Team-BHP - The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

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Originally Posted by VW2010 (Post 3709924)

Man. That is so bad. Tell them u have a reflective helmet that has a rear view camera :)

How will they know if the exhaust is stock or not?

And my bullet has 10 lights and it only helps me and others ride safe around me. None of them are high beams and everyone points to the road in front of me. Yet i am breaking the law. Some of these laws needs to be defined as required at a minimum but any enhancements that will only make it more safer should be considered as exception. Like A rear view camera or better lights, better exhaust, no rear seat(Which saves one extra life), no grab rails because there is no rear seat :)

I was asked to go to a traffic control center to pay fine 20 kms from were I was booked. There they went lengths to educate me and all the other offenders. I was also surprised by the list. They even said they can book anyone for any other modifications that were not specified during homologation. But I use xenons in my bike as well as my cars. It is immensely helpful. I dont know when they will fine me for that.

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Originally Posted by nasirkaka (Post 3710221)

Its hightime to re-write some of the rules, as at times we get booked for trying to be safer on road.
Bangalore(Karnataka) is got the highest road tax, and the worst roads. There is no street light even on important city roads. Roads are full not potholes and when wet, the visibility is almost none. All this leads to most of the motorists using high beam all the time in city adds to the woes. i got stopped once for using aux lights. Why would i spend 8k on additional lights if the roads were well lit?

I remember there was one time, all the ambassador engines were replaced with matador engines. Now in Kerala engine change is banned to prevent something else. Now here the road tax for all the bikes with ex showroom price above 2 lakhs has been increased to 20%

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Originally Posted by mithunvvijayan (Post 3710953)

This is the road side assistance I was mentioning in the other post. For Rs 800/- they give emergency assistance, towing, fuel filling etc wherever in India.

Anyone familiar with it? Please share your thoughts. I would like to subscribe to the service.

Completely useless, here's my experience with them. Till date no follow up from them, even after I've talked to a few people and sent a few mails.

Thanks RiderZone, you just saved me Rs 800 :) . I was offered and recommended subscription to the service by the dealer and I almost bit the bait (I am yet to book the bike). Because when told this sounds like a great service. I can understand that most large cities will have restrictions for truck movement during normal working hours. But then that should be mentioned at the time of the offer and if emergency service cannot be provided why promise it ? One can get towing service virtually anywhere in the country, except in certain pockets. But they will not reach those pockets in any case. So why waste the money.

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Originally Posted by m.shekhar (Post 3711454)

I'm guessing its the 'familiarity' factor at work, rather than the seat height itself. Its only a matter of 1cm difference after all.
The stance is much different. Hence, it might take some time getting used to.

And to answer your question directly, my friend who is around 5'5 is pretty happy with the Duke. :)

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Originally Posted by m.shekhar (Post 3711454)

Guys, how is the Duke 390 for a rider of about 5'6-5'7?

I was riding an R15 2.0 (seat height - 800 mm) earlier and found it quite comfortable while I find the Duke 200 (seat height - 810 mm) to be a bit uncomfortable.

I know that this is question is best answered by a TD but somehow I haven't been able to find the time to do that for the past month.

I am the same height and I was fairly comfortable on the D390. Seat height on the 390 is about 10 mm lower than the 200.

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Originally Posted by RiderZone (Post 3711085)

Completely useless, here's my experience with them. Till date no follow up from them, even after I've talked to a few people and sent a few mails.

I also thought that it would not be technically feasible to give service in remote areas, where we are likely to get stranded, that too for such a small fee.

For those who wish to change their stock mirrors to more snazzy and practical ones, they can consider the mirrors in the z250. They are a direct fit, larger and much better looking.

And for those who wish to have a better comfortable seat, they can replace their existing seat with the latest ones coming with the recent batch of 390s. They have better cushioning and cladding and feels more comfortable. It costs rs 1100/-. I have order both and will fit soon.

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Originally Posted by man_of_steel (Post 3711598)

Being a Kawasaki spare part, may I know how much they cost??

I didn't put the price here because I dont know yet. They said they will check and call me back. If it costs more than my budget then I will skip buying it. Having said that, it looks premium. The glass is slightly tinted and the mirror is chunky and aerodynamic. If its below 2000 a pair then I might go for it.

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Originally Posted by b16h22 (Post 3687274)

Well, I have purchased a Jan 2014 model for 1.57 with 9k on odo. New rear tyre and front had a lot of life left. I'd say you may get 1.5-1.6. Expect 30-35% depreciation depending on the condition of the vehicle. KTMs don't have the resale value of a Kawasaki. Also high performance vehicles usually depreciate faster.

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Originally Posted by ebonho (Post 3687322)

And I have seen bike prices running the gamut between an upper of 1.7 to a rock bottom of 1.2.

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Originally Posted by hillram (Post 3687611)

You are right my friend..D390s price is coming down. After i purchased my D390 for 1.15L, i came to know that Banks seized D390s are going for mere 80k to 100k, all 2014 models.
Anyway Im happy with my purchase.

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Originally Posted by mithunvvijayan (Post 3687651)

Bank seized vehicles are not reliable at all, as I personally know of some of the guys in one of the seized vehicle yards, who replace parts from these vehicles and sell them outside.

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Originally Posted by ebonho (Post 3687977)

When I buy a bike, I bargain hard for every small OE bit missing. Be it hand guards, mirrors, saree guard, hugger, anything.

Update: Last week I finally sold my 390 for 1.66lacs it was Jan 2014 reg, 14.5k kms, original tyres (bald), original sprocket, nothing replaced other than oil and filters. Offers started at 90k - you will not believe how many people called and offered less than a lakh. A lot of buyers read these 1.13 lakh and 85k posts and mentioned these, but there were a few who came, took a look and admitted that most bikes they saw had been modified a lot and had signs of abuse; they valued the fact that the bike was really cared for and in complete stock condition.

By Bangalore resale standards this is poor value but looking at the kind of offers and deals quoted on the forum, I think I got an OK price.

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Originally Posted by ff1609 (Post 3712594)

By Bangalore resale standards this is poor value but looking at the kind of offers and deals quoted on the forum, I think I got an OK price.

Many of us were just trying to familiarise you with the extremes to which the resale prices could go. And its bad that people quote insanely low prices based on our posts, here. Anyways, you got a pretty decent price bro.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ff1609 (Post 3712594)

Update: Last week I finally sold my 390 for 1.66lacs it was Jan 2014 reg, 14.5k kms, original tyres (bald), original sprocket, nothing replaced other than oil and filters.

I think you got a great price even by Bangalore standards! The tires and sprockets at 14k will set the new owner back by almost 20k. Some of my friends including @Added_Flavor had a hard time finding a buyer at the quoted price. And even though their bike was in perfect mechanical conditions they had to settle in for a price lower than their expectations.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mithunvvijayan (Post 3711637)

If its below 2000 a pair then I might go for it.

I am not sure if it will be worth it. Just buy an RTR mirror for 390 bucks and be done with it. I am sure it will meet all your criteria!