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Old 26th August 2013, 17:33   #511
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

While on a Ride to the himalayas,a Friend's Ninja 650's rear tyre a bridgestone 160 section suffered from multiple punctures,and needed immediate replacement,160 section tyre was no where to be found,so as a make shift arrangement he got the 150 section MRF from the KTM 200,and his feedback was pretty good about it.If the MRF 150 can do well on a Ninja 650,i dont see a reason as to why it wont gel in with with the 390
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Old 26th August 2013, 18:33   #512
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by ebonho View Post
Providing you actually can (am not sure you if you can), how advisable is it to push start a bike with an electronic fuel pump that is usually first primed when you put on the ignition, before thumbing the starter?
Doc,

Push starting the bike is not an issue provided there is little juice left in the Battery.

Eg: For my bike I need a full charge for the Starter to tick-over, but even in low voltage of 10 - 11 volt the fuel pump woould prime and the HL and other electricals will work (one presumes the ECU as well). A vigorous push with 2nd gear start is very much done thing, at least in my case.

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Ram
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Old 26th August 2013, 22:20   #513
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

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Originally Posted by Jaggu View Post
Off topic: How is MRF in wet, didn't see any sipes towards the center and a friend confirmed that its really dicey on water and sand? Met on the other hand has a better thread design?
Jaggu,
MRF Zapper Q is a decent tire in the wet. It is fast becoming a suitable option for the michelin Sirac in the 18 inch sizes. Pretty good with tarmac but a bit hesitant on gravel n loose sand.
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Old 27th August 2013, 01:50   #514
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

It's the sheer adrenaline that rushes through the veins of the rider and the thrill which builds the excitement of the heart while you unleash its torque on the road. A true biker's passion gets unveiled with the New KTM DUKE 390.
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Old 27th August 2013, 09:46   #515
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Managed to test the 390 yesterday at KTM - Mekhri Circle, Bangalore.
Despite all the reviews I'd read, the bike's acceleration through the gears had me straining at the bars and caught me unawares.

Now for moi two cents worth ride-report:

The specimen I rode had a very heavy clutch and the chain was making a godawful racket. This translated into the engine sounding pretty darn harsh and the bike felt a tad short on refinement when compared to the 200.
Also, the front brake lacked in bite when compared to the 200 I'd tested.

All the above cons could very well be due to the test-ride bike having been abused by all and sundry.

All said and done though, 30k well spent in booking the 390
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Old 27th August 2013, 11:24   #516
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Has anybody got any deliveries from BTM KTM (Bangalore)?

I booked on the first day but havent heard a peep out of them - no invitation to test ride; no launch invite; no delivery readiness. Hell, not even a spam for finance!
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Old 27th August 2013, 11:29   #517
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Here is the review of D390 on Indian roads by Overdrive.
Good words of caution for novice riders.

http://overdrive.in/reviews/2013-ktm...dia-road-test/

Last edited by AMG_ang : 27th August 2013 at 11:44. Reason: Wrong link posted.
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Old 27th August 2013, 12:16   #518
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

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Originally Posted by sridhu View Post
Has anybody got any deliveries from BTM KTM (Bangalore)?

I booked on the first day but havent heard a peep out of them - no invitation to test ride; no launch invite; no delivery readiness. Hell, not even a spam for finance!
Same story everywhere dude. I have booked at KTM Indiranagar. Haven't heard a word from them since then. I guess except for a few deliveries in Mumbai and Pune, we all are in the same boat. Hopefully we'll get our bike atleast by the end of next month.
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Old 27th August 2013, 12:31   #519
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by akshay4587 View Post
While on a Ride to the himalayas,a Friend's Ninja 650's rear tyre a bridgestone 160 section suffered from multiple punctures,and needed immediate replacement,160 section tyre was no where to be found,so as a make shift arrangement he got the 150 section MRF from the KTM 200,and his feedback was pretty good about it.If the MRF 150 can do well on a Ninja 650,i dont see a reason as to why it wont gel in with with the 390
Thank you for corroborating what I have been saying all along to anyone willing to hear. The MRFs are great tyres. Are the Metz's better - sure. That does not make the MRFs suddenly bad.

To put things into perspective, when the RD 350 was being sold in India, it came from the factory with cross ply 3.5 x 18 tyres and twin leading shoe drum brakes up front, with a standard 5 inch drum at the rear.

Seen on their own, before the Metz's got offered on the 390 stock, the Revz were the best tyres I have ridden on to date. I have heard good things about the sticky OE R15 tyres too (also MRF?), but never ridden an R15 to be able to really compare.
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Old 27th August 2013, 13:03   #520
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by akshay4587 View Post
While on a Ride to the himalayas,a Friend's Ninja 650's rear tyre a bridgestone 160 section suffered from multiple punctures,and needed immediate replacement,160 section tyre was no where to be found,so as a make shift arrangement he got the 150 section MRF from the KTM 200,and his feedback was pretty good about it.If the MRF 150 can do well on a Ninja 650,i dont see a reason as to why it wont gel in with with the 390
Thats a good piece of info! Thanks akshay.

A bit of an OT. Did the MRF look wider on N650's alloy than on 200's? RevZ has a very broad shoulder and looks very rounded. Infact, due to its profile, it looks slimmer than a CBR's Contigo on side by side comparison. I always thought it has to do something to do with the Duke's Alloy!
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Old 27th August 2013, 13:06   #521
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by ebonho View Post
To put things into perspective, when the RD 350 was being sold in India, it came from the factory with cross ply 3.5 x 18 tyres and twin leading shoe drum brakes up front, with a standard 5 inch drum at the rear.
But with Dunlops as OE - which did supply adequate grip and contributed a lot to the stopping power. As they were like butter, the rear needed replacement every 15 K (were lucky if it lasted that much)

The minute guys started experimenting with other brands, the complaints of inadequacy of the brakes etc started coming up.

Best Regards & Ride safe

Ram
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Old 27th August 2013, 14:16   #522
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by ebonho View Post
Thank you for corroborating what I have been saying all along to anyone willing to hear. The MRFs are great tyres. Are the Metz's better - sure. That does not make the MRFs suddenly bad.

To put things into perspective, when the RD 350 was being sold in India, it came from the factory with cross ply 3.5 x 18 tyres and twin leading shoe drum brakes up front, with a standard 5 inch drum at the rear.

Seen on their own, before the Metz's got offered on the 390 stock, the Revz were the best tyres I have ridden on to date. I have heard good things about the sticky OE R15 tyres too (also MRF?), but never ridden an R15 to be able to really compare.
They are great indeed,and my friend still has it on the Ninja,as he wont be doing track days on it any more,and the fact that MRF Revz costs 3.5K as compared to 13K price tag of the 160 section tyre.Also a lot of my friends have downsized to 130 on their Ceebers,and pretty happy about it,so going down -1 size does not hurt much.And in case of KTM it is just switching the brands.Metzelers are better indeed,but the MRF Revz will be a good option for someone who is going to burn a lot of rubber on the 390
Quote:
Originally Posted by man_of_steel View Post
Thats a good piece of info! Thanks akshay.

A bit of an OT. Did the MRF look wider on N650's alloy than on 200's? RevZ has a very broad shoulder and looks very rounded. Infact, due to its profile, it looks slimmer than a CBR's Contigo on side by side comparison. I always thought it has to do something to do with the Duke's Alloy!
No it didn't look any wider as we were already used to a Ninja with 160 section tyre.

Last edited by akshay4587 : 27th August 2013 at 14:37.
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Old 27th August 2013, 14:31   #523
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

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Originally Posted by akshay4587 View Post
Also a lot of my friends have downsized to 130 on their Ceebers,and pretty happy about it,so going down -1 size does not hurt much
Any idea which 130 section are they using in the Ceebers?
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Old 27th August 2013, 15:38   #524
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by man_of_steel View Post
Any idea which 130 section are they using in the Ceebers?
One friend is using IRC from the Ninja 250.
And another is using a Pirelli Sport Demon.
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Old 27th August 2013, 16:39   #525
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re: The KTM Duke 390 Ownership Experience Thread

An interesting writeup by Shubhabrata Marmar : Overdrive

http://overdrive.in/news/ktm-390-duk...the-road-test/
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