[noo.b]

Hi Bhpians

I am happy to announce that I am now a part of the duke 390 owners club on teambhp .I picked up my Duke 390 yesterday from KTM Sohna Road , Gurgaon after a lot of deliberations where I considered everything from a used Ninja 650 to a Himalyan.

Rode it for a total of 80 Kms yesterday and loved the midrange, the seat seemed softer than the 2015 variant test ride bike that I had taken multiple test rides on.

Sticking to the 7500 rpm limit for the first 1000 Kms shouldn't be a problem as there was enough power and torque below that to keep me happy within the city.

In the limited time that I've had it i've found it to be a much better ride in traffic compared to my now sold R15 V2.0, got the tyre hugger and the saree guard removed before the delivery itself.

Loved the flickability and hope to use it for touring more often once I get past that 1000 Kms mark.

[schakravarthy]

Originally Posted by noo.b

Hi Bhpians
I am happy to announce that I am now a part of the duke 390 owners on teambhp

Such a long post and yet, no pics! Not fair man!
Anyway, congratulations on your buy! Cheers!

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by barcalad

No, they were fitted normally and were a direct fit. No flipping.

The front is stock. The rear is 140/70.

They were sourced from Globe Engineering, Carol Bagh.

Initial reports suggest that the handle feels lighter, ride is smooth and the tyres turn heads.

Thanks for the response bud!

My first thought was that you must have gone to Globe as well. But the rear tyre choice got me confused. He mostly suggests the Vee Rubber VRM 193 in 130 section for the rear. Did he recommend that to you? Or maybe he was out of stock

Surprised that the Meteor is available in 140 size. I have one in 100 section on my enfield's rear. Decent grip in dry, not so much in wet though. It slides at the first sight of wet tarmac. But 140 has probably been made keeping in mind higher capacity motorcycles. Hopefully it has better, grippier rubber compound which helps in putting the power down

Eager to hear more on this from you, especially on road performance

[barcalad]

Originally Posted by noo.b

I am happy to announce that I am now a part of the duke 390 owners club on teambhp .I picked up my Duke 390 yesterday from KTM Sohna Road , Gurgaon after a lot of deliberations where I considered everything from a used Ninja 650 to a Himalyan.

Welcome to the club, buddy. Looking forward to meet/ride with you soon.

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Thanks for the response bud!

My first thought was that you must have gone to Globe as well. But the rear tyre choice got me confused. He mostly suggests the Vee Rubber VRM 193 in 130 section for the rear. Did he recommend that to you? Or maybe he was out of stock

Surprised that the Meteor is available in 140 size. I have one in 100 section on my enfield's rear. Decent grip in dry, not so much in wet though. It slides at the first sight of wet tarmac. But 140 has probably been made keeping in mind higher capacity motorcycles. Hopefully it has better, grippier rubber compound which helps in putting the power down

Eager to hear more on this from you, especially on road performance

Since the tyre and the bike belong to a friend, I'm yet to ask him in detail about the buying process. Will talk about it in detail and revert when I meet him.

Even I was amazed at the availability of the Meteor in 140. Probably the first time I'm seeing on a D390.

[Kameshwar]

Originally Posted by noo.b

Hi Bhpians

I am happy to announce that I am now a part of the duke 390 owners club on teambhp .I picked up my Duke 390 yesterday from KTM Sohna Road , Gurgaon after a lot of deliberations where I considered everything from a used Ninja 650 to a Himalyan.

Rode it for a to..

Welcome noo.b I completed 5.5 k kms last week on my ride back from Goa.. Yeah its much better than the previous iteration with the small and big enhancements.

Why remove the safety add-ons though? Not just from a safety perspective (rear tire hugger saves people behind you from offending pebbles and fluid spray,) but also from a road legal standpoint. Trust me the Duke 390 is a cop magnet and they don't run out of reasons to fine you.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Kameshwar

Why remove the safety add-ons though? Not just from a safety perspective (rear tire hugger saves people behind you from offending pebbles and fluid spray,) but also from a road legal standpoint. Trust me the Duke 390 is a cop magnet and they don't run out of reasons to fine you.

All 390s sold in the US and Europe are without a hugger and / or a saree guard. There are absolutely no safety concerns or otherwise if these are removed

[VW2010]

All 390s sold in the US and Europe are without a hugger and / or a saree guard

No one rides doubles with a saree in a motorcycle in both US and Europe.

And most of them stay indoor when it rains simply because its just too dangerous.

I think both the options are India specific and actually functional.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by VW2010

No one rides doubles with a saree in a motorcycle in both US and Europe.

Has anyone actually seen a woman with a saree sitting on the rear of the Duke 390 with both feet to one side? How would she even climb on it?

The both feet to one side is a moot point now that I think of it

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by VW2010

No one rides doubles with a saree in a motorcycle in both US and Europe.

LOL. Even in India, how many saree clad pillions have you seen on a Katoom? I personally am yet to see one

But if we are saying "what if"; then what if someone in the US / Europe had a brilliant idea of wearing a gown or a long flowy skirt? Sometimes common sense is way better than a piece of jaali type thing

Originally Posted by VW2010

And most of them stay indoor when it rains simply because its just too dangerous

You are generalizing here. Majority of high performance motorcycle owners here in India also tuck their rides in when water begins to fall from the sky. Mostly those that are out on the roads on 2 wheels are the ones that have no choice and I can tell you, 99.99999% of them are not KTM Dukes

And more dangerous than India? I mean ya the highway speeds abroad are higher but they have infinitely better road conditions, lighting and just general road etiquette

Out here, you got potholes submerged under a foot or more of mucky water, no street lights, non functional traffic signals, mad drivers etc etc etc

On this thread alone, you will hear many complaining that the rider still gets hosed with the hugger on

In conclusion - I have no problem with anyone keeping the hugger and whatever else on their bikes. But taking it off is not a security risk. Not by a long shot!!

[Kameshwar]

All I can say is good luck with the next copper who fines you for not having a saree gaurd, despite having everything in order. Why do you even think we have them, even on 350cc plus motorcycles? Are manufacturers really ignorant or are they complying with laws that require saree gaurd? Also good luck finding a lady who can sit on a Duke with a saree on. :sly:

Frankly I think the courtesy one owes others on the roads for not chucking gravel in their faces and windshields, I have left my tire hugger on.

[VW2010]

I am merely stating the fact that people with saree riding pillion is not occasional but a regular thing in india. Hayabusa comes with one and so does the R3. Atleast in this KTM it almost looks neatly part of the package. Once you see that R3 witb saree gaurd you know its much better

And New Jersey roads have more pot holes than most roads in the world. And they do crappy patch work as well.

[schakravarthy]

Er.. I have ridden the Duke with my mom and even my grandmother as pillion; needless to say, both saree clad. Received quite a few curious stares, did I! Trust me, all it takes is an agile lady.
But it's a pain pottering around in 1st and 2nd gear though.

[Thar4x4]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Surprised that the Meteor is available in 140 size.
Eager to hear more on this from you, especially on road performance

Originally Posted by barcalad

Even I was amazed at the availability of the Meteor in 140. Probably the first time I'm seeing on a D390.

Guys,

I doubt that this Metaor is in 140, my dealer talked with MRF distributor and I got contact from Dukes of Pune to MRF marketing executive as well. Metro is not above 120. The single unit I found in 120 is at one of the dealer in Nana peth (Karol bag of Pune)but that was looking puny on Duke so dropped that idea and went for 130 CEAT Vertigo.

Edit:

Additionally, I did 100+ on small empty stretch today and the front Michelin Sirac is sounding dangerous. I am running on 30 Psi, will drop to 28 tomorrow however I am sure that it will make small difference.

Originally Posted by Meccanico

Could you please share with me the drawing you mentioned for the front off road mudguard? I literally used the same one on my Duke 200 and it broke on the first full suspension travel.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Could you please send me the drawing too. Uday is in Bangalore and we have someone we know in common so I will reach out to him as well, as I might be doing this for another bike and not the Duke.

Guys,

The design is made by Uday so let me take his permission to share it, or else you can contact him directly. Hope you understand.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Thar4x4

I doubt that this Metaor is in 140

At least online, I cannot see a single link that shows a 140 section Meteor. Lets await Barca's response

Originally Posted by Thar4x4

Additionally, I did 100+ on small empty stretch today and the front Michelin Sirac is sounding dangerous. I am running on 30 Psi, will drop to 28 tomorrow however I am sure that it will make small difference.

30 PSI for the front is too high bud. Drop it down to a 25 or (Max!) 26 and see if it makes a difference

When you say "sounding dangerous", do you mean there's a lot of road noise? That's expected from a knobby tyre. Any issues observed with respect to grip while leaning?

[Meccanico]

Originally Posted by Thar4x4

The design is made by Uday so let me take his permission to share it, or else you can contact him directly. Hope you understand.

I do understand! No worries.

Also, I have used Ralco button tyres on my D200 for off-roading several times. I would have preferred MRF's but no dealer in Pune seemed to have the size I wanted. Ralcos did the job and were a bit cheaper as well. Although I cant recollect the exact name of the tyre, they did the job pretty well.