posterior phase starts. Ergonomics, comfort, reliability, all take backseat only to haunt later. Plays a factor when deciding to keep it or sell it, for the long run.

Take a test drive, if possible, with your pillion, see how it fares. If not convinced take a test drive again, make sure the prime factors such as ergonomics are ticked then take a call.

Good luck!

Cheers!
VJ

I have upgraded the entire braking system to the new version this week. Give me sometime and I will post my experiences here.

Costed me 2750 INR for the master cylinder and 3201 INR for the caliper assembly.

By the way, mine is a 2013 D390.

The pricing is just dope, compared to this I was quoted about 12k for the R15's system.

That's cool. Mine is a 2015 D390 and i swapped just the pads to the OEM sintered ones. Its just awesome and just what i had wanted from the beginning. So much that I have shelved my 320mm petal disk upgrade for now. Now I only want to swap the brake lines to the braided ones and may be adjustable lever for the front brake. Heard that the lever from Benelli is a direct swap.

Lovely! I hope, you did consider replacing the brake pads too to the new semi sintered ones. The new brake pads do improve the feel and feedback on the older model by almost 25% to 30% especially the progressive feel that the older ones lacked.

The newer models are absolutely lovely anchors.

Keep your observations posted.


R15's parts are by default expensive. Each caliper costs 5-6k, the master cylinder costs another 3000 odd and the repair kit costs another Rs. 800 odd. The feedback from R15's brakes are by far the best I've come across in the segment.

Can put most brakes to shame, especially counterparts that are equally high in CC and HP. Everything in the R15 is expensive. I know how it feels. :)

Cheers!
VJ

Posting here after a long time, I own the 2017 Duke 390 and have done over 11k on it. I use the bike purely for city commutes [40 kms daily], I have had the rear suspension replaced once as the oil seal gave up, after the suspension was replaced, I had an oil leak from the engine turned out to be an oil seal issue, I got the bike towed to the service center as I was worried about the engine getting screwed up as the oil level was below normal. As far as riding pleasure is concerned its unbeatable, the way the front end takes the abuse when hard braking is just amazing, if the traffic is less, the bike is a joy to use, but in heavy traffic, a strict no, the fan is always on like 24/7 in traffic, even on the coldest of days the fan keeps running :Frustrati. Is it reliable yes and no, but you always have to keep an eye on the bike to hear or see anything abnormal, its not like the japs, fill it shut it and forget it type of bike. If you want peace of mind stick to the japs, if you don't mind the heat and niggles, you can go for the Duke, if I were you, I would have seriously picked up the Interceptor 650, equally fast, twin, supremely refined and dont worry, its a heavily detuned engine and not overstressed like the Duke. Finally if I had to sum it up, the Duke is a joy to ride but not a joy to own, this is strictly my personal experience, I hope people aren't offended by my statement.

People complain a lot about the fan turning on in Dukes.

Its a liquid cooled engine with a radiator, the only way to exchange heat is via the fan.

I don't see anyone complaining when the radiator fan in their car comes on.

lol: If the fan in my car made as much noise, I would probably be driving a Tata 407 :uncontrol

But I have heard the 2018 version is slightly less loud. But I LOVE the little 390 though, zero issues so far (other than the Bluetooth, which i dont use at all now). Though to be fair I am only at 6K, even with 3 track days under its belt where it was ripped to the max, its just been a whole lot of fun.

Haha ... That's called Sound deadening.
In a Motorcycle you are exposed to the Elements.

I followed 12 Triumphs (Speed twins and Bonnevilles, Speed Tripple, and one Tiger 800) on a 1200 km adventure from the plains of Jawa to the Mountains of Bali over 3 days.

Had to wring every last horsepower from my Duke 250 ABS to keep up with those monsters. Zero issues..... And yes the Fan comes on as its supposed to. Not louder than any other Bike with Liquid cooling I might add.

On this forum as well as many other Indian and international forums, the Duke 390 has been lauded as a bike that punched way above its weight class and it is as aspirational a motorcycle as any other in recent memory. Out in the real world though, the story might be a little different.


Today at mass, our parish priest was talking about a very upsetting incident that happened to a friend of his. His friend had a 21 year old son who was quiet and reserved but who had one weakness (his words, not mine) and that was motorcycles. Most of the young man's friends owned one and he in turn was very taken up by the Duke (390 / 250 / 200 not mentioned but in Kerala its the 390 that's a huge favourite, so Im going with that). The priest himself said that the Duke is known as the Vehicle of Death. Within a month of his parents gifting him the Duke that he wanted, the young man was involved in an accident and he passed away on the spot. One can only imagine how blame for the incident would be targetted on the motorcycle in question.


Of course, this is just one example but I believe its incidents like this that cause parents to believe that KTMs are unsafe in Indian conditions. Their ready to race tag line further reinforces the point and leads to this negative perception.

Hi unk9ja, in which SVC did you place your order for the components? I have a 2016 RC 390 and I have already upgraded to the sintered pads from the 2017 ones. Though the sintered pads improve the bite, the lever feel is still wooden and the initial bite is still missing. I have been asking the guys at Mekhri to get me the front master cylinder, but they are too lazy to do it. So, just curious where you got them from.

Well, the Duke 390 has been described as a Widowmaker in many forums. And quite correctly too. While its an extremely capable motorcycle, it also demands extreme attention while riding it. Its not a forgiving motorcycle. One mistake can turn fatal. Hence its very important for the rider to understand their own riding capability and if need be ride a little conservatively. Coz you'll live another day to ride!

But nevermind, its always the bike's fault!

I got it replaced at the Mekhri CIrcle SVC itself. I have a good rapport with the guys there. Anyway, I have to replace the engine oil tomorrow, I will check with them about this and let you know.

Has anyone ordered/taken any KTM powerpart. Their common website lists all the parts but no pricing. I am looking forward to put Akra Slip-on in the near future as it is listed there. Wanted to know the price. I was warned about the fakes being sold in other shops hence preferring to get from them.

https://www.ktm.com/in/powerparts/ex...2fKE4-16007218

You can speak to the official Akra dealer in India for genuine exhausts. Performance Racing is one and he is based in Mumbai.