[Rollin' Thunda]

Originally Posted by hellraizer

The bike cannot be driven in a relaxed manner at all. So, all you confused Bullet-or-KTM guys, please test drive it enough before you put your money down. According to me, a bullet can be driven much more peacefully and at ease. Performance be damned, but you have Peace.

I couldn't agree with you more. I had advertised my RE Thunderbird on some used bike websites before I took delivery of my Duke 390. On my first day with the new bike, I quickly pulled the ads for my Thunderbird, thanking god that it hadn't been sold already.

The Duke is a really fun bike to ride for an hour, if you have clear roads. I cannot imagine touring on it 8-10 hours a day, for days on end, as I have done on the Thunderbird.

Choosing between the Duke and the Thunderbird would have been a difficult choice for me. Fortunately, having both seems like a good compromise .

[VW2010]

To me its exactly the opposite. In fact the perfect combination of bikes I ever want in the stable. My 500 is great fun to ride but the 390 just grows on me each day. From those short burst to long hauls the 390 keeps growing on me and my 500 is a bit lonely even after a month. Over 1200kms was last covered in a rain affected month on my bike more than 6-7 years ago. My old jerkin based jacked which was my lucky tourer is back on and 390 has just brought by passion back with a shot of adrenalin.

My 500 may not tour much considering the 390 is just a great tool for that covering a lot of kms with lots of fun.


To me I would say give it few weeks and see if you don't feel it. If you don't you don't. But I am convinced the 390 is going to stay ....


I drive 52 kms a day to worm in chennai city traffic. I feel better taking the 390 out than the bull. Bull is slowing becoming my bike for local chores and may be fun Saturday short rides. The 390 is getting more road days easily.

Thanks ktm

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by hellraizer

I have a mixed feeling about the bike and I may not keep the bike beyond a year. No doubt, this is a VFM bike that ticks a lot of checkboxes, but is simply not the type of bike I would love to have.
Now the waiting for the British bike to launch. Hopefully, I can afford one soon. My eyes set on the Bonnie.

Ouch! That is too hard. You seems to have awful time with the bike.

Now I'm in dilemma. Just arrived after a TD.

My views:

Bike has a odd position wrt to pedals. I drive TBird 350.

I felt you are pressed forward towards handle during rides. Thus without gloves hands get sore. Adjusting handle bar may rectify it as mentioned already in this thread.

In city it can be driven only in 1st and 2nd gear. Even in 2nd gear,low speeds lead to knocking. Thus I stalled the vehicle 2 - 3 times

Did not like the exhaust note at all.

Starting issue is there. The SA, who accompinied me upon my request, told me not give any throttle during starting.

I rode through fairly rough road and am quite satisfied with its suspension even with a pillion. Note both of us are quite large in size.

It easily accomodate two well built adults.

Brakes & tyres are superb. Enough said about it.

And last but not least, it can accelerate like no tomorrow.




Btw SA told me we can expect RC390 in 1st quarter of 2014, price would be around 2.5 lakhs


OT: To all Ninja 650 riders: How does it drive in the city?

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by hellraizer

I have a mixed feeling about the bike and I may not keep the bike beyond a year. No doubt, this is a VFM bike that ticks a lot of checkboxes, but is simply not the type of bike I would love to have.
.

That's a bit of an anti-climax after all the excitement buddy!

Relax! I honestly think you are jumping the gun. I'm quite sure the machine will settle down and find you comfortable (and vice versa) with time. You will find that opening the throttle a wee little bit will help you potter around the city in third/fourth gear with ease. Do not try sixth in the city. In the city 5th is the top gear in this bike. Clutch riding a little bit is mandatory on this bike.

Anyway, you need to ride more and give yourself and the bike some time to understand each other.

[hellraizer]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

Anyway, you need to ride more and give yourself and the bike some time to understand each other.

I have done about 200km in 3 days. With roads being virtually empty on 1-Nov, it was indeed fun to drive around Bangalore. I just hope the bike the bike gets smoother with time. I am not babying the bike at all. I am trying to keep the revs below 8k. It's no doubt fun driving that way. This bike needs empty roads.

What do you think I must do for the starting troubles? If the bike is hot, it won't start easily. I have to thumb the starter 3-4 times. It keeps heating when you stop in Red irrespective of whether you choose to switch off the bike or not. Isn't this a big flaw? I do know that performance bikes have a tendency to heat up and it's not unusual.
I am planning to take the bike to Khivraj on Tuesday to see if something can be done. I am not too sure if they can resolve this

[Rollin' Thunda]

@Added_flavor

You seem to have rigged your bike for multi-day touring (BTW, it was very nicely done. Congratulations). I'd be interested to know, and I'm sure others would be too, how you fare on the Duke 390 on a multi-day trip. So please post your experiences, if you make one.

My own feeling is that, while the Duke is fun to ride for an hour or two, its riding stance is too cramped for day-long touring.

Also, the constant acceleration and deceleration, that one inevitably does on the Duke, takes its toll on the body. I return after an hour's spirited riding feeling as if I have returned after a work-out in the gym! While the Duke seems very safe and planted at all times, I'm not sure whether riding a bike with such a twitchy throttle when tired (as one invariably is after a day-long run) is safe. But I would be happy to be reassured...

Safe riding!

[VW2010]

People talking about throttle and engine brake do realize that its exactly the same in such high power 40odd bhp bikes where the torque curve is max at higher rpm. Learning to ride a high rpm engine is also an art. Its not a bullet where max rpm could be not even half the max rpm of say duke or ninja while enjoying peak power.


There is a way to ride to roll with the bike and avoid jerking. Few things to note include

- understand the traffic
- know the max gear you can use
- stay in lower gear and gently throttle and gently use clutch
- first gear is designed in a way where you can roll the bike so effortlessly
- keep the rpm below 3-5k and shift up immediately when you feel engine is not lugging.
- while shifting down slow down in the higher gear and shift only after say 3-4 k rpm . Engage clutch fully while slowing down if needed.

I haven't put it the way I wanted to explain but in a nutshell its a technique one has to learn and practise to understand the bike and use right gearing and throttling

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by hellraizer

I am planning to take the bike to Khivraj on Tuesday to see if something can be done. I am not too sure if they can resolve this

I believe they are quite competent with KTM service. Talk to Mr. Ravi over there!

Originally Posted by Rollin' Thunda

My own feeling is that, while the Duke is fun to ride for an hour or two, its riding stance is too cramped for day-long touring.

Also, the constant acceleration and deceleration, that one inevitably does on the Duke, takes its toll on the body. I return after an hour's spirited riding feeling as if I have returned after a work-out in the gym! While the Duke seems very safe and planted at all times, I'm not sure whether riding a bike with such a twitchy throttle when tired (as one invariably is after a day-long run) is safe. But I would be happy to be reassured...

Safe riding!

The bike can safely be used for touring once you have a proper set-up for carrying luggage. Personally, there's a difference in my riding habits between a spirited day-ride and a relaxed long tour where sustenance for rider and the ride are the key. The duke is very relaxed in top gear and I see no reason why this bike would tire me!

Originally Posted by VW2010

I haven't put it the way I wanted to explain but in a but shell its a technique one has to learn and practise to understand the bike and use right gearing and throttling

I completely connect with what you say here Sir! It's all about understanding that sweet spot in the throttle - whether to cruise in the city or for economical riding when necessary!

[hellraizer]

Hey Guys,

The nightmare continued with my Duke. The clutch had a little excessive play from the day I took the delivery. As I was returning from office around 7 PM, the clutch suddenly felt extremely light and realized something had gone wrong. I couldn't change from 3rd great to second gear; I realized I had lost the clutch. I managed to slot into neutral and pulled to the left side of the road. The clutch lever had 0 bite and was basically not engaging/disengaging anymore. I called up the KTM guys and they advised me to check the Play. I then tried to adjust the play to the maximum possible extent and was happy to suddenly notice the bite. I geared up again and thought, I could at least reach home. I fired up the engine and voila, the clutch was back to square one; no bite again.
All this happened near Koramangala first block signal and I got the bike towed to Total mall in Madivala. A fellow duker assisted me in towing. Thanks to him.
This looks like a manufacturing defect of some sort.

Booked on Day 1, tireless follow ups for 4 long months, dealer sitting on my full money for 2 weeks without the bike, finally on the day of delivery I got a dirty bike delivered with less than ideal clutch play, no shift indicator RPM set, no number plate, the bike refusing to start every now and then and finally a road failure and kept me at bay.

Of course I have every right to complain. Why not.

Yeah, so much for KTM and it's quality. I will keep you guys posted on this thread on what exactly was the root cause. Please pray for me :-)

[hellraizer]

Finally, the bike is back from the repair. There was an assembly issue with the clutch. I was told that pictures were taken and sent to the manufacturing line so that these will not repeat again in the future.
I also got the oil changed as the ODO was at 400km. The clutch feels a lot better with almost no play at all and the bike also felt a little smoother.

[Added_flavor]

Good to hear that hellraizer! What exactly was wrong when you say assembly issue?

And there has to be a play of at least 2 mm else the clutch will slip.

[hellraizer]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

Good to hear that hellraizer! What exactly was wrong when you say assembly issue?

And there has to be a play of at least 2 mm else the clutch will slip.

Some loose springs. This is all I was told. It was an assembly issue.
Of course, there is a small amount of play now. Previously, the Play was like more than 1.5 cm or so, which was not ok as everybody who test rode stalled the bike. Now everything seems to be Ok.

[VijayAnand1]

Excellent stuff there, Added_flavor. Gone through some reviews of the Duke, but this was gag time right from the word go, as much as I enjoyed reading it, it gave me a good dose of humor too.

Cheers!
VJ

[spoiler]

Memories of my RX100 and bike riding just flashed across my mind after reading the D-390 review and ownership reports.Every day these updates tempt to go back to riding days with this new street fighter.

[Added_flavor]

UPDATE: 4000 Km!

Well I have been an avid biker ever since I could ride but I do not think I was ever addicted to riding like I am now! I so look forward to riding this bike that sometimes even Monday mornings feel good just because I get to ride 25 Km to work!

Coming to the machine itself, it's been an absolute bliss. I have done a lot of daily commuting and weekend rides and it's all been sheer pleasure. There are absolutely no issues with the bike (I may be lucky). No starting issues, no irritating vibes from the MID (in spite of the Fazer windscreen), smooth power delivery and complete fill-shut-forget experience till now.

Sharing my experience with the small modifications and maintenance I have done till now.

Aftermarket (Fazer) Windscreen DIY:

Well the first thing that hit me when I touched 130 on this bike was wind and the next thing was that I need a windscreen badly, especially coming from the karizma! Inspired by a lot of guys who have done the DIY, I was on it too.

Stuff I used:
1. The windscreen itself (INR 216/-)
2. A packet of bindi used by women - Lol! - Yes I'll tell you how handy they could be for this job.
3. A drill tool.
4. Allen keys.

How:

1. No, the existing holes on the windscreen can't be used to mount on the duke.

2. I removed the existing windscreen, and compared with the new one to mark the points to be drilled.

3. Pasted the 4 bindis on the points to be drilled. Rechecked with the actual holes and aligned the bindis as required. Mind you the bindis easily move on the plastic and that's why they are handy!

4. Drilled the top two holes precisely and checked the bottom 2 bindis just to be sure. Next I drilled the bottom 2 holes.

5. Next step is to mount the windscreen and it can get quite tricky due to the nature of the mounting bolts. If the inner bracket falls inside the dome, you need to open the dome and fetch it and fit it again. This happened to me and after a bit of circus, I was able to mount the windscreen. And tada!! here it is -




Feedback:

1. Bike feels different the moment you put the windscreen. It also has a big bike feel now. Only after fitting it I realized it helps even at speeds from 80 kmph onward.

2. I have ridden all the way up to 170 (in appropriate conditions with full safety gear). There is a bit of flutter at those speeds. But not enough to bother. I could still see through the windscreen and see the road clearly.

3. I don't think windscreen has increased the top end. It surely has improved how the rider feels at those speeds. (aka the rider doesn't hang on to the handle bar at high speeds unlike before)

4. I don't feel it requires any more support. The windscreen is of good quality and doesn't break or sheer off. I have observed after every top speed run to find cracks around the 4 bolts but haven't found anything.

5. The only disadvantage is - now the wind is directed away from your chest but hits your helmet increasing wind noise. Due to this, there's more pressure on the neck muscles now causing a bit of pain after sustained high speed runs. Sitting back and crouching a little bit will make sure even this is negated.

6. I do not want to mount it higher or get a bigger windscreen as it will surely increase drag.

Moral of the story: The windscreen is here to stay. No more supports required.


Paddock stand and maintenance:

Procured the paddock stand at INR 1200 from a friend from CBR riding group. Very handy for chain adjustment, cleaning and lubrication.

Pictures of the paddock stand are posted in another thread. Link

Regular Maintenance.

1. I lube the chain every 500 Km and clean it every 1000 km. Use OKS chain lube and Motul chain cleaner respectively.

2. I had tightened the chain about 1500 Km back myself and till now there's no noise or slack noticed. The play is exactly the same. (5 - 7 mm)

3. I check coolant level and engine oil level once a week while washing. Never topped up till now.

4. Coolant level should be a wee little below half mark (when cold) in the window. This way when it expands it just touches max or a little below it. Coolant level should never exceed this, else it will leak out.

5. To check engine oil level, warm up the engine till first bar appears in the temperature gauge, switch it off and let it cool down for a minute. Keep the bike straight albeit tilted to right by 5 degrees and the brown/orange oil is visible in the window.

6. Adjust clutch lever play as per manual and the shifts will be smooth. This is done whenever I feel the shifts are clunky.

Hope this helps whoever reads this.

Some pics taken on a recent ride with black12rr





Missed clicking at 4k again!


I am off on a solo ride, starting on the 1st of Jan! I know - a lovely way to start the new year! Will write about it after I am back.