Hi All,
Note to the mods: please move the thread to appropriate section if needed & pardon me for minor grammatical mistakes.
I was a proud owner of a black pulsar 150CC DTSi (2004 model, the 1st DTSi model launched). I always wanted to upgrade to a better and leaner machine from a long time. I am 5'11'' and very very bulky (bulky is a understatement)
My search took about 2 years and a lot of waiting - to finalize my next ride and then waiting for it to come home.
I had a budget of 2L (stretchable to 2.5 max) for a bike that was about 300-350 CC and had a power of 30-35 BHP. It seemed like a perfect upgrade for me (in my mind). So I set aside a sum of money and started looking for a suitable replacement.
The bikes that I evaluated were:
1. TBTS 350 : I had ridden an old TB and was not impressed by the ride. I had read horror stories for maintaining the Royals and I wanted a lesser attention seeking bike. A friend just bought a Classic 500 and he spent more time in service station than on road. So I bid my adieu to this brand. No disrespect meant though.
2. CBR250 : If 390 was not launched I would have had this in my garage. It ticked all my checkboxes. The only issues I had with this was the price of ABS model (which is steep according to the power it generates and the CC capacity) and the dull nature of the ride, it was smooth but was very docile for a upgrade.
3. Duke 200 : My bulky frame was never attracted to this ride till I rode one. It was surprisingly very comfortable (snug-fit) and was peppy enough to be riding around in traffic. When it was launched it was about 1.2 L OTR pune and was a very sweet price. The only thing that stopped me going for it was the news about 390.
4. Ninja 300 : The best of the lot (price excluding). I waited and waited for the launch for bated breath, read all the mags, read all the blogs whilst praying for this to be launched below the outgoing 250's price. But I was proved horribly wrong. 4L OTR in Pune is a horrible price to pay for such a sweet ride. As a duty-full Indian I waved the red (Not-VFM) flag and marched away from the showroom.
After all this waiting I heard about the new KTM offering. 390 was perfect. It had the power, the styling to die for all that it needed was money to be in the slot.
I repeated my already practiced cycle of collecting information, reading stuff (ThankU TBHP for all the scoops / news) about this ride and Lo and Behold it got launched in my price range. I did a full routine of Cha-Cha and Samba before I broke the news gently to my wife of 7 years about it.
She looked once at the bike and immediately said NO... the rear seat is for show, she said. I was heartbroken. I promised her to buy a scooter for daily duties and for her and the kid before I could think about this one. So a deal was stuck. Only Duke was not good... Active and Duke were perfect for us.
So after conning her into thinking that we would book a activa soon, I booked a 390 3 days after the launch. I thought the deliveries for 390 would follow the suit of 200 and would not take the 90day max waiting period. But I was sadly mistaken. I was glued to all the 390 threads running in TBHP while hoping my ride would come in sooner. It made me wait for 4 months.
This bike is unlike anything I have ever driven. It steals your heart everytime you ride it, the acceleration blows your mind and the handling is perfect. The pricetag is cherry on the cake, perfect. Nothing comes close to the value this ride gives to your hard earned money.
I am about 45 days late in writing my ownership review, the bike is done with her 1st servicing. Done about 1K kms (wanted to do more but the Activa logs in more KMs
)
Skipping the tech specs as am sure most of the people are tired of reading them.
PROs / Things that I absolutely love:
1. Brilliant VFM
2. Breeze on highway and can be ridden sanely through traffic. In 1st gear and 2nd on Pune's clogged roads.
3. Excellent ride quality. The seating position is comfortable and I have adjusted to it very well despite my bulky frame.
4. Very good fit and finish. Love the Orange on RIMs and frame.
5. A very well put together product, eye candy. M tired of people asking the price of this ride.
6. The acceleration is very very addictive, the gaps in traffic are a breeze now.
Cons / Things that I hate :
1. Anger Mgmt issues (gets very hot in traffic, took it to service center in 2 days to check if everything is okay). The hotness makes you doubt it's radiators.
2. Comes only in White and Orange shade - I kind-of likes Black shade (in 200) and wanted that option for 390. I heard its coming soon.
3. Puny Horn. Needs immediate replacement. Any suggestions?
4. Dis functional windscreen (too small to notice). I replaced it with a Fazer one (jugaad) and it looks great (to me that is)
5. Exhaust note. Although the exhaust note of 390 is more throaty than 200 but it lacks character and this would be taken care soon. Am trying to source some slip-ons.
Ownership experience:
I have clocked about 1300 KMS on my Duke and here are the few very prominent things I have noticed:
1. Like the VFM nature of the ride the servicing cost is low too... 1790 for the 1st servicing. The service center staff is knowledgeable and very cooperative. They know their stuff well. I went to them to get a tankpad and minor stuff installed. they did it without minimum fuss.
2. This is a strange beast quiet opposite in nature to my Pulsar. This is more relaxed when driven with a ample throttle and at higher speed than on low speeds. Kills you almost with heat if you are stuck in traffic.
3. Fuel efficiency is in the range of 23KMPL (in traffic) to 38KMPL(6th gear - 90kmph on highways). This is a perfect number for a 375CC machine.
4. The seating position is upright, I found it much better than CBR250 and R15 where you have to lean forward. I personally hated the seating position of the enfields. They gave me lowerback pains. This is perfect even for a heavy body like me. The only thing I feel is for a slightly longer ride Duke can give you sore butt (mildly).
5. Gear level needs a lot of pressing, it can make your hand pain in traffic due to frequent usage. Found no work around for this.
All and all I would rate this as 4.5/5 ... taking .5 for the heating issue. This has truly made me forget my TJET for a while.
Things added / removed:
1. Removed the saree-guard / front number plate.
2. Fitted a windscreen, OEM was too puny
3. THH motocross helmet in full KTM colors, after a long search.
4. Some stickers - long hours at a local sticker shop.
5. Tankpad (Keiti) - Orange.
Am posting a few pics of my babe (to be christened "FREAK" soon)
Additional Note:
To Bajaj, I respect all you guys are doing for Indian motorcycling scene. But please make people special when they are buying a special motorcycle from your portfolio. I am sure you guys have lots of things to do. A simple congratulatory note, a small garland, a few gestures here and there would be more appreciated than "Here is the key, get out of my showroom" attitude. The booking / delivery experience is nothing to write home about.
I hear 690 is on its way here... Am looking fwd to that too.