3rd gen KTM Duke 390: A Duke 790 owner shares his test ride experience

The quality level of parts on gen 3 Duke 390 is much better than the gen 2 and I’m happy to note that it has got better with time.

BHPian jbash79 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Feedback for Gen 3 2024 Model Duke 390

Please note that I currently own a 2017 gen 2 Duke 390 and 2019 Duke 790 so my opinion will be based on the experience I have with these bikes as a reference point.

• Bike Dimension - Very compact bike which is both a pro and con. It is a pro for people with small build and lesser height especially this will be an excellent track bike given the seat height is only 800 mm however for me coming from gen 2 Duke 390 it took me a complete day to get used to the smaller bike feel which is not very natural and comfortable feeling for me personally. If I were to take this model in the future I would opt for the higher seat accessory to increase the seat height. Having said this bike has one of the best ground clearance in the segment.

• Seats – Rider seat is not as accommodating and comfortable as gen 2 for doing longer rides and it is very compact which does not allow much room to move around however the pillion seat is much more comfortable than previous gen.

• Looks – It is very polarizing, I personally like the 2nd gen styling as the best so far however this design might grow over the folks who take this bike over a period of time.

• Weight - Weight distribution of this bike is magical, I am amazed on how light the bike feel even while standing at idle it is much easier to move this compared to gen 2 in fact I would even go out and say that it feels light than activa

• Ground Clearance – It is excellent since they take out the side mounted exhaust however one needs to be careful with tall speed breaker especially with pillion rider with softer rear suspension setting.

• Tyres - The OEM tyres are ok however given the capability of this bike the company should provide high performance tyres like Michelin Road 5 for example RTR 310 which comes with this brand of tyres.

• Acceleration and Torque – Gen 3 duo 390 has improved on acceleration and torque from its outgoing gen 2 model however it is more or less on the same page when it comes to top end power as it has the same top speed around 160 to 175 km per hour.

• Quickshifter and Auto Blipper – The quick shifter on gen 3 Duke is far better from the outgoing gen 2 in terms of quick shifter for upshifts however it’s not the smoothest and the auto blipper is not the best in class I would say it is more or less matches the performance of the quick shifter and the blipper that we get in 790 duke.

• Low speed tractability – Gen 3 Duke has much better tractability in low speeds especially in the city in first second and third gear compared to the outgoing gen 2 and it has less engine knocking at lower speed.

• Engine Vibration – I was given a brand new bike for a highway test ride which had done only 40KM on the Odo however I understand this comes with stock company mineral oil which does not provide best performance hence there were lot of vibrations through the engine specially across the power band at the peak performance which kept buzzing through the handlebar and food pegs I would recommend the company to use a high end engine oil like Motul 300V2 which performs much better smoother performance as it reduces vibrations to the great extent Plus I would also recommend the company to identify points in the chassis to dampen the vibrations that come from the single cylinder this is by far one of the deal breakers which could take away majority of its potential customers. This was one of the most significant factors for me and a major deal breaker. For a reference point I rode a hero xtreme 125CC which has great refinement and almost zero vibrations in the city compared to gen 3 duke 390.

• Speed Lock Feature – I think this is a great feature more like a parental control that we have in most of our phones and online platform which will restrict the top speed when you give a bike to a newbie who is still learning the ropes to ride a high performance motorcycle however for seasoned and veteran motorcyclists it would be fantastic if ktm could have provided cruise control which makes a lot of sense given the fact that you can use the feature for cruising all day long on highway with minimal vibrations and achieve the highest mileage which I tested that I got at 4000 rpm in the six gear which resulted around 35 to 36KM per litre.

• Adjustable Shock absorber – Again this is an excellent feature to have and I notice tremendous amount of difference with the adjustability being offered as standard and I like it to such an extent that I am considering getting my gen 2 Duke 390 upgraded with this adjustable shock absorbers provided the parts fit in with the gen 2 duke 390.

• Console Menu and Navigation – I felt that the console and the navigation menu is too complex and overdone and there are some unnecessary features like launch control and power modes which I don’t think is required for a seasoned motorcyclist but it does make sense for someone who’s new on the bike and coming from a smaller cc engine I also felt the navigation to connect the Bluetooth is much more complex than the outgoing gen 2 model.

• Fit and Finish - The quality level of parts on gen 3 Duke 390 is much better than the gen 2 and I’m happy to note that it has got better with time.

• Headlight – Headlights spread in the night is ample however I did not get to test this on the highway at night. However, I think an auxiliary light setup would be sufficient in case one needs to tour on this bike.

Based on my experience from the highway test ride of the gen 3 Duke 390 I don’t think this is a meaningful upgrade for me personally given the fact that I have gen 2 390 and 790 Duke currently. However I like the new gen 390 in isolation as it is an improved version of the outgoing model however the standard package offered does not exceed my expectation so I would not be considering swapping my gen 2 with gen 3 duke 390 at the moment.

Please excuse any grammatical errors as I am not a professional blogger.

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