[b16h22]

Originally Posted by Vikram8891

Any suggestions will be welcome. Sadly, none of my friends and acquaintances in Bengaluru own this bike so I don't have another bike for comparison.

P.S. this is my eighth motorcycle so I have some experience behind me.

Maybe your brain is set for the really stout lever feel of the old non ABS bikes. Most budget Bybre MCs have a certain level of sponginess built into them for being newbie friendly plus the extra long brake circuitry for ABS. But, new 390s are the best of that bench in terms of feel. Could be that you are looking for more. You can try doing a brake bleed but it might end up being the same.

[Vikram8891]

Originally Posted by b16h22

Maybe your brain is set for the really stout lever feel of the old non ABS bikes. Most budget Bybre MCs have a certain level of sponginess built into them for being newbie friendly plus the extra long brake circuitry for ABS. But, new 390s are the best of that bench in terms of feel. Could be that you are looking for more. You can try doing a brake bleed but it might end up being the same.

Thanks for replying. This is my third bike with ABS so I don't think it is about the non ABS habit. Did try the brake bleed but things didn't change much. Does upgrading the master cylinder help? If you have any recommendations on a master cylinder upgrade, that would help.

[hikozaru]

Originally Posted by Vikram8891

As you can guess from the title though I am not too happy with the bite of the front brakes. Specially after having heard so much about the stupendous performance and nature of them in multiple reviews.

To put into simple terms, the brake lever feels spongy. Now the obvious thought in my head was that there is probably air in the lines and I will get it rectified in the first service. However, it was bothering me and I went to a SVC close to my home (at ODO 500 kms) and the technicians said it was normal. I even tried squeezing the brake lever of a parked Gen 3 390 and it actually felt the same.

I got my first service done from another SVC and asked them to bleed the brakes and they did but that did not really make a difference. They also checked and made sure the brake pads weren't worn out. I feel that under hard braking eventually the brake becomes spongy and I feel a lack of bite. Another probable reason could be that of brake fade but I never ride the bike continuously for more than an hour in traffic anyway. Also my second bike - a 2020 Interceptor which I have done 37,000 kms on has much sharper brakes and next to no brake fade. The lever has never felt spongy on it.

I also thought that maybe adjusting the lever for reach may help but it was a long shot and didnt improve things either. I am not sure if the brake fluid could be an issue since I think it uses Dot 5 which is pretty reilient to high temps.

At this point I am beginning to wonder if I am making a big deal out of it or whether it is an actual issue. To be fair I did have a couple of panic brake situations and the bike handled it decently. I still can't shake this feeling though that the brakes are supposed to be better than this given the nature of the performance this bike offers.

Any suggestions will be welcome. Sadly, none of my friends and acquaintances in Bengaluru own this bike so I don't have another bike for comparison.

P.S. this is my eighth motorcycle so I have some experience behind me.

The braking itself is fine, it is a little on the softer side for sure, but it goes relatively well with the rest of the bike being easy and light to operate. The real problem is that the lever has too much free play and it sadly cannot be tweaked. I was shocked to see that the river indie, an electric scooter has zero free play on its front brakes and that thing just stops. I am also looking for solutions to fix this problem.

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by Vikram8891

Hi Guys,

I purchased a Duke 390 Gen 3 fresh off the showroom floor about a month back and have done close to 1000 kms with the first service out of the way too. This is by far the most engaging and fun bike I have had the pleasure of owning. This coming from someone who had a CBR 600 F4i and the OG Hero Honda CBZ! Fair to say I am thoroughly enjoying my daily 32 kms office commutes on it and it is a proper cheat code for Bengaluru traffic.

As you can guess from the title though I am not too happy with the bite of the front brakes. Specially after having heard so much about the stupendous performance and nature of them in multiple reviews.

To put into simple terms, the brake lever feels spongy. Now the obvious thought in my head was that there is probably air in the lines and I will get it rectified in the first service. However, it was bothering me and I went to a SVC close to my home (at ODO 500 kms) and the technicians said it was normal. I even tried squeezing the brake lever of a parked Gen 3 390 and it actually felt the same.

I got my first service done from another SVC and asked them to bleed the brakes and they did but that did not really make a difference. They also checked and made sure the brake pads weren't worn out. I feel that under hard braking eventually the brake becomes spongy and I feel a lack of bite. Another probable reason could be that of brake fade but I never ride the bike continuously for more than an hour in traffic anyway. Also my second bike - a 2020 Interceptor which I have done 37,000 kms on has much sharper brakes and next to no brake fade. The lever has never felt spongy on it.

I also thought that maybe adjusting the lever for reach may help but it was a long shot and didnt improve things either. I am not sure if the brake fluid could be an issue since I think it uses Dot 5 which is pretty reilient to high temps.

At this point I am beginning to wonder if I am making a big deal out of it or whether it is an actual issue. To be fair I did have a couple of panic brake situations and the bike handled it decently. I still can't shake this feeling though that the brakes are supposed to be better than this given the nature of the performance this bike offers.

Any suggestions will be welcome. Sadly, none of my friends and acquaintances in Bengaluru own this bike so I don't have another bike for comparison.

P.S. this is my eighth motorcycle so I have some experience behind me.

A quick work around would be start off by adjusting your brake lever (adjustable lever) a little farther away from you, this would give you some leverage owing to the sponginess which will give you better leverage and hence better feel. Secondly, the sponginess is inherent with most motorcycles sold these days owing to the ABS and the ensuing systems, and sometimes intentionally done by manufacturers to let riders take it easy on the front brakes (may sound odd).

Your bike already comes with sintered pads, braided lines etc, so try playing with the adjustable lever. Remember, the farther the brake lever is away from you, the better leverage, the more it is near you, the less leverage, more spongy feel and subdued feedback.

Hope it helps!

Cheers!
VJ

[Vikram8891]

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

A quick work around would be start off by adjusting your brake lever (adjustable lever) a little farther away from you, this would give you some leverage owing to the sponginess which will give you better leverage and hence better feel.


Remember, the farther the brake lever is away from you, the better leverage, the more it is near you, the less leverage, more spongy feel and subdued feedback.

Hope it helps!

Cheers!
VJ

Agreed and this is one of the first things I did myself as I mentioned in the post. I guess I will need to get used to it.

[jomson13]

Hey Everyone,

I was looking for a pre-owned duke 390 back in 2021 but didn't find anything that I really liked. Most of the bikes were kept poorly or had some minor issues. I didn't pursue it further and then things took a completely different turn when I decided to get onto the twin cylinder bandwagon - the RE interceptor. I rode 3 bikes and picked up the 3rd one. Its been riding really well, no issues other than the usual RE trademarks - yearly fork seal replacements and engine oil consumption.

The bike has seen increased usage during the past month; I've been a regular at the office. Its a 17km commute one way. The interceptor is not the best suited for traffic and I found myself quite tired when I got back home. I do not want to sell the bike so soon and that too only because of this reason - hence I've begun looking at getting a used duke. Again!

This time I am also including the RC in my consideration set. I've never ridden it so am willing to give it a shot.
I'm looking at bikes via OLX and team BHP classifieds.
Checked out a couple of bikes today:

1. 2019 Duke 390, 1st owner, 25k kms, used as a weekend bike. very well maintained - Quoting 2 L

2. 2017 Duke 390, 2nd owner, 19k kms, needs a good service - Quoting 1.8L

What would be a good price for the 1st bike?

Do you think I should also look at the RC? I think I should be able to adjust to the riding position and I've heard that the engine heat is not felt due to the fairing.

Any other suggestions / advice that I should look out for while checking out these bikes?

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by jomson13

Hey Everyone,

I was looking for a pre-owned duke 390 back in 2021 but didn't find anything that I really liked. Most of the bikes were kept poorly or had some minor issues. I didn't pursue it further and then things took a completely different turn when I decided to get onto the twin cylinder bandwagon - the RE interceptor. I rode 3 bikes and picked up the 3rd one. Its been riding really well, no issues other than the usual RE trademarks - yearly fork seal replacements and engine oil consumption.

The bike has seen increased usage during the past month; I've been a regular at the office. Its a 17km commute one way. The interceptor is not the best suited for traffic and I found myself quite tired when I got back home. I do not want to sell the bike so soon and that too only because of this reason - hence I've begun looking at getting a used duke. Again!

This time I am also including the RC in my consideration set. I've never ridden it so am willing to give it a shot.
I'm looking at bikes via OLX and team BHP classifieds.
Checked out a couple of bikes today:

1. 2019 Duke 390, 1st owner, 25k kms, used as a weekend bike. very well maintained - Quoting 2 L

2. 2017 Duke 390, 2nd owner, 19k kms, needs a good service - Quoting 1.8L

What would be a good price for the 1st bike?

Do you think I should also look at the RC? I think I should be able to adjust to the riding position and I've heard that the engine heat is not felt due to the fairing.

Any other suggestions / advice that I should look out for while checking out these bikes?

Hey Jom. It's sincerely a hard question to answer. The rudimentals of your requirement sincerely falls on your usage pattern. Why? You've mentioned the Interceptor is making you tired. While I agree it is a heavy bike to mop around town and traffic, which can indeed take quite a toll especially after a tiring day in office.

But the differentiating factor that I'd leave to you is, are you comfortable with the seating position. The Interceptor and the GT have more or less similar riding position, and the RC is even more aggressive when it comes to body position on the bike. The RC is much lighter, nimbler and faster than the Inty/GT which makes life a breeze in city traffic.

Caveat though is, are you comfortable and will you be not tired-er riding the RC with its even more aggressive riding stance and feel okay when you reach home? This is something I'd recommend for a soliloquy.

Coming to the pricing aspect. If you're okay with everything lo and behold and totally in love with the RC, then pricing can be worked upon.

1. 2019 Duke 390, 1st owner, 25k kms, used as a weekend bike. very well maintained - Quoting 2 L

2. 2017 Duke 390, 2nd owner, 19k kms, needs a good service - Quoting 1.8L

Both are decently priced, considering their upkeep and service records are in top nick and to your satisfaction. A few grands lesser here and there should be a good starting point to haggle.

Good luck, and I hope I did some justice.

Ride safe.

Cheers!
VJ

[Samarth 619]

Hello guys, I have a 2013 Duke 390, 1.8~lakh kms done.

Even after so many services and all, one issue remains unsolved:- the speedo often randomly shows 0 during a ride.

Now, I read somewhere that changing stator coil will eliminate this issue, and i told the mechanic. The mechanic wanted to experiment by changing the speedo cable, nothing improved.
So, should I finally change the stator coil, I've heard it costs around 3k which I'm happy to bear if it solves it.

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by Samarth 619

Hello guys, I have a 2013 Duke 390, 1.8~lakh kms done.

Even after so many services and all, one issue remains unsolved:- the speedo often randomly shows 0 during a ride.

Now, I read somewhere that changing stator coil will eliminate this issue, and i told the mechanic. The mechanic wanted to experiment by changing the speedo cable, nothing improved.
So, should I finally change the stator coil, I've heard it costs around 3k which I'm happy to bear if it solves it.

In these 1.8 lakh KMS if you've haven't replaced your startor, that's a brilliant life for a stator coil. And yes, the first tell tale signs of a failing stator is its intermittent power supply to the battery, where the battery drains, provides lesser volts to the components, especially the speedo, then the battery recharges itself partially, then drains and hence the random zero -- courtesy failing stator. Replace your stator coil to the newer ones, check your charging voltage and you should be set.

Cheers!
VJ

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by Samarth 619

Now, I read somewhere that changing stator coil will eliminate this issue, and i told the mechanic. The mechanic wanted to experiment by changing the speedo cable, nothing improved.
So, should I finally change the stator coil, I've heard it costs around 3k which I'm happy to bear if it solves it.

Sometimes the stator coil doesn't fix it. I've gone through two in my ownership. The first time it started showing zero, it was the stator. The second time, it didn't fix the issue and it was still there when I sold the bike. I did check the charging voltages and battery and it was fine. Couldn't quite get to the root cause of the issue.

[Samarth 619]

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

In these 1.8 lakh KMS if you've haven't replaced your startor, that's a brilliant life for a stator coil. And yes, the first tell tale signs of a failing stator is its intermittent power supply to the battery, where the battery drains, provides lesser volts to the components, especially the speedo, then the battery recharges itself partially, then drains and hence the random zero -- courtesy failing stator. Replace your stator coil to the newer ones, check your charging voltage and you should be set.
Cheers!
VJ

Thanks. You might be on something, because since quite some time, if I turn on the key and console, but do not start the bike for 1 minute, the console gives me a "Low Battery" error. And this problem is even on all new batteries after 6-12 months. I've been ignoring it coz you know.. the bike's still running.
So, alright then, I'll change it first thing in the next service.

Originally Posted by b16h22

Sometimes the stator coil doesn't fix it. I've gone through two in my ownership. The first time it started showing zero, it was the stator. The second time, it didn't fix the issue and it was still there when I sold the bike. I did check the charging voltages and battery and it was fine. Couldn't quite get to the root cause of the issue.

I see. Thanks for your input.
The first mechanic who tried solving this issue was saying that there's a short circuit somewhere inside, and its a deep rooted issue, and I'll have to open her up to solve this up. But I never trusted this guy, 'cause he couldn't detect a bearing damage once.

My present mechanic (in another city), he has no opinion on the topic, he just goes into thinking mode, till someone or something changes the topic. Sounds weird, but is every bit true.
So, when I suggested him the stator coil, he said its better to change a Rs. 500 speedo cable than a 3k stator, so I did, with no benefit.
Stator coil is up for the next service then, I guess.

[slalom]

Hey guys , I have upgraded my 2014 duke 390's front master cylinder ,it seems the svc has fixed the 250 's MC ,part # 36JP0016 instead of the 390's ,part # 36JP0017 . Please throw in some light on whether these are the same ,the svc guys are saying both are same.

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by slalom

Hey guys , I have upgraded my 2014 duke 390's front master cylinder ,it seems the svc has fixed the 250 's MC ,part # 36JP0016 instead of the 390's ,part # 36JP0017 . Please throw in some light on whether these are the same ,the svc guys are saying both are same.

The master cylinder for both the Gen 2 390 and the 250 are the same. The Gen 3 390's and the Gen 3 250's are the same. The old ones had squared master cylinder cap, the new ones have a trapezoidal master cylinder cap. The only difference with the 390 over the rest is others don't come with adjustable levers.

So, if you've used either of the square capped Master Cylinder version of the of the 250, it's absolutely the same. Nothing to worry.

Cheers!
VJ

[jomson13]

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

But the differentiating factor that I'd leave to you is, are you comfortable with the seating position. The Interceptor and the GT have more or less similar riding position, and the RC is even more aggressive when it comes to body position on the bike. The RC is much lighter, nimbler and faster than the Inty/GT which makes life a breeze in city traffic.


VJ

Rode a couple of RC's - one yesterday and another today.
The one from the morning was in decent nick, only problem is that it is well used - 74k kms in 9 years.
It recently got a lot of engine work done at the ASC - New block, piston, crankshaft,
Camshaft and timing chain were also changed last year.
Bike feels pretty good now, at least its much better than the lesser run bike that I rode yesterday night.

On the seating position - I don't know why but I found the RC to be better!
Maybe because my back is pretty straight on the RC vs slightly bent on the duke.
I find myself sitting too close to the bars on the duke.
Also, the seat of the RC is wider and offers more wiggle room for the rider.

After the initial duke (asking 1.8L) today morning's RC is the second bike that I am seriously considering.
The RC owner is asking 1.15 which is reasonable I feel.

Should I be worried about the engine work or do I trust that the ASC has done a good job and forget about it.

I plan to get the bike checked at my FNG today evening, if he gives the green light then i'll pick it up.

[Shonith]

Originally Posted by jomson13

Should I be worried about the engine work or do I trust that the ASC has done a good job and forget about it.

I plan to get the bike checked at my FNG today evening, if he gives the green light then i'll pick it up.

This is what i followed to check some of the engines,

1. Start the bike and listen to the engine sound on both sides. It shouldn’t sound like a bag of chips.

2. How many cranks the bike takes to start, more cranks can indicate a weak battery, valve clearance issues.

3. Check the condition of the oil sight glass. If the engine oil has been changed regularly and the engine is in good condition then the slight glass will be like new.

4. Make sure that the oil is not milky, this indicates a leaky coolent pump seal or gasket.

5. Start the bike and open the oil filler cap, a few small drops will come out thats normal but nothing more. Also place your finger on the filler hole there shouldnt be excessive pressure being exerted. If there is too much pressure and excessive oil coming out then its a sure indication that there is excessive blow past in the piston. In such bikes even the oil sight glass will be black and will have more oil consumption. I wouldn’t touch such bikes even with a stick.

6. Check the soot condition in the exhaust tip. It should be bare minimum.

7. Condition of the throttle body also gives an indication of blow past in the piston. Because the crankcase breather is connected to the air box, after the filter. Excessive blow past will make carbon particles to travel into the air box and accumulate on the throttle body.

Hope this helps