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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-82.html)

Same here. On a couple of occasions I have been into this especially at the signal lights. I normally pull away from such idiots at the start and deliberately slow down to allow them to catch up and then I pull to the side of the road and kill the engine. These people think they have overtaken me and go further ahead only to find me "missing". You should see their expressions when they find this. This way of extracting the revenge is much sweeter than putting yourself and others on the road in danger as I have found it.

No offence here but anyone doing 160 in the first place in our indian roads are buffoon. There is nothing like non reckless drive at speed in excess of 100. @160 you are treading with danger inspite of how good a rider/driver you are. One mistake from any one in the road is all it takes to regret that decision to ride them.

FZ1 is my dream bike, but i will try to find a track to test its power and use its power to effortlessly cruise at speeds where most other bikes stretch their heart out.

Not just 390, but for any bikes riding over 100 is just pushing the limits of human control in our roads. There are few stretches that lets you do this but hardly an excuse to try it out in our highways.

Remember that these air buses can do excess of 100 and they are nothing but rolling mass of danger for cars let alone bikes.

This is worrying me as potential buyer of D-390. Does this mean that Duke engine is rough and not so refined as Honda? I like screamer (which is what RX is) as opposed to silent Hondas, but the idea of vibrating/unrefined engine isn't at all exciting.

Damn the KTM showroom. I have been there 3 times now and not a single time, they had test ride bike :Frustrati

If I may, please check at the Wakdewadi showroom, I think they have TR D-390s. The other day I casually asked one of my colleagues if TR is possible (as he intends to have a 390), and he informs that the Wakdewadi showroom has. Please check out and update your observations.

Mind you, this is a BIG bore engine, a single cylinder and also a high revving engine, so the roughness is always there. The Ninja 300, which can be compared next to on the other hand is a twin cylinder layout and is so sweet you do not know it is there. You can feel the vibes creeping through the handle bars and the foot pegs albeit it may not be worse to rattle you. Also the knocking if you are not in right gear at the right rpm can unsettle your nerves.
It all comes down to the driver who can tame the horses and ride it safely.

With the Dukes flying out of the shelves, here in Bangalore, I have noticed a potential problem, for service. I had visited the Mekhri Circle KTM yesterday and the service bay was full of the Dukes with no space to walk around. At this rate, the SVC may fall short of expectations of the Dukers. With premium pricing, a customer would like to get a fair due. Also I had been with a friend to a showroom and saw a 200 engine being dragged on the ground as the technician working could not get any help from his colleagues. This sight right in front of you makes me feel bad about the service center. Atleast a rubber mat underneath would have made a better sight. When this was shown to the SA, he replied that the SVC has been getting the bikes for service/ repairs beyond their capabilities and have to work in such sort of environment to keep the customer happy. I did not know who he is keeping happy with such antics.

Thanks!

I was somewhat worried since the bikes being compared were not twin cylinder Ninjas, but single cylinder CBZ and Bullet. That's more of an apple to apple comparison and if D-390 fares badly there, it didn't sound like a great news.

390's engine may not be as refined as a honda engine in general, but the perception depends more on where u come from. I have been riding only bullets for past 8 years, the 390's engine felt very refined and smooth to me.. I think u will like 390 if you like rx. test it asap.

CBZ volume is too small to compare but the bull also is not too refined either. I had a cl500 from my friend for a week before I decided to go for the duke. I had always ridden 2 stroke before this and had lot more trouble with the bull. Going into false neutral and knocking and stalling. That is why I said it depends on the driver.

The duke 390 has a very refined engine though not as refined as the Honda. But the actual problem is the 390 has some vibrations till 3500 rpm and keeping in mind this 373cc engine, you will be mostly riding at around 4000 rpm at speeds of around 80 kmph. At this point, the Hondas feel lot more smoother and vibe-free than the Duke. For example, the Honda Unicorn has slight vibrations up to 2500 rpm, but once you pass it you have to bent down to check if the engine is working or not. Its that much refined all the way to the red line. Here most of the time you will be riding above 2500 rpm and hence in the comfort zone. But once you cross 4000 rpm the Duke 390 is as smooth as the Hondas. The Duke 390 is not much of a comfortable bike to ride at speeds less than 75 kmph. The stiff front suspension ensures everything it meets also gets introduced to the rider too. So, if you are riding on flat and well laid tarmac at a speed of 80-100 kmph, you are in the comfort zone.

Not that it really matters but as per the user manual duke390 has 375cc engine. The initial literature released on 390 says engine is 373.2cc. For quite some time I was telling people it is 373cc but one day after reading the manual,I realised that it is 375cc after all.
This is just to put the record straight and nothing else. The additional 2cc is not making me walk taller !lol:

I have visited the Kasturba Road service center for getting the chain tightened. Same situation there also.The way the dukes are stacked there, it was alarming. There was hardly any place and I am seriously concerned about damages to the bike while in service there. I asked the service guy reg alternate centers around Vijayanagar/Rajajinagar. He said there is a proposal to start one in Rajajinagar but it is still a goog 10 months away as per him.

I was not talking about overtaking the trucks either slowly or gradually. Just being prepared this (safe) side of WOT for any sudden swerve or lane change. Its something at the back of your mind that primes you for an instinctual maneuver for something you expect and thus account for. And train yourself to brake from high speeds and take evasive action without target fixation when required in such cases (easier said than done).

P.S. On the issue of engine refinement, its really not practical to compare a KTM motor to a sedate Honda mill. Take a look at the compression ratios, the amount of revs each can and do pull, as well as the power output per cc, before trying to compare. Simply put, the engine design paradigms are completely different for both. Remember, the 390 is a big single. A 223-250 cc (the biggest Honda has) is not a big single. The vibes will be very different, for the sheer difference in swept volume each displaces. Not to mention the compression difference and the way higher revs. So in the Bullet these same vibes are called "character" but in a KTM its suddenly blamed on "Indian" manufacturing and materials?

If you ride any bike in the wrong gear, it will knock and there will be chain snatch. Its more noticeable on the 390 because its a big single. The 690 is no different either incidentally, and way more tempermental if anything. Ditto for gear shifts. Yes, the box is not as slick as the 200's. Yes, the initial gears are clunky, and this gets worse at lower speeds, mainly on upshifting (2 to 3 mainly). Its the nature of the gearbox at city traffic speeds. I do not think that's going to change. You will simply need to live with it. At highway speeds, there is zero issue while both upshifting and downshifting.

I have been testing the 390 for getting maximum fuel efficiency for the past couple of days and today got a chance. It's hartal/bandh here in Kerala and cruising at a constant 75 kmph managed to extract this:


But whenever I increase the speed to 80 kmph the console FE drops to 38 kmpl. I think 70-75 kmph in sixth gear is the sweet spot.

Also I have got an issue to share. Sometimes when I put my bike on the side stand, the bike shifts itself into first gear, jumps forward and stalls. I think the side stand pushes the gear lever that it shifts into gear from neutral. This has happened about 5 times till date.

You've (or someone else) probably been leaning/sitting on the bike with the sidestand down. This has bent the bracket mounting of your sidestand so that the spring of the sidestand is now hitting the black rubber covered end of the gear linkage arm (check and you will see the rubber has got cut and eroded away out there). Change the side stand bracket (getting it straightened will cause it to weaken, and somewhere it might snap leaving you stranded without a stand for the bike).

Nobody never leaned on my bike including me as Iam well aware of its consequences. I have checked the side stand but its perfectly normal. Its not in contact with the gear lever in any of the positions. Maybe it happened because of my boot or riding pants may have knocked the gear lever while I leaned the bike on the side stand. Any ways, will check the issue for recurrence.

The horn is pathetic. The service guys are reluctant to make any modifications to stock horn. I am going to do it myself and i picked up a cheap stebel nautilus.

Going to wire it such that its easilly removable and the stock horn is not disturbed as well as no cuts to existing wires.

Its just not a great idea to have a puny littly horn to this bike.

My bull has two symphony horns and i love it for the way i can inform the autowallas or even the trucks trying to get into my lane.

For the side stand issue, only question i have is why is the engine running if you want the bike to be on its stand while getting down. It looks like your boots or pants are hitting the lever.

I usually kill the engine if i am going to part before i use the side stand.

The chain snatch is going to be there and adjusting the chain tension is something of a 1 minute job which everyone should learn to do. It is no rocket science and you just need the bigger spanner to remove the main bolt which is not supplied with the tool kit.

On the gear changes the thud is definitely going to be there at low revs. There are guys who are using the power shift and that does not create these noise. Dont want to create a discussion on power shift, but its simply shifting up without clutch.