Thank you gents for your very very helpful responses.
(Warning & a request : Super long post follows. But please read through it and provide your insights. Thank you!)
I had two things on the agenda today - visit the KTM showroom & meet the seller of the used Duke 200 in cyber city - gurgaon (right next to my office)
1st up; visit to the KTM showroom:
I parked my Royal Oilfield outside the Gurgaon KTM showroom and was greeted by the salesman immediately upon entry. I asked them for a test ride of both 200 and 390. Was asked to fill a form; and out we headed for a test ride. Time taken for me r get the keys since my arrival - No more than 3 minutes. First class
Duke 200 test ride : From the moment I thumbed the starter; the bike did not "feel" right. The brake lever had excessive play, front end was wobbly. The bike was not smooth at all and the throttle wasn't crisp either. The front end dove on the slightest braking. Scared myself silly and hurriedly came back to the showroom. Asked the sales guy if the bike was awaiting some work to be carried out. He admitted that the front suspension was probably shot and there are many misc. items that need to be attended to.
Duke 390 test ride : I was smiling even before I swung my leg over it. This is gonna be great ..... I said to myself. Thumbed the starter and the bike roared to life with a much bassy ... well .... roar. Twisted the throttle - Soooooo smoooooth. The bike was brand new; not even a 100 kms old. I took the bike out of the service lane and onto the main road and what awaited me was a perfect anticlimax. A MILE long traffic jam.
The bike would simply lurch forward every time I gassed it even a bit. This thing is maddddddd. At the slightest of throttle inputs; the bike just wants to take off. I was having a tough time guiding it through the tiny gaps between the vehicles.
Throttle - BRAAAPPPPP ZOOOM LURCH LURCH - PANIC BRAKE PANIC BRAKE is how it played out for about a km. I stalled the bike once too. She was not happy; neither was I. But after the jam came a bit of open road. The squid in me woke up and I gunned it. HOLY HELL!!!!!
It ran like it just broke free after being shackled for years. I got a taste of its brutal (by my novice standards) acceleration. I was grinning from ear to ear. Thats when I started looking for a corner to see how this baby turns. She is light, nimble, the sculpted tank lets me lock in my knees very well and also allows me to move around on the bike with relative ease.
You can flick it in corners alrite! My only complaint; the front end was devoid of any feel. The front felt so light; like it wasn't even there. Maybe this is a part of the un-learning process post living with the bullet for these many years? Anyhow; not a deal breaker.
But this bike made me realize the skill level required to really push (and therefore enjoy) these machines; and how much I need to practice. Am gonna read through Nick Ienatsch's "Sport riding rechniques" yet again. What really drove the point home was when I tried "blipping" the throttle to rev match whilst downshifting. I can do it seamlessly on my bullet (Lol). On the 390; it went - Clutch in, downshift, blip, release clutch, bike surges forward, no rev match, big jolt. Tried it a couple of times again with exact same results. Did not try anything "pro-like" (LOL) after that. Rode the bike true to how I am - a novice at sport riding.
Exchanged numbers with the KTM showroom manager and took his leave. Oh; the ABS cable was "deliberately" removed by the sales guy as the bike is "skiddish" (?????????????). Silly man!
So; the scores were 200 nil; 390 A GAZILLION. With that; I went to meet the fella who had his 200 up for sale.
200 test ride (part deux) : This bike was nothing like the test ride. It felt tight, was extremely smooth and very managable actually. I had the same issues with the light / 0 feedback front end and my "bliiping skills" (no joy on the 200 either. Same disastrous results).
BUT; I was again met with heavy traffic (literally a crawl) and the 200 felt a lot more composed. Real calm, zen like (Ok, I exaggerate). The sound was a bit muted for my taste but give it some beans and she belches a glorious BRAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPP. Loved it!
Went back to the guy, told him the bike ran fine and was getting ready to negotiate. Asked him for his service booklet and thats when THE shit hit THE fan. He said he had his console changed sometime back. The bike had actually done over 30k kms (he advertised it as just under 10.5k kms). He said that he was telling me as I "seemed genuine" with all my riding gear and a trusty bullet. Bloody crook! Told him and his theiving buddy - no deal.
Now the dilemma - Outright craziness of the 390 or controlled aggression of the 200?
390 pros - Serious performance and oodles of joy for relatively little money
Cons - No real VFM deals available in the used market, Not sure if it (& me) will be able to cope with the city traffic (The city is where she will spend 80% of the time. Not bogged down in a crawl but not super quick either)
200 pros - Good useable power for a novice like me, does not feel as "bogged down" in traffic / low RPMs. Used deals available. Am going to check out another one tomorrow. 2012 model; done 5k kms (we'll see!). Asking price 1 lac. Will probably close it between 90 - 95k. Good deal?
Cons - Will it hone my skills enough to take on a truly fast 600 / 750 in the near future ...... like a year / 18 months? Not as fast or sharp looking as the 390.
Still confused! Please chime in with your thoughts. I really look forward to hearing from you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by VW2010 It does make sense to buy a 200 that is going pretty low these days around 80-1L as DR suggested
Coming to 390, its a pocket rocket as everyone says. You will never get bored to ride it day in and day out |
Agreed! Request your comments basis the short summary posted above
Quote:
Originally Posted by sridhu I have the 390 but at the same price, I would plump for the Ninja. |
Would you mind elaborating as to why it is so? I understand the awe / hype that surrounds the ninjette & it probably is very well deserved. But would you really be willing to plonk 2 lac on a vehicle that is 5 years old, is lot more expensive to maintain, is nowhere near the 390 in terms of performance (relative?). Plus - Parts; in case you (god forbid) crash are very expensive. You cannot even get the 0 dep cover given the vehicle's vintage.
I do not feel I would be able to really enjoy the ninjette owing to the (maintenance) cost factor alone. And think about it; the vehicle costed around 3 lac OTR when new. In 5 years; its just depriciated 30 odd percent? Cannot digest. Probably there are many others that cant either; coz this Ninja has been on sale for quite a while.
Quote:
Originally Posted by man_of_steel If you can buy a new 390, its a good option provided ....
Believe me, you wont get bored of this bike even if you are commuting on it on a daily basis.
That seems to be a sweet deal IF it is maintained well. Parts costs a bomb and will not always be readily available even through ASCs (eg. Mirrors costs around 2.5k brake pads around 1.5k+ IIRC). Please give it a thought if you really enjoy hunting and waiting for parts. But the feel, smoothness and even sound of that parallel twin stays unchallenged till date. |
Thanks for your comments. Please do read up on my latest - post test drive dilemma and let me know your thoughts
Quote:
Originally Posted by ebonho Since you say you would ultimately like to settle with a bigger bike, I would suggest you to save money for it now and buy a good used 200 and use it for a year or so and get ready for the bigger bike
Between the used Ninja 250 vs the brand new 390, I would suggest the Ninja for the same reason |
Thank you Doc! More help needed please. I have crossed Ninja off my list. Probably considered it in a moment of madness.