Team-BHP - The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad (Post 3490763)

Gents - Was looking for some more info on the tyre changes you have incorporated to your respective 390's. Could you please provide inputs on:

- Tyre brand(s): Ceat Vertigo Sports
- Cost (front & back separately): Front - 2000INR and rear 2500INR (+/- 200INR among the shops/ online portals I looked for)
- Width / Profile (Front n Back): Front - 100/90/17 and rear 120/80/17 (is a downsize to Metz)
- Tubeless or Tube Type: Tubeless (both)
- On road behaviour. Especially, how does it corner: Not as good as Metz but certainly there. Is confidence inspiring. Does not ruffle your feathers.
- Braking stability / ABS : Any changes observed: Nothing, just fine
- Wet grip if tested (on tarmac specifically): Again not in Metz area, but it is a compromise between off roading and tarmac. Does it work well in lower speeds but at higher speeds, read above 120, the front end becomes vague. It is as though it is riding over a cloud. No feedback from the front. And back tends to step out when driven on loose gravel at these speeds. I had a moment once during the 1k ride till now.
- Bad roads / off road behavior: Very good, but the driver should know how much to squeeze out of it. Since the bike has oodles of power, tyre spins are prominent. Once you come to grips with it, it is a breeze.
- Summary of perceptible feel / overall general performance vis a vis Metz: A VFM tyre for the cost. Has good dry and wet grip at lower speeds. Definitely not advisable to do over 120kmph. A good off roading option. The throttle action needs to be administered gently to come to terms with this tyre or you will find yourself burning the rubber than the tarmac. The high sidewall profile means you can be sure of not bending your rims hitting a pothole.
- Any issues if at all observed: Nothing.

A detailed information will follow once I take this to the Ladakh circuit and to newer waters where it has to prove its worth. Due second week of September when I am back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashkamath (Post 3491710)

No blipping what so ever during downshifting. (so you get the idea) Throttle closed. shift to 4th - leave the clutch - bike is still fast (no blipping or throttle)- declutch again-- shift to 3rd -- leave the clutch (no blipping or throttle) - tyre tails out.

Tthe road was ok I guess, no slush or muck. and my riding style is very sedate. you can call me an overcautious rider :D

Yet again at the risk of sounding preachy, you are not doing this right. You are taxing both your transmission and at the same time not providing optimal braking. You must use your brakes to slow down. Well, anytime that simply rolling off the throttle sheds off adequate speed without having to go down a gear for the sole purpose of getting more engine braking, that's fine.

It's the brakes that should be your primary stopping medium. Engine braking plays a supporting role. In words of Keith code - brake pads are cheap, trànsmission is not. I would also urge u to keep practicing blipping. It's great fun when you get it right. Admittedly, there are instances where I still don't get it right. It's an important skill to learn and once u begin blipping right, you will wonder how you ever did without it.

Btw I'm glad to hear the Metz have lasted you some 14000 Kms with still some juice left. That's awesome!!! I thought Metz pack up at around the 8k mark.

Again, just sharing things that I have learnt n continue to learn that have made my confidence as a rider grow. Stay safe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad (Post 3492777)

It's great fun when you get it right. Admittedly, there are instances where I still don't get it right. It's an important skill to learn and once u begin blipping right, you will wonder how you ever did without it.

I started doing this whole blip thing on my Royal Enfield. Old school cast iron Enfields did not come with a synchromesh gearbox so it was important that you did this when up shifting. If you did not, you'd end up with a lot of resistance from the gearbox and a lot of not so nice noises. I never used the neutral finder.

Moving on to the KTM, I still blip the throttle coming down for every gear. Even though this motorcycle has a synchromesh gearbox,you can easily tell the gearbox is more happy when you do it this way. You don't even feel the shift which you otherwise will. As you say, its super fun, especially when riding hard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad (Post 3492777)

Btw I'm glad to hear the Metz have lasted you some 14000 Kms with still some juice left. That's awesome!!! I thought Metz pack up at around the 8k mark.

Probably not the best example to make a judgment by.

Ashok is one of the smoothest riders I know. Famous for pulling the last km out of every drop of petrol from the early Pulsar days. Very few could match him. :)

Point is, if he gets 14K kms out of those tyres, I would safely consider around 8-9K kms for myself.

Quote:

I never used the neutral finder.

I am exactly opposite. I always use neutral finder. The gearing pattern in the 500 was simple. 1st to 4th. Most unused gear is 3rd for either i am at 4th or 2nd. The 3rd lasted few seconds before i am on 4th. Gear up in a bull is anyway without a blip but gear down is best when you are at the right rpm(above which there is no way you are getting the gear down :)).

Quote:

Originally Posted by VW2010 (Post 3493182)

All of the above except for the 3rd gear. Absolutely the best gear for the std 500 with the traditional 4 speed Albion gearbox, both in the city ans more so on the highway, especially on shiftdowns for corners, overtaking, traffic etc. where 4th and 3rd are probably the only gears you use for a few hundred kms.

The Albion gearbox was actually designed by the British to be a compromise for both trail and backroad riding (the Bullet was more often than not used as a trailie) where the first two gears were made really short, and the more open A roads where the next two came into their own. The 3rd gear was thus the link gear between the short gears and the long 4th gear, and as is known by all 4 speed Bullet riders, there is a big jump between the 3rd gear and the 4th - which is because the 3rd is closer to the shorter end of the range than the longer. Even so, on a well set Bullet with a clean gearbox, the 3rd gear is where all the punch is, and one can pull long and hard in that. So much so that if the state of tune is wrong or the bike is overheating, one gets a distinct loss of steam and pinging once one shifts to the 4th (which is a clear diagnostic sign that all is not right ....).

Ok sorry for the OT. Lets bid goodbye to the industrial farm machinery and move back to the super slick Austrian 6-speeder now. :uncontrol

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan (Post 3492825)

I started doing this whole blip thing on my Royal Enfield. Old school cast iron Enfields did not come with a synchromesh gearbox so it was important that you did this when up shifting.................

Moving on to the KTM, I still blip the throttle coming down for every gear. Even though this motorcycle has a synchromesh gearbox.......

I can blip the throttle purrfectly now on my oilfield, right down till the 1st gear.

And now every time I get on the ktm after riding the bull, I mess up the first few blips. Obviously, you need to be much quicker and deliberate with the throttle.

But synchromesh or not mate, you must use blipping to give your trsnsmission a break. The only exception being if your bike has a slipper clutch. Those that doubt the benefits of it or how much smoother it makes your ride, just take a pillion out for a ride. Count the number of times u bang helmets with n without blipping.

Unless your bike has a slipper clutch, u must practice blipping.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebonho (Post 3491951)

I know what the pedal feels like when the ABS kicks in. And the sound as well. And the ABS kicked in when I mis-dowshifted. My foot was nowhere near the brake pedal at the time.

Talking of the car and bike? Or car only?
Replicable?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viju (Post 3491974)

In such cars, when the ABS senses a wheel lock due to engine braking (that is, no brake pedal effort from driver), the ABS ECU sends a "request" via CAN to Engine ECU to reduce the engine torque so as to enable the wheel to start rotating again.

Reduce?

Regards
Sutripta