[MadRasTan4986]

One off beat choice.. have you considered looking at an Ather EV? I have owned one for a year now and have had no issues. I use it for daily commutes shopping and everything else in the city. With your daily usage I can estimate it to be 50 kms and the Ather will do this comfortably in sports mode. It is very zippy and comfortable for two people and can carry luggae easily as well. Abundant under seat storage. Keep this as your daily and keep your 390 Adv for the long tours and highway trips. And now with the EV policy in Delhi you pretty much pay ex showroom and insurance.

[nuew]

If I were in a similar position, I'd keep the 390 Adv and get a new or preowned sporty, yet comfortable commuter. Selling the 390 Adv would incur in some monetary lose. Adding some more money to that would be enough to get another used 200-250 machine that would meet your requirements of daily commute. Having a secondary motorcycle as a daily driver would save the wear and tear on the 390 and that would save quite some amount on maintenance on the long run. Better Fuel efficiency would be another bonus.

Considering the twins, the Ninja 300 requires it to be revved to extract the best out of it and you may find it lacking the low end grunt required to tackle city traffic conditions. Also you would be losing out the offroadability of the Adv 390. The RE 650 twins come with their own ergonomic issues and the weight would make them a bit cumbersome in traffic.

Higher capacity machines comes with their own perils. They require quite a bit of TLC as compared to any of the aforementioned bikes. Higher running costs, parts availability, finding safe parking spots etc. makes them a bit unpractical as a daily driver. There are people who have manged to make them their daily driver. But it would definitely be not as easy even as compared to the 390 Adventure.

[r.joshi]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

The options I have considered are:
1. Kawasaki Ninja 300
2. Pre-worshipped Ninja 400
3. Pre-worshipped Ninja 650 (if i'm able to find one)
4. Yamaha R3
5. RE Interceptor 650/Continental GT - (although they are quite heavy for my tastes and have terrible pillion comfort).

Which bike should solve my purpose? Also, am I missing any options?

If I were in your situation I'd have kept 390 Adv with me and bought an Activa instead to commute with elderly person.

- Ninja 300/400 and R3: All of them are fun bikes for city(not traffic) and late night spins. But I'd definitely not recommend any of these bikes to commute with an elderly person.

- Pre-worshipped Ninja 650 - Pre 2017 Ninja 650 is a blissful bike for pillion and for longer rides. I can say that because I own one (2014). Seats are super soft and wide, handle bars are upright and low end torque is beyond amazing. But it also has its own issues - no ABS(not sure about 2016 model), heating in bumper to bumper traffic, it's much heavier than any of the bike you mentioned and the cost of maintenance.

[pavanmadhini]

I'm quite surprised no one has recommended this one yet - but a pre-loved Versys 650 would be the perfect bike for your requirements.

Obviously, that would be a bit above your budget, but I suggest holding on to the Duke for a few more months and buying the Versys which will keep you grinning for quite a few years. Excellent suspension, brilliant for urban commutes and can go from Kashmir to Kanyakumari without breaking a sweat.

[51morris]

Originally Posted by pavanmadhini

I'm quite surprised no one has recommended this one yet - but a pre-loved Versys 650 would be the perfect bike for your requirements.

Obviously, that would be a bit above your budget, but I suggest holding on to the Duke for a few more months and buying the Versys which will keep you grinning for quite a few years. Excellent suspension, brilliant for urban commutes and can go from Kashmir to Kanyakumari without breaking a sweat.

I must agree with the above recommendation. The Versys 650 fits the bill perfectly and is a brilliant bike. My cousin owns one and he cannot stop raving about the bike. He's done cross country rides on it and says it is simply effortless. I have done quite a few long distance rides on his bike and can vouch for the bullet proof build quality, perfect suspension for Indian roads and super refined engine that can happily sit at triple digit speeds all day.

Cheers,
Praveen

[nutcracker]

I'm overwhelmed with the wealth of responses I've received on this thread. Thank you Team-BHP community. After much consideration, I have decided to keep the KTM and maybe later go for a scooty like the Aether.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Best is to find a premium bike workshop near you and get it done. Plug model is LKARSAI-9 NGK Laser Iridium along with filter of your choice you can bug online. K&N Filter if you are option part no is KT-1217.

I found this website which has these parts, and the ceramic brake pads available. They are all listed for the Duke 390 though, so I'm hoping they are compatible with the Adventure.

They even have other interesting products, like Service kits, Engine Oil performance packs. Does anybody have any experience with LRL Motors?

Originally Posted by MadRasTan4986

One off beat choice.. have you considered looking at an Ather EV? .

I looked this up and this machine got me drooling. It seems just like the perfect commuter. I've added this to my list.

Originally Posted by 51morris

I must agree with the above recommendation. The Versys 650 fits the bill perfectly and is a brilliant bike. My cousin owns one and he cannot stop raving about the bike. He's done cross country rides on it and says it is simply effortless. I have done quite a few long distance rides on his bike and can vouch for the bullet proof build quality, perfect suspension for Indian roads and super refined engine that can happily sit at triple digit speeds all day.

Cheers,
Praveen

So I've been reading a lot about the Versys 650, and it does seem to have a dedicated base of followers. Do you think the Versys 650 will make a good daily commuter?

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

So I've been reading a lot about the Versys 650, and it does seem to have a dedicated base of followers. Do you think the Versys 650 will make a good daily commuter?

Yes in the West. Not in the East.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

I found this website which has these parts, and the ceramic brake pads available. They are all listed for the Duke 390 though, so I'm hoping they are compatible with the Adventure.

Like I mentioned earlier, Duke 390 filter and plugs are the same. Just go with the part number and yes I know few Adv 390 members who have picked up the part from this site.

[whencut86]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Like I mentioned earlier, Duke 390 filter and plugs are the same. Just go with the part number and yes I know few Adv 390 members who have picked up the part from this site.

I am not sure if this is the right thread to ask this, but will just the spark plug and air filter change improve the low end performance? I am asking this because see posts in few forums and reviews mentioning that the stock exhaust also needs to be changed for the improvement in low end performance and without the exhaust change the performance gain is very minimal. Your thoughts on this would be helpful since I am also looking into this to improve low end in my 2018 Duke 390.

[pavanmadhini]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

Do you think the Versys 650 will make a good daily commuter?

It will make an amazing daily commuter with the high visibility and rock solid suspension. You'll see gaps in traffic which you didn't know existed, and fly over broken roads which are all but guaranteed on Indian city roads.

Don't believe me? Ask any Impulse owner how much faster they're in the city than other "commuter" bikes.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by pavanmadhini

It will make an amazing daily commuter with the high visibility and rock solid suspension. You'll see gaps in traffic which you didn't know existed, and fly over broken roads which are all but guaranteed on Indian city roads.

Don't believe me? Ask any Impulse owner how much faster they're in the city than other "commuter" bikes.

Have you ridden a versys every day to make this comment or is this something a "friend" told you?

An impulse and a versys are completely different bikes in traffic, on the highway, and offroad. An xpulse was my original suggestion and that still holds good.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by whencut86

Your thoughts on this would be helpful since I am also looking into this to improve low end in my 2018 Duke 390.

Change plug first and see if you like it, then add the filter. I felt it has helped to a good extent, not that it will potter at 40 kmph in 6th gear and accelerate off. But in 4th gear one can manage to pull it off from 40, and the in-gear acceleration is definitely smoother. The inherent delay of the throttle by wire set up (adv 390) does not really help (BS6), but yes much better in rideability.

[ast.ggn]

Given the set of problems posted by OP, he needs a commuter instead of a parallel twin to make his life easy. Good luck navigating Versys 650, RE 650 or any other sporty offering from Kawasaki/ Yamaha in bumper to bumper traffic. A commuter bike with 15-20 ps power and seat comfort would do the job. Keep 390 for touring and highways, it is a fantastic bike.

[pavanmadhini]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Have you ridden a versys every day to make this comment or is this something a "friend" told you?

An impulse and a versys are completely different bikes in traffic, on the highway, and offroad. An xpulse was my original suggestion and that still holds good.

You're right - I have heard of this from a friend who rides both a Impulse and a Versys. Have also heard similar opinions from some reviews of the Versys.

The few times I've ridden a V Strom or a Multistrada in the city, I've been very impressed by how easy they're to ride in the city. I genuinely think both would be great for commuting as well as touring.

I agree that the XPulse would be a great choice for the city, but not so sure about touring on an xpulse.

[nutcracker]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Change plug first and see if you like it, then add the filter. I felt it has helped to a good extent, not that it will potter at 40 kmph in 6th gear and accelerate off. But in 4th gear one can manage to pull it off from 40, and the in-gear acceleration is definitely smoother. The inherent delay of the throttle by wire set up (adv 390) does not really help (BS6), but yes much better in rideability.

I got the plug changed to the NGK Laser Iridium one. After an initial 15km of riding, I can say that there is definitely an improvement over the stock spark plug. The slight jitter that you feel when engaging the ride by wire throttle is reduced in the low end, but not fully removed.

I'm doing more research on the air filter. The general consensus is that if you're going for the conical K&N Filter, you will need to change the exhaust. With the other filter mentioned by Jaggu, you can make do with the stock exhaust. (I cannot vouch for the accuracy of these conclusions). Still not able to gauge the performance enhancement though. Going to do more research on this and will hopefully take a decision in the coming days.