[Rohitj92]

Finally after 17,500kms, changed both the front and rear tyres today. Opted for the Michelin Pilot Street. Costed me 9,900/- for the set at Saifee tyres, Santacruz. Yes, my stock tyres lasted that long. Cant give the first impressions yet as i just brought the bike home from the tyre shop. Although the handling and braking felt wierd. Maybe because they are brand new. And i use the bike for daily commute and long rides once a month. Not into heavy cornering and not at all into track racing. Hope these tyres will fullfill my demands. Here are some pics:

The last pic is of the old rear tyre.

[ArizonaJim]

Originally Posted by Rohitj92

...
Yes, my stock tyres lasted that long. Cant give the first impressions yet as i just brought the bike home from the tyre shop. Although the handling and braking felt wierd. Maybe because they are brand new...

Your right.

It is because your tyres are new.

When tyres are made, the dies that form the rubber into the sidewalls an tread are coated with special lubrication to help the dies release the new tyre from the machine.

The lubricant sticks to the rubber which makes the tyre rather slippery.
It can almost make a totally clean, dry road seem to be wet with rain.

Not realizing this has caused more than a few riders to crash.

It's a good idea for any rider with brand new tyres on their motorcycle to break them in by taking it easy for at least 30 km. That will wear off the lubricant and make the tyres safe to ride the way you would on tyres that are broken in.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by Rohitj92

Finally after 17,500kms, changed both the front and rear tyres today. Opted for the Michelin Pilot Street. Costed me 9,900/- for the set at Saifee tyres, Santacruz. Yes, my stock tyres lasted that long. Cant give the first impressions yet as i just brought the bike home from the tyre shop. Although the handling and braking felt wierd. Maybe because they are brand new. And i use the bike for daily commute and long rides once a month. Not into heavy cornering and not at all into track racing. Hope these tyres will fullfill my demands.

Please be careful when you hand over the wheels for tire fitting. I can see that guy pressing on the ABS wheel speed sensor ring. It can bend. An MRF tire dealer once managed to bend that ring and chip my wheels. And I was left with a malfunctioned ABS.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

When tyres are made, the dies that form the rubber into the sidewalls an tread are coated with special lubrication to help the dies release the new tyre from the machine.

The lubricant sticks to the rubber which makes the tyre rather slippery.
It can almost make a totally clean, dry road seem to be wet with rain.

Not realizing this has caused more than a few riders to crash.

While I agree that new tyres need to break in, the whole lube thing is just an old wives tale.

https://youtu.be/muP8nZ6-tXE

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Rohitj92

Hope these tyres will fullfill my demands.

Michelin Pilot street radials are the best tyres for Duke 390 after the Metz. They are terrific in durability too.

I used them in my CBR 250R for 14000 km and on my Duke 390(it still looked and felt knew when i sold the bike) it lasted for 32000 km, and i replaced with another set of PSR before selling the bike! If stock metz lasted you for 17500km, i am very sure michelins would stay for 35000 km easily. No, I am NOT exaggerating at all.

I also find them great for even hard cornering and enthusiastic riding. I loved those tyres and they are my default choice on any sub 600cc bike I lay my hands on.

[barcalad]

This is but a personal experience I would like to mention here, for the sake of many prospective owners who follow this thread closely, like I did, once upon a time.

First, I would like to quote the caption of one of my most liked Instagram photos :

Me with the best co-rider that I've ever had the pleasure of riding with. A humble, talented and witty graduate of CSS, Samarth Bhai has been an elderly brother figure to me. Always reposed his trust on me to plan, execute and lead a ride. A very composed man on the saddle, it's a pleasure to see him corner on them twisties. Telepathy in motorcycling is rare, but an amazing tool. Well, me and him ace that completely.

Aforementioned gentleman, identified as sammyboy here in the forum is one of my old partners-in-crime. He rides a Ninja 250. He has seen me blossom from an enthusiastic Duke 390 biker to a mature, sane and calculated Duke 390 motorcyclist. He has seen every stage of my motorcycling graph.

Today, I am glad he is my family. After all, he made the impulsive decision to go for the KTM Duke 390. I did something similar 3 years back. Never regretted it ever since.

Dream. You can and you will get it. What you stare at today will be yours tomorrow. Be patient and let the right window come.

Here's a candid photo of sammboy in one of our rides in Rajasthan. It flawlessly fits my emotions.

[Darth Sid]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

While I agree that new tyres need to break in, the whole lube thing is just an old wives tale.

Yes, breaking in a new tyre is needed but mould release compound is not an old wives' tale. It is old technology. You will find that lower quality tyres like from CEAT or Vee Rubber (case in point, the Vertigo Sport and the VRM 163) have a decent amount of mould release compound on them but higher quality ones like from Michelin have little to no residue.

I found this (link below) in a quick Google search on mould release agents. Quite interesting. It is about breaking in new tyres and has a mention of mould release agent. It seems that its use depends on the quality of the mould. I cannot verify the authenticity of the text but it seems to make sense, if that's worth anything.

http://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthr...ts-heat-cycles

Also, the Google search returned hits on websites of tyre mould release agent manufacturers. But those pages will be advertising their products so that does not really tell us if that process is still used even by smaller tyre manufacturers.

[akshayhonda]

Hello guys,

I wish to opt for Pirelli Sport Dragon 110/70-17 front tyre for my Duke 390.

Any of you guys have had experience with them? Kindly let know. I cannot afford to get a Michelin PSR currently. Nor I trust MRF even if it's a bit cheaper. So this seemed to be the only option to me. Buying from Amazon.in

[barcalad]

Originally Posted by akshayhonda

Hello guys,

I wish to opt for Pirelli Sport Dragon 110/70-17 front tyre for my Duke 390.

Any of you guys have had experience with them? Kindly let know. I cannot afford to get a Michelin PSR currently. Nor I trust MRF even if it's a bit cheaper. So this seemed to be the only option to me. Buying from Amazon.in

I've been using the PSD up front for around 2 years now, and I am very happy with it. Provides phenomenal grip even in wet conditions, is terrific during corners and hasn't given me any heartaches yet. It's impressive.

The nimbleness of the bike remains the same. Be assured, you will not at all lose out on that.

However, I wouldn't suggest buying via Amazon. Buying a tyre physically after matching date of manufacture and other details so as to verify it's originality is recommended.

[Dramitn]

Hello guys,
I own a 2014 Duke 390,I am facing a strange problem.
When I am riding the bike, while accelerating to be exact, the is a sudden loss of power for 1-2 seconds and then the bike is back to normal running.
This happens once in few days but it's very scary when it happens while overtaking.
The problem could not be reproduced by the guys at the service centre so unable to find out what is the problem.
Anybody here with any suggestions?

[sridhu]

Originally Posted by Dramitn

Hello guys,
I own a 2014 Duke 390,I am facing a strange problem.
When I am riding the bike, while accelerating to be exact, the is a sudden loss of power for 1-2 seconds and then the bike is back to normal running.
This happens once in few days but it's very scary when it happens while overtaking.
The problem could not be reproduced by the guys at the service centre so unable to find out what is the problem.
Anybody here with any suggestions?

Check your fuel pump & fuel filter. Might be clogged. If your bike is standing undriven most times, it is possibly the fuel pump due to degradation of fuel.

[Dramitn]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Check your fuel pump & fuel filter. Might be clogged. If your bike is standing undriven most times, it is possibly the fuel pump due to degradation of fuel.

Thanks! will just check up on that and get back to you if it works.

[tabrez]

MY'17 Duke 390 bestowed with a rather prestigious accolade.
http://overdrive.in/news-cars-auto/k...ty-2018-award/

It really dodged some tough competition to make it to the podium (Street Triple RS, MV Augusta Brutale 800 & it's very own Indian cousin, Dominar 400)

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Originally Posted by Rohitj92

Finally after 17,500kms, changed both the front and rear tyres today. Opted for the Michelin Pilot Street. Costed me 9,900/- for the set at Saifee tyres, Santacruz. Yes, my stock tyres lasted that long. Cant give the first impressions yet as i just brought the bike home from the tyre shop. Although the handling and braking felt wierd. Maybe because they are brand new. And i use the bike for daily commute and long rides once a month. Not into heavy cornering and not at all into track racing. Hope these tyres will fullfill my demands. Here are some pics:
.

Hey Rohit, how's the tires performing. I am considering PSR for my Dominar rear. I am looking at more grip than the stock RevZ and also curious to know how it performs on mild off road and especially on gravel.

KK

[vikramvicky1984]

Dear all,
Can you please help me thing to check while buying a used duke 390 ( 2015-16). Most riders seem to thrash their dukes hard which make me wary. Never bought a used bike before.
Approx prices along with minimum post purchase expenses( servicing, oil changes, tyres-10k PSR, any must ahve accesories would also be very helpful

My annual running will be around 1000-1500 kms only.
Don't see value in buying a new 2017 model given my usage.
Holding on to navi as well- lovely bike and nobody seems to want it too.
Would invest saved money in new riding gear and helmet.