[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by amyntor

They do actually. Mention the part number and ask your local KTM service centre to source it for you.

Or buy it from here, if you don't mind paying extra, when it is back in stock.
https://mysparemarket.com/products/f...ku_id=58610158

Interesting information. Sadly, it serves me no purpose as I don’t have a Duke. Others might benefit from it though.

[just_amyth]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

That seals the deal then. Go for the Adv X.

I'm 6'2, and grabbed one after owning the first gen Adv and GT 650. The 3rd gen Duke with its 800mm seat that panders to the masses is too cramped for me. And KTM doesn't sell the Powerpart seat easily.

Service costs are very reasonable for the 390s. You won't cross 6k per service with timely maintenance. Fuel economy is something I have to check after the break-in is completed. Right now, I got a full tank of 285 km since taking delivery of the bike (I reckon it'll do another 30 odd km).

My older Adv had a tank range of ~ 400 km. The LC4C should give around 300-350km.

I would reckon its the right buy as well, hopefully going to get the bike in late august-early September due to personal constraints/travel plans.
Hopefully till then I will be able to convince my parents about KTM as well, since they have a pre-conceived notion about the brand

[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by just_amyth

I would reckon its the right buy as well, hopefully going to get the bike in late august-early September due to personal constraints/travel plans.
Hopefully till then I will be able to convince my parents about KTM as well, since they have a pre-conceived notion about the brand

Help them see that it’s the riders that are the problem, not the machine. It is, after all, a lifeless object. A tool.

If anything, how good it is at enabling absolute knuckleheads should paint a funny but fair picture!

[acex]

Originally Posted by just_amyth

d) How much money should be spent on riding gear?
e) In case I want to go for the KTM, how do I convince my parents about it, since they have a fixed pre-conceived notion about the brand?

Hi!

I guess the best answer for 'd' is as much as you can afford. Think about comparing hospital bills vs riding gear and I guess you got a good starting point.

For 'e' its the rider thats the problem not the motorcycle. If the parents still don't understand it, unfortunately, just get the motorcycle. They (probably) won't disown you.

[just_amyth]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

Help them see that it’s the riders that are the problem, not the machine. It is, after all, a lifeless object. A tool.

If anything, how good it is at enabling absolute knuckleheads should paint a funny but fair picture!

Exactly my point as well, it is going to be a relatively easy sway in my favor once I disclose the maintenance costs and fuel economy figure @TheHelix0202. Thank you for your valuable input, Happy motoring and Congratulations on the purchase of your ADV X as well!

[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by just_amyth

Exactly my point as well, it is going to be a relatively easy sway in my favor once I disclose the maintenance costs and fuel economy figure @TheHelix0202. Thank you for your valuable input, Happy motoring and Congratulations on the purchase of your ADV X as well!

I wish you all the best as well!

Regardless of whatever you end up purchasing, hit me up if you wish to do rides since I see you’re based in Bangalore too.

[just_amyth]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

I wish you all the best as well!

Regardless of whatever you end up purchasing, hit me up if you wish to do rides since I see you’re based in Bangalore too.

Will Do, sir. I have been itching to go on a ride with fellow bhp-ians, just don't have the tools for that till september

[after]

Originally Posted by just_amyth

d) How much money should be spent on riding gear?

Short answer
Spend however much it takes to get gear which has the appropriate certification, and allows you to wear it everyday

Long answer
Let me preface this by saying, your choice of gear depends on finances, use-case, weather, etc. Hence no one can provide an exact number, because no one can provide an exact list of items to buy. But I'll try and give you approximates based on what I can gather from your posts

Helmet: Get an ECE 22.06 rated helmet. MT Thunder 4 at around Rs.12000 may be the cheapest option in Bengaluru, if it fits your head shape well. More expensive helmets have more features, less weight, better sound insulation. Features = removable liner, cheek pads with emergency pull out mechanism, better venting systems, stability at higher speeds and in crosswind, etc. Nothing that I would say is a must-have, but you can pick and choose based on your requirements.

Moreover, among all certified helmets some may exceed the test results by a significant amount and hence could be considered safer than others; you'll have to see exact test results for that. Let's consider the previous ECE 22.05 standard and all helmets meeting it. When 22.06 came out, Arai claimed few helmets in their line didn't need any changes in the shell and subshell to meet the new standard. Hence the Arai helmets could be among the safest 22.05 helmets. A corollary is that the old model year Arais may be much cheaper than the new model year ones, even though they're essentially the same helmet manufactured a couple of months apart

Remember that out of all your gear, you'll be wearing the helmet everywhere all the time hence check out the fit in and sizing in store. Compared to other riding gear, helmets have a lot more information, reviews and guides on the internet so it's easier for you to find something which fits your exact need. Your brain is priceless

Gloves: Get gloves with palm sliders, else there's a higher chance of wrist fractures on impact with tarmac. Leather will have a lot higher abrasion resistance than fabric hence I would suggest you go for it. I find it manageable in Bengaluru weather. Full gauntlet leather gloves from Indian brands like Rynox, Viaterra, etc. cost around Rs. 5000 - Rs. 7000, half gauntlet leather gloves start at Rs. 3500 onwards. For international brands you can expect to pay Rs. 7500 minimum for leathers. Five is known for focusing on gloves hence their selection may have something for your needs, if you have the budget.

Boots: Unfortunately, boots are a real pain to find due to recent import restrictions. They are also very pricey. Just like gloves, I would suggest going for a sturdy leather boot with sufficient crush protection around the foot and ankle.

Touring style leather boots with barely any crush protection start at Rs. 10000 - Rs. 12000 from Indian brands like Raida. Leather will provide abrasion resistance, but for context on (lack of) stiffness, I could roll my ankle in this style of boot in the shop. Shuddering to think what would happen if the bike fell on my leg. They are comparatively very light and have great ankle mobility. Even the sales guy said that this style of boot is usually bought by older customers who need more comfort.

For racing style boots, they start at Rs. 12000 from Indian manufacturers and have a more plastic construction with sliders on the outside of your toes. Usually these close with a zipper + velcro mechanism. They generally have more protection than the above category.

Adv style boots are the next step up, with a lot of heft and better crush protection, usually having a full leather construction for abrasion resistance. These have more limited ankle mobility which may make it difficult to shift on motorcycles with super rear-set footpegs. This should not be an issue on the 390 Adventure. This category of boots starts at around Rs. 15000.

The most crush protection will be given by MX boots like the Alpinestars Tech series, at the cost of mobility. These are basically a cast around your foot.

I understand that for everyday wear (going to office, college, malls, etc.) boots are unwieldy, but that's a tradeoff I am willing to make. There are also lots of leather riding shoes on the market which look like casual sneakers. Of course, they won't have the same level of protection, but if you want to get something undercover then they work out. I don't have any price information as I'm not familiar with this space. Just know what the safety vs. comfort tradeoffs are and decide for yourself.

Jacket and Pants: As usual, leather will have more abrasion resistance compared to fabric. However, in the case of jacket and pants, breathability in our tropical climate is a huge factor too. People will not wear gear that's uncomfortable. If you're someone like me who sweats a lot even in Bengaluru, leathers will be difficult to wear in the city. On highways the wind will help, especially with perforated leather. I don't know of any Indian manufacturers which make leather jackets and pants, hence your options are limited to international brands. Prepare to pay a bomb.

Coming to fabric, for Indian brands Rs. 5000 - Rs. 7000 gets you a ventilated jacket with (thick and heavy) armor. Armor can be around elbow, shoulders, chest and back. Some jackets omit chest and back protectors, but have pockets for buyer to install them afterwards. D3O armor is lighter and more flexible, but will cost you more if included in the jacket. You can also buy individual armor pieces and replace the ones which come with your jacket. Top of the line touring jackets from Indian manufacturers cost between Rs. 12000 and Rs. 18000. These come with support for waterproof and warm layers, liberal use of Cordura panels, plenty of pockets and hooks, for things like hydration packs, etc.

Rs. 10000 gets you a top of the line fabric touring pants from indian brands like Solace, Rynox, Viaterra. These usually come with knee and hip protectors, some have tailbone protection as well. Again, these can be replaced with D3O armor pads if you wish. However I've seen that Cordura is only used around the knee area. Crotch area usually has a leather patch as well, which aids in flexibility.

International brands have fabric riding gear too, with many having nearly full Cordura construction. There are also one-piece fabric suits, for example check out the FortNine video about the R13000GS

https://youtu.be/mGqbm0NkQZk

There's also riding jeans, made of Kevlar and with some knee protection. I saw some Indian brands offer them at around Rs. 6000, but am yet to try any out. Seems like a great option for daily rides if the protection is decent.

Miscellaneous

• Try out gear in store! You can figure out your fit. In Bengaluru, some great stores in no particular order are Orion Motors Koramangala, 6KIOM Ashok Nagar, Autonity JC Road, Let's Gear Up HSR, Highlander HSR, any Powersports branch.

• Certifications for gear (excluding helmets) are of two types. One is for the material of the gear, for example palm sliders may be CE rated. The other is for the entire item. Try getting gear made of certified material, as well as having its overall construction certified. This is hard to find in Indian made brands, though.

• Buy nice or buy twice. Learned this the hard way with my jacket, spent 7000 on it and realised I should have stretched a bit to get better abrasion resistance and not ventilation, considering my specific usecase is mostly highway riding.

• Usually jackets and pants have zips on the back. If you buy both from the same brand, these zips will be compatible. The purpose of this zip is to link your jacket to your pants. This prevents your jacket from riding up your back during a slide.

• Gloves and especially boots will be quite stiff at first. Leather requires a break-in period. Give it time. Of course, if something is too tight or loose, that's not going to change very much and you should look at another size. I am talking more about how easy it is to bend your fingers, ankle, etc. while wearing gear.

• It's difficult to find controls during the initial stages of wearing gloves and boots. Within a few rides you'll get used to this. I can't ride without gloves at this point since I'm so used to it.

• Try getting jackets and pants which are reflective or neon colored. At the very least, make sure they have some reflective strips. This will help tremendously with you being visible to other vehicles, which is of utmost importance during low light rides.

• If you intend to tour in the rain, many pants and jackets are sold with a waterproof layer. Some will be compatible with the waterproof layer, but it may be sold separately. Also for the rain, you'll have to learn to care for leather to ensure it has a decent lifespan.

• These are two videos which helped me tremendously when I was learning about gear

https://youtu.be/rmWQKoN6yX0

https://youtu.be/XoDK6b_v8JY

I know this comment is long, I tried writing down all the things that I wish someone told me when I was shopping for gear. Hope this helps, ride safe!

[just_amyth]

That gave some really well considered insight on riding gear. Thank you so much @after for the very detailed write up. This just made my decision making a lot more easier, and happy motoring!

[windiesel]

Originally Posted by L0kivich

Thank you. Yes, the thing is I curated the post for TeamBHP but decided to go ahead with a reddit post as well cause I'm quite active over there. By the time the post made it out of the assembly line, I crossed 1k KM and finished the first service as well. I did post an AMA on reddit but I'll post a detailed review here as well. And yeah, regarding the vibrations, I almost don't even notice them anymore. Loving it till now!

Hi, Does the X have the 'Crawl Function' of the spoked ADV 390?