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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-58.html)

There you go Aks


The first ride to sticker shop

It was just my personal experience and you may have different views. While doing 40 km/hr the CBZ xtreme's engine speed will be around 3500 rpm and its a 150cc engine. The duke 390 on the other hand is a 375cc bike and can do 80 km/hr at 3500 rpm. Engine speed is what matters the run-in. So you can do good speeds on the D390 without highly revving the engine. :DJust keep varying the rpms within that speed and you can still do a conventional run-in. In other words, you are babying the duke 390 at 80 kph, same like babying the Yamaha R1 at 130 km/hr.

@Ebonho 'Ready to race' is just a slogan used by KTM to market their products and that doesn't mean the engine can be revved hard right from the showroom. In addition, the engine is made in India only, not handcrafted from KTM factory in Austria. Designing the engine in Austria and making it in Pune can change things a lot. The quality of materials used for production is different in both places.

I seriously doubt that my friend. If I'm not wrong the folks at KTM dealership said, the 200 can be revved to its limit right from the showroom and doesn't have a run-in period, even though the manual doesn't support that. So it should be a similar case with the 390 too.

On the design part, no matter where it's designed, the quality of materials used would be similar to those used in testing. Change in the material properties could give disastrous results. I don't think KTM/Bajaj would take such a risk, especially with the bikes heart. Investing so much on Research and then deviating from those conclusions during production only means, they are stupids. Seniors can give better insight on this.

How can you believe the dealership guys? They just want to sell their bikes, nothing else. Infact here, I have been told by the showroom guys that the Metzelers are soft compound tires and will definitely last longer than MRF tires:D:eek:. And the user manual is always an authoritative source of information than the mouth spread info from the showroom guys. And the Duke390 is not a Motogp 'ready to race' bike. Its just a normal street bike.

Err my small correction it's not a normal street bike. Don't underestimate this bike as a normal street bike.

Secondly the science beats me up everytime you say rpm data and running in.


The simple reason that metals expand and contract and be it 4k kms or 15k kms pushing the engine to experience immediate expansion and v cooling or just continuous pounding will have it's desired results something that could be undesirable for us.


Any way there is too much in web and paper and books that I conclude my argument for good saying please run in the way it suits you :)

There is no way we can call the Duke 390 a revolutionary machine . A 375cc 44ps street fighter is absolutely normal and it doesn't have any ultra-modern technology fitted inside that is unknown to the motorcycle world. It's even a single cylinder machine. We all love the Duke 390 and in this sense its so special for all of us :)

Buddy if you see the movie "Dulhe Raja" of Govinda, there is a patent act of Johnny Lever. Whenever he is asked whose side is he on, he points his finger to a total different direction than the two parties.

That's how your comments are making me feel, are you on the 390s side or not. I know you have booked one looking at your previous posts but yet you badger it so much even without owning it still, let it come and then place your views. Even I am waiting for the bike since more than 100 days now, I am just gobbling precious bits of this forum so that I have a pain free ownership experience & can hit the road... with my wheels spinning !

Talking about the 390 being a normal bike, is there any other manufacturer in India currently providing such stats, I am sure there are bikes elsewhere but we are all talking about here & now.

Sincere apologies if it comes across as a very aggressive post but buddy, don't treat it as a normal bike, a better competition at the same price point is yet to come. Sorry mods I could not resist this. :Frustrati

Can you also say what are extra ordinary machines by your definition. Just want to understand your standards.


Hope you are not comparing with 1 l bikes or 650 Sbk's
Let's hear from you on your standards

Make no mistake, it does have modern technology. Dont just look at the bhp and cc figures. Look at the power to weight ratio, inverted forks, forged internals, the best of the tyres, very good brakes. :D

Iam not standing by the side of any motorcycle, be it the 390 or the Harley. And no law in the world makes it mandatory to own a bike to express his/her views on it.
I agree that no other manufacturer
offer such a bike at this price point but that doesn't mean the 390 is running on rocket fuel. Everything the duke has is already known to the motorcycle world and definitely not a first time thing.
And regarding aggression of your post, every one here on Tbhp is free to express their own views. I am ready to accept any minuses of a product even if Iam a die-hard fan of it. Its not like I have one and only it can be be the best.

All those waiting for it, it will be totally worth it.
A quick update from my side.
440km done on the odo. Did a breakfast ride today - 190 kilometers. Had got the oil (and oil filter) changed at 220km. I am not strictly following the manufacturers guidelines. Generally doing roll ons between 3k to 7.5k rpm.
A strange issue happened. I was low on fuel and the DTE showed around 42km. Then, I stopped at an intersection and the DTE was 0!
Rode like this for another 25 km (no pumps on the way) with the DTE at 0. Filled up and the DTE was working again.
By the way, at 6th gear around 84 km/hr the bike was returning 35kmpl :)

Also got challaned by the over active early morning riser cops at Sonepat for overspeeding. (Highway speed limit for our lowly two wheelers is 50kmph)
Is my 390 the first to be on the wrong side of the law lol:

Rode my cousin's bike in the evening Bangalore traffic. Since I was riding a bike after 2010, did not push myself to do anything adventurous. Enjoyed the ride, the pick up and brakes are superb. I am now seriuos thinking of booking one;)

One question I have is that, is it OK to shut down the engine when the radiator fan is working or is it better to idle the bike till the fan shuts off? In my car I normally wait for the fan to shut off before I switch off my car. This to ensure that the engine cools down faster.

Cheers

KPS

Sorry for the comment. I rest my case. We all have the right to criticize things we buy with our hard earned money. I went over board with my interest for the bike.

Just spoke to the showroom in Mumbai & they have only got 12 bikes as yet & the next lot is just 15 in 3 more weeks or so. It looks like my #53 is going to stay open for a while longer.

@kps

I usually switch off the engine. Depends on traffic.
There are times when i have parked, sat down andvwaited for some movement.

Guess KPS is talking about switching off after the ride not in traffic.

That being said, I have not dared to voluntarily switch off at traffic lights!

KPS: I don't wait much while shutting down. Takes about a minute for me to open the gates anyway.