[parrys]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Which one is yours? Please tell us. Will give it a watch.

And what do you know that we don't? Qc issues or something else?

Well, that's what I don't know. Nothing fell, nothing felt out of sync during the ride. I am just planning to buy a long term motorcycle after a long break (spending time on a cycle currently); so want a set of wheels to be absolutely niggle-free.

[Red Liner]

I like how all the reviews show only Adam Reihmann going bonkers power sliding and getting air time with the bike lol!

He’s the guy wearing the blue adventure spec suit.

God, I hope he didn’t laugh at our ‘Moto’ journalists.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

I was getting hopeful about this particular feature hoping this would save me the usual clutch usage(supremely painful) in b2b traffic, but that doesn't seem to be the case .

Here's how the quickshifter works:

What quick shifter does is;
Up: Momentarily cuts ignition.
Down: Momentarily blips throttle.

This is done using the pressure switch on the shifter that's hooked to the ECU.

The above is a message I'd sent to our regional riding group as there are many misconceptions floating about quickshiters.

To put simply, it is NOT a replacement for the clutch. And in fact is a useless feature for the average rider, heck! Even enthusiasts would rarely be using the novelty.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Here's how the quickshifter works:

And ofcourse nobody would be fool enough to put in 3.5L without testing the said feature first hand. The test rides aren't available yet, hence the question. So no question of wasting money on an assumption. Never the less thanks for the info. Cheers

[petrolhead_neel]

In spite of having ridden mostly dirt trails with no experience of highway riding, I still love the 390 Adventure and see myself riding one in a few years.

What absolutely blows my mind is how ABS and traction control have to be to be adjusted every time the bike turns off. That fact itself negates a lot of usage that the tech is otherwise capable of. Imagine riding serious technical trails and switching off the engine, just to be back to square one. Imagine succumbing to the sometimes inevitable stall while riding a slow technical trail in the middle of something like a climb or a descent, and not having the ability to retune the electronics when you need them to be off-road friendly the most. There could have been a Pro mode with TC off and off road ABS that stays on unless turned off manually by the user. The exclusion of this would have made a world of difference, and the 790 derived electronics would be actually put to good use. Wonder why they didn't do it, considering that it's a relatively easy coding tweak. I mean it's fine to have it that way on the Duke 390's Supermoto mode, where 99% riders are going to ride it at standard mode 99% of the time, leaving aside the occasional show-boarding with rear wheel slides.

People seem to be confusing the quickshifter to nullify the clutch usage altogether, like a Rekluse clutch which is very useful off road and is available for ADV bikes like the 790 Adventure, the Africa Twin and the GS'es. Something like that would've been helpful, but I just don't see the point of the quickshifter on the 390 Adventure. As mentioned by AP, off road riders will be mostly using the clutch anyways. Of course it's always good to have an extra feature, but as mentioned earlier, I would have loved something like a Pro mode instead of this.

Imagine an R version of the 390 Adventure with revised gearing, a different map, a 21inch front wheel and an upswept exhaust... if wishes were horses!

It's good to see bikes like this coming to our shores, finally. About time, about damned time.

Neel

[Red Liner]

So apparently the traction control issue will be fixed via a software update in a bit. Almost everyone one at the press ride complained about this, and i think KTM will take action.

[Red Liner]

Some findings I found interesting in a few written reviews.

The motor feels slightly uncomfortable under the 3,000 rpm levels. It starts to pull away cleanly from 4,000 rpm onwards with a step-up in power delivery from 6,000 rpm onwards. The 5,000 rpm is a sweet spot to cruise on the highway, with minimal vibrations and easy access to the power for quick overtakes.

On the downside, the vibrations are evident from 6,000 rpm onwards. Thus, as mentioned in the Engine and Performance part of the review, the 5,000 rpm mark is an ideal level to cruise on the highway

KTM claims an overall fuel efficiency of 27.58kmpl on this motor, which effectively translates into a riding range of 400km in a tank full.

The TFT display is also nearly the same, but this one can display turn-by-turn navigation assists if you purchase the optional Rs 600 KTM MyRide Navigation App.

There’s also a three-axis IMU that enables a cornering ABS feature, as well as a corner-sensitive traction control system.

But just as the 390’s excellent top-end thrills in the fast stretches, its grumpy bottom end makes it an absolute pain when climbing steep and technical trails at low speeds. There is no significant pull below 3,000rpm, and you have to slip the clutch quite a bit to get things going. Shorter gearing or at least a change in the final drive ratio would have been nice here, but the setup is identical to that of the 390 Duke.

Another enjoyable aspect is the firm and sharp feel from the front brake lever; this comes as no surprise as it uses the 320mm disc setup from the Duke

A number of us encountered an unusual issue where the TC would randomly cut in briefly, robbing you of all power, and this was with the system fully turned off and while the engine was running. Some riders even experienced the TC randomly switching itself back on, but this didn’t happen with my bike. The way I see it, this behaviour was either due to the TC system misbehaving or an issue with the fueling.

Sources: autocar India, overdrive.

[petrolhead_neel]

Zigwheels' review is also out. I think they sum it up very well. Both of them think that the Adventure tag should have brought about more of KTM's off-road DNA, and this is more like a 390 GT. I think KTM clearly played along the lines of the current state of this 'small ADV' market. The Himalayan has significantly more suspension travel, 10% or so more ground clearance, spoked wheels and a torque curve more suited to riding off road. It would be interesting to see them fighting it out off road. The 390 still has big, obvious advantages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41NgvPzqDyg

[timuseravan]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

To put simply, it is NOT a replacement for the clutch. And in fact is a useless feature for the average rider, heck! Even enthusiasts would rarely be using the novelty.

. Quickshifter is of no use in stop and go traffic.
Instead of these gimmicks (atleast for Indian conditions), why not put in a proper DCT box in Duke line.

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

they sum it up very well. Both of them think that the Adventure tag should have brought about more of KTM's off-road DNA, and this is more like a 390 GT.

I think this completely sums up the bike. It is Duke 390 with slightly better suspension. With less than 50bhp, TC is hardly required. I have never felt the need for it on my first gen 390 which is even more highly strung than the later Dukes.
I am actually glad I went for Interceptor without waiting for the ADV.

P.S.: When the bike was announced a couple of years back, I had predicted that realistically the ADV would be 390 with better suspension. But people (even here on TBHP) kept claiming that the super KTM engineers would tune the engine to give fantastic low end grunt, the suspension would be amazing etc etc

[Sheel]

Most if not all reviews have focused on the bike's trail riding ability, none of them show how is it to ride on the road. Does it still have that feel of sitting on the bike or is it in the bike.

I mean, 95% of bikes for 95% of times will spend its time on tarmac, so, this needs an opinion too.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by timuseravan

. Quickshifter is of no use in stop and go traffic.
Instead of these gimmicks (atleast for Indian conditions), why not put in a proper DCT box in Duke line.

DCT!?

Think about the common man for once.

Though jokes apart KTM does have the technology at hand.

Good news for KTM 390 owners: Husqvarna offers Rekluse clutch for 401 models

Heck! Even TVS is offering a centrifugal clutch on their TVS XL models which is in fact a single speed and not a CVT as advertised by some of the elite moto journalists.

The only reason that warrants the provision of the quick shifter is that being predominantly a programmable addon it is a cost effective means of advertising their product as a feature packed VFM offering, the perfect bait for a diaspora like ours.

As for off-road capabilities, commonsense dictates that you need to look elsewhere cause a big-bore screamer(short stroke) is not the right place to start at by a long shot.

This I say completely keeping at bay the reliability concerns of the 390 motor, though do note that ever since the Dominar got the DOHC head and compression bump there have been some reported cases of the 390's most common concern, and I'm not referring to petty concerns like blowing a gasket etc.

Anyhow, I'm curious to see how things would go, my best guess so far is like the Interceptor hype seen in our very own forum this would also experience the sorts albeit a radical bell curve nonetheless.

Regards,
A.P.

[Neo18]

Originally Posted by timuseravan

. Quickshifter is of no use in stop and go traffic.
Instead of these gimmicks (atleast for Indian conditions), why not put in a proper DCT box in Duke line.



I think this completely sums up the bike. It is Duke 390 with slightly better suspension. With less than 50bhp, TC is hardly required. I have never felt the need for it on my first gen 390 which is even more highly strung than the later Dukes.
I am actually glad I went for Interceptor without waiting for the ADV.

P.S.: When the bike was announced a couple of years back, I had predicted that realistically the ADV would be 390 with better suspension. But people (even here on TBHP) kept claiming that the super KTM engineers would tune the engine to give fantastic low end grunt, the suspension would be amazing etc etc

True that!!!
Even when KTM camp itself denied any changes to the 2017 D390 engine and its mapping whatsoever, We enthusiast had hope against hope that there could be some tweaks to improve the bottom end torque. Typical case of confirmation bias at play! TC and quickshifter were marketing gimmicks at best to take the attention off the glaring omission of adjustable front suspension in the India spec model.

All I can conclude is that KTM has squandered an amazing opportunity to make a dent in the mid segment ADV market. Fingers crossed for the upcoming 490 twins!!

[nitro.1000bhp]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

So apparently the traction control issue will be fixed via a software update in a bit. Almost everyone one at the press ride complained about this, and i think KTM will take action.

Hmmm..5 years of rigorous testing for this. Whoever thought TCS was necessary on a 390cc? But I still see the wheels spinning up in the vids. Were they turned off or is it simply loosing it's mind?

[nasirkaka]

God, I hope he didn’t laugh at our ‘Moto’ journalists.

Damn sure he would have, from how some of our journos are riding the bike on inclines in those review videos. Good thing in a way that KTM organized the quick test rides for our journalists at a pre-planned off-road track, else max they have been previously doing is riding on the dry grass planes. Also shows how this genre is relatively new and our moto journalists will have to up their off-road skills for such bikes. There is a lady journalist who even had a fall and injured her wrist in one of the video review.

What absolutely blows my mind is how ABS and traction control have to be to be adjusted every time the bike turns off. That fact itself negates a lot of usage that the tech is otherwise capable of. Imagine riding serious technical trails and switching off the engine, just to be back to square one.

In a general system design scenario, fail safe approach is what is preferred for the major percentile. Folks doing serious technical offloading on the bike will be very minuscule percentage. The ABS/TC re-setting itself once the bike is switched off and re-started is the industry fail safe standard to save the higher percentile of users from any mishaps. By default these are to be ON, and its upto the rider to switch it off when required. Do agree that it could be a pain from an enthusiast point of view, and thats where features such as personalized setting and 'saving it as default' would be great. But asking all that for 2.99L would be too much considering we are already getting a lot.

Zigwheels' review is also out. I think they sum it up very well. Both of them think that the Adventure tag should have brought about more of KTM's off-road DNA, and this is more like a 390 GT. I think KTM clearly played along the lines of the current state of this 'small ADV' market.

I think this completely sums up the bike. It is Duke 390 with slightly better suspension. With less than 50bhp, TC is hardly required. I have never felt the need for it on my first gen 390 which is even more highly strung than the later Dukes.
I am actually glad I went for Interceptor without waiting for the ADV.

P.S.: When the bike was announced a couple of years back, I had predicted that realistically the ADV would be 390 with better suspension. But people (even here on TBHP) kept claiming that the super KTM engineers would tune the engine to give fantastic low end grunt, the suspension would be amazing etc etc

This is very much inline with realistic expectation. KTM never promised a full blown adv bike, Its us who kept raising our expectations and with so many years of waiting, our expectations also grew exponentially. When KTM 390 duke was launched, there was talk of an adv variant of the duke, having better and relaxed ergonomics, better suspension, better ground clearance, bigger tank range, decent windscreen, luggage possibilities, etc and all these are there on the bike, and some more. Yes, the engine could be tuned for the purpose or gear ratios tweaked with final drive sprockets to improve low end readability and that seat height. But if they made the 390Adv any better it would surely eat into the share of their own 790 duke.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Very few journos talked about the quickshifter thingy.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

God, I hope he didn’t laugh at our ‘Moto’ journalists.

From what i know it was a tightly packed ride event and very few of the joruno's who attended are hard core riders. So very few would have really tried to figure this out, with that short tarmac bit.

I for one would have loved to attend and learn some basics from Adam but media events are like clockwork factory environment. One of the worst place to learn or to do a proper review.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

I
To put simply, it is NOT a replacement for the clutch. And in fact is a useless feature for the average rider, heck! Even enthusiasts would rarely be using the novelty.

I have also told same thing here on the thread, it is at best a novelty. I have used it in Moralfiber's BMW and yea its fun on highway, but not really a fast way to shift in city traffic.

If KTM is listening, i would anyday vote for the adjustable WP Vs this stupid gimmick! All the video's show how the suspension is crashing and that is what an adjustable insert will solve to an extent. And then one can atleast look at running little lower pressure. With the current set up and low pressure, am pretty sure one is either looking at burst sidewall or bent rim.

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

What absolutely blows my mind is how ABS and traction control have to be to be adjusted every time the bike turns off.
=====

Imagine an R version of the 390 Adventure with revised gearing, a different map, a 21inch front wheel and an upswept exhaust... if wishes were horses!

The ride modes and setting returning to safe ON option is claimed as a "safety feature" by KTM world over. The issue has been there in other adv bikes from their stable for a while. Logic though is hated by almost every rider. Am not sure if the shortcuts can be customised to go to these settings, which would be the easiest workaround if you ask me.

There would be No R as far as 390 is concerned, they might provide a spoke wheel sometime next year. That's about it.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

So apparently the traction control issue will be fixed via a software update in a bit. Almost everyone one at the press ride complained about this, and i think KTM will take action.

Don't think it would be that easy a thing, there would be a long wait for such things to go through testing and validation cycles before coming in. The more complex the systems like cornering controls, more longer the wait

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Both of them think that the Adventure tag should have brought about more of KTM's off-road DNA, and this is more like a 390 GT. I think KTM clearly played along the lines of the current state of this 'small ADV' market. The Himalayan has significantly more suspension travel, 10% or so more ground clearance, spoked wheels and a torque curve more suited to riding off road.

I am really amused by the expectations people have with these bikes, both Himalayan and 390 adventure are entry-level touring bikes, that can take a few broken roads and minor trails which you encounter when you tour a country. They are NOT scrambler like offroad bikes, neither dune bashing Dakar bikes. Somewhere all these unrealistic expectations have crept into the mind of people.

Originally Posted by timuseravan

I think this completely sums up the bike. It is Duke 390 with slightly better suspension.
====
When the bike was announced a couple of years back, I had predicted that realistically the ADV would be 390 with better suspension. But people (even here on TBHP) kept claiming that the super KTM engineers would tune the engine to give fantastic low end grunt, the suspension would be amazing etc etc

Tune they could have but now we will have to get it done elsewhere, and suspesnion they messed up removing the adjustable bits, which again has to be imported now! But yes it is a 390 on stilts for now, don't expect it to be something else.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Though jokes apart KTM does have the technology at hand.

Is part of power sport part in Europe and elsewhere.

The only reason that warrants the provision of the quick shifter is that being predominantly a programmable addon it is a cost effective means of advertising their product as a feature packed VFM offering, the perfect bait for a diaspora like ours.

BINGO!!

Anyhow, I'm curious to see how things would go, my best guess so far is like the Interceptor hype seen in our very own forum this would also experience the sorts albeit a radical bell curve nonetheless.

Regards,
A.P.

Even I think they are not going to move out that fast at the current on-road price.

But guilty here, my bike is coming soon lol.