[AtheK]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

I had no clue there was a stalling issue But in a true Orange fan boy moment I paid the full amount. Now let's see whats what

Ride and have fun brother, ride and have fun. When ever an issue comes, get it fixed and ride again

Congratulations and wish you happy and safe riding.

[Red Liner]

Is the new duke 390 available for test rides in Bangalore? Which dealership?

I test rode the 250, and it felt a bit crap to be honest.

[deepfreak15]

So finally got my bike on Wednesday. Here are a few pictures. Will drive it for a few Kms and pen my observations , but from the 30Kms I have ridden the bike is a hoot!

[farhadtarapore]

I'm planning on buying the 2017 Duke 390. Wanted to know how it behaves on long rides of 200kms or more. Does the engine feel stressed? What about heating? Do we need to take frequent stops (excluding for fuel).

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by farhadtarapore

Does the engine feel stressed?

When you mean stressed, what exactly is it you are referring to? I had a Duke 200 for over 3 years and toured on it quite a lot. The engine never makes its presence felt and you dont feel the engine will fall off or you are pushing it too hard if that is what you mean even with the throttle on full lock on the D200. I had quite a few riding buddies with the D390 and none of them ever mentioned the engine feeling "stressed". So you can comfortably rule out the engine being stressed. 200kms is quite a short distance for the D390 and you can munch miles on this beast like nobody's business! All the best for your purchase decision.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by farhadtarapore

I'm planning on buying the 2017 Duke 390. Wanted to know how it behaves on long rides of 200kms or more. Does the engine feel stressed? What about heating? Do we need to take frequent stops (excluding for fuel).

Nothing about the 390 is stressed although the new one is a lot tamer in comparison to the 1st generation Duke and RC, these bikes are hardcore in their personality and that's what they rely on to distinguish themselves from the rest of the market. I own an RC390 and I have done day long trips with the bike happily sitting between 120-140 (it tends to get hot below 80 on a typical afternoon) and take breaks only after every 200kms. The question isn't how stressed does the bike feel, but how stressed would you feel. Some people can't handle 30kms on an RC while I can go 200kms easy, some people find the new Duke to be a lot more refined and a bit too tame while others still feel it is a maniacal wheelie monster, some people require a smooth parallel twin japanese motor while other people are more than happy to have a big single cylinder rock their pants off you need to figure out what you can handle and then go look for your dance partner

[Turbokick]

Originally Posted by farhadtarapore

Wanted to know how it behaves on long rides of 200kms or more. Does the engine feel stressed? What about heating? Do we need to take frequent stops (excluding for fuel).

KTM 390 (duke or RC) have no issues whatsoever for long rides and it is rather on the rider to see if he/she can last as long as the bike in a stretch
Best part being the sweet spot of the engine which is around 6k rpm in top gear and you are already doing close to 120 kmph with almost negligibe stress on the engine. So the band of 90kmph-140kmph is what will one need in long rides on Indian road conditions and 390 just feels the best here. Add to that the safety offered in terms of ABS,Metzler tyres and other electronic features its a wonderful motorcycle on highways. It can simply be ridden for hours without taking a single break. No heating issues whatsoever in these conditions.

On a different note the ride and seat are on the stiffer side. Do test ride before deciding

[Urban_Nomad]

Guys - Anyone planning to retro fit the 2017 Duke 390 Brake MC + Pads + Disc to their older rides? I recently test rode a brand new 390 and the braking is mind numbingly good. So much that I absolutely HATE the existing system on my 2014 model

Waiting for the spares to arrive at the workshop to get an estimate, along with the chainset of Duke 250 (46 teeth rear sprocket)

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Nothing about the 390 is stressed...

IIRC, you mentioned sometime back about changing the 390's MC to the one on RE Conti GT. Did you get it done? Any feedback on effectiveness?

[VW2010]

Guys - Anyone planning to retro fit the 2017 Duke 390 Brake MC + Pads + Disc to their older rides? I recently test rode a brand new 390 and the braking is mind numbingly good. So much that I absolutely HATE the existing system on my 2014 model

Ideally you should. I advised prasanna to get this done to this pre used 2013 390. The break feels mind numbing because its new and the older bikes we had was definitely squishy even in 2013. And i feel the newer ones to get squishy after some usage.

The MC is not effective as time goes by is my deduction with bleeding helping a bit.

I would definitely retro fit the disc and the mc for sure.

[Red Liner]

Test rode the new duke 390...extended for an hour and about 25 kms city traffic in bangalore. Visited a friend who has a versys as well to get his inputs.

- bike heats up about as much as the versys.
- cannot stand and ride. Pegs need to be repositioned
- handle bar needs a 2 inch riser so forward lean is a bit less. I had a 1.5 inch riser installed on the versys too.
- quite comfy over a 200 meter kacha path that i took the bike over. Suspension is on the softer side.
- very nimble and flickable.
- begs to be revved in every gear. Will mince everything else in the city.
- the seat is soft, but for longer rides a seat mod is definitely on the cards (like a sargent seat)
- grab rails exist to fit a luggage rack and a top box.
- tank recesses are nice to fit your legs into
- a madstad adjustable windscreen for 200 dollars will take care of any wind blast when touring.
- brakes were spot on. Nothing to complain.
- and the best of all... Nobody gave a shit when i was riding the bike around town. Love it.

I could also get used to the very cheap running costs, as well as the all india availability of very cheap spares. Both this put together makes this bike cheap to tour with for a 100k kms.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by VW2010

The break feels mind numbing because its new and the older bikes we had was definitely squishy even in 2013. And i feel the newer ones to get squishy after some usage.

The MC is not effective as time goes by is my deduction with bleeding helping a bit.

I would definitely retro fit the disc and the mc for sure.

You feel the new MC will cause spongy braking in time but still suggest retro fitting it? You think it would still be horrible despite maintaining a minimum annual brake bleed?

The point is my motorcycle has had stupid braking since the day I bought it. You actually made me dig into a post I made back in 2014, barely a month after I bought my bike:
__________________________________________________ ___________
Further update on the braking:

Its Bad!!! Really really bad!!!

I am easily able to "pinch" my ring and little finger without really applying too much pressure. Literally NOTHING happens till about half the brake lever is pulled in.

I am going to speak to a gentleman who apparently is the "India expert" for KTM motorcycles. Lets see what he says.

Hope the answer is not similar to what the service guys gave me viz. - "Sir - all us service guys give feedback to the company and they make changes & improvements. This brake change must also be a part of that feedback process".
__________________________________________________ ___________

I will check upon my buddy's bike in another month and see the situation. Hopefully, parts will be available by then at the SVC

In the meantime, I am also considering other options like the Continental GT's MC or even this - http://www.ktmduke390forum.com/forum...e-upgrade.html

But honestly, would definitely wait out for the 2017 spares to arrive and see the cost. Its factory parts, available locally and without much guesswork on fitment. Lets see how this unfolds but I am 100% certain I want to upgrade this aspect of my bike

DAMN YOU 2017 Duke 390 braking system!!!!

[nitninja]

I had checked with the spares section about the compatibility of 2017 MC, disc for my 2016 duke 390 and the answer was a NO. Mounting point on alloys are different and hence cannot be fixed on older bikes.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by nitninja

I had checked with the spares section about the compatibility of 2017 MC, disc for my 2016 duke 390 and the answer was a NO. Mounting point on alloys are different and hence cannot be fixed on older bikes.

Crap!! If not the disc the MC should be compatible, no? It has to be. Continental GTs is a direct fit for crying out loud

I would still double check though. I asked about the 250 chainset being compatible with the old 390 and the straight answer was NO. Further questioning and them finally opening the 250 up got a "looks possible sir"

[nitninja]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Crap!! If not the disc the MC should be compatible, no? It has to be. Continental GTs is a direct fit for crying out loud

I would still double check though. I asked about the 250 chainset being compatible with the old 390 and the straight answer was NO. Further questioning and them finally opening the 250 up got a "looks possible sir"

Mc should be compatible, i already have continental GT's on mine. It has improved the initial bite drastically and i can feel the abs kicking in under hard-braking, which happened very very rarely in the stock MC. The braking is also a bit more progressive than the stock ones.

The guy who answered me sounded pretty confident, but Yes, do let us know. Would love to fit that bigger disc on mine !

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by nitninja

i already have continental GT's on mine

Yesssss!!

Dude - more info please on the Conti's MC:

- Cost
- Any mods needed? (I would imagine not needed, but still checking)
- Are you able to pull the brake lever all the way till the hand grip? If no, how far from the grips are you at max pull (4 finger braking)? Still pinch your ring / pinky finger on hard braking?
- Overall impression - worth it? Recommended?

Appreciate you taking the time to respond. Would pull the trigger on this mod this week itself if you recommend