[neil.jericho]

For the Bangalore KTM showrooms, the official launch of the Duke 390 is happening at some resort on Sunday. Hence, dealers will start offering test rides from the 16th (Monday).

My first impressions of the latest generation Duke 390 were very positive. The fit and finish levels are a revelation, when compared to that of the first generation models. Barring the ugly gap between the headlight and the surrounding DRLs, there really is nothing that KTM seems to have missed out on. The dash looks to be quite well laid out.

The colours are going to be a major point of discussion for potential buyers. The Electronic Orange has waaay too much of orange on it but at least its true to the DNA of the brand. The Atlantic Blue, on the other hand, is subtle. As one TBHPian rightly said, it has too much of a John Cena (You cant see me) vibe. Honestly, its an inoffensive colour scheme, which is the last thing that one would expect to find on a Duke 390.

The best thing to do is get the Electronic Orange Duke 390 and replace the OEM orange coloured seat, with the the black one from the Atlantic Blue bike. This simple seat swap will tone down the garishness of the Electronic Orange paint scheme. Im sure a fellow owner with an Atlantic Blue bike will love the splash of orange that the seat from the Electronic Orange bike, will add. Win-win, I say.

The on road price in Bangalore is Rs 4.08L. I dont have the price breakup, so I dont know what all inflated costs have been baked in, as usual.

Remember what I said about the orange seat!


That gap is an eyesore


Crisp dash!


Staid paintscheme


Hey, where did the display bike go?

[Samarth 619]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Do you have the exact bhp and weight figures of the 3 generations please? I too own and ride a Gen 1, that like yours just had a post hibernation resurrection.
Also, with rhe fuel issues I faced, the plastic tank was actually a huge boon. I'm not sure how switching that now to a metal tank is a plus.
Cheers, Doc

Well, our Gen 1 was sold with 43.5bhp and a 152 kgs wet weight(almost same as P220, but double the power), which resulted in a P2W of around 286bhp/ton.

Gen 2 only increased in weight and maximum torque, it never got additional power to the best of my knowledge. So, we're talking about a lower P2W figure anyways, probably the weakest among the 3 gens.

Gen 3 is claimed to be doing 46PS which is around 45.5bhp with a claimed wet weight of 168 kgs (Source: Zigwheels) which is around 271bhp/ton.

So, it clearly means the Gen 1 was the best here overall and by a significant margin. I'm amazed at how, and by what mathematics are they claiming their Gen 3 is the best at p2w? I think they're comparing with Gen 2 directly.

However, some contrasting figures are appearing on the internet, more so due to the Indian spec being dfferent to UK spec. Somewhere, I've also heard 163.x kgs. So, if I'm wrong, correct me.
In real life though, we can never separate the bike from the rider, as no bike rides by itself. So, Power to Weight never gives the complete picture, because a rider's weight is not included. Its just a one size fits all approach.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Samarth 619

Well, our Gen 1 was sold with 43.5bhp and a 152 kgs wet weight(almost same as P220, but double the power), which resulted in a P2W of around 286bhp/ton.

Gen 2 only increased in weight and maximum torque, it never got additional power to the best of my knowledge. So, we're talking about a lower P2W figure anyways, probably the weakest among the 3 gens.

Gen 3 is claimed to be doing 46PS which is around 45.5bhp with a claimed wet weight of 168 kgs (Source: Zigwheels) which is around 271bhp/ton.

In real life though, we can never separate the bike from the rider, as no bike rides by itself. So, Power to Weight never gives the complete picture, because a rider's weight is not included. Its just a one size fits all approach.

Yup. 290-ish for Gen 1 is the figure stuck in my brain too. Which is why I was wondering how Gen 3 suddenly becomes King with just 2 bhp more and still a lot of extra weight, even 8f slightly pared down from Gen 2.

Power to Weight does not take a rider or his gear into account. But like every cyclist tries to buy the lightest bike his money can buy, same here. Coz rider to rider, the rider remaining the same, for him the lighter bike with more power for weight is always going to be better.

I'm happy KTM has gone back to the underbody exhaust that I'm sure has brought down the weight some. But somewhere along the way they have picked up a lot of weight, that has negated the KTM usp of lightness with manic power. Even the manic power got "smoothened out" in the Gen 2. I really hope Gen 3 has managed to get some of that explosiveness back as well.

[Endless....]

Originally Posted by ebonho

I really hope Gen 3 has managed to get some of that explosiveness back as well.

I will find out tomorrow when my 2024 390 gets delivered I am retaining my 2013 390 as well. My current duke is a daily rider so one trip to work on the new one is all I'd probably need to make out the difference. Although, to be fair, my Gen 1 runs on a RD tuning box as well, so it may not necessarily be a fair comparison.

I plan on retaining both the bikes. I am fairly certain both of them are beasts in their own right. Just like on the 2013, Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR's have been procured and awaiting installation on the new one as well. Honestly, I cannot wait to get my hands on the 2024. After 10 years of the 2013 model, I have total faith that KTM will not disappoint this time around as well. Plonked 4 big ones and then some on the new bike - without even a test ride Fingers crossed.

[aviator1101]

Nice review Sir.

Honestly speaking, initially I was a little confused because the topic was 2023 Duke 390 and the bike shown was what KTM is marketing as the 2024 Duke 390.

Few observations:-

• Too much of orange might not be to everyone's liking.
• The fuel tank extensions look over done.
• Seat height can be lowered from 822mm to 800mm making it more accessible by shorter riders.
• Ground clearance increased from 151mm to 183mm making it almost go anywhere.
• Personally I won't bother much about a few kgs less or few Bhp more because the way most of us travel makes these figures irrelevant.

It is an outright performance-oriented machine, and given the figures, it still remains unchallenged by miles in its segment. However, with the current market situation, will be interesting to see how it sells in a highly price conscious environment.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Endless....

Honestly, I cannot wait to get my hands on the 2024. After 10 years of the 2013 model, I have total faith that KTM will not disappoint this time around as well. Plonked 4 big ones and then some on the new bike - without even a test ride Fingers crossed.

Wow! THIS right here is the definition of brand and model loyalty and the best validation there is for both. A repeat customer, across a decade, putting his own money on the line. A second time. Money and riding time. The second something money can never buy.

[Endless....]

She is finally home. Delivered last evening. Possibly one of the first ones to be delivered in town. Only managed a 10 km run and topped up on xp95. Out of town most of this week so the bike will have a brief stint of being a garage queen. By end of week, 1k kms run-in will be completed 😂

PS: I’m not digging the tail section.

[nikman]

Trying to get hold of the user manual.

Can any of the new owners share the User Manual of the Duke 390 2024?

[Endless....]

Originally Posted by nikman

Trying to get hold of the user manual.

Can any of the new owners share the User Manual of the Duke 390 2024?

No such thing provided. I asked for the same even yesterday. I still have the user manual from my 2013 duke. I will follow up on this later. Will keep you posted.

[Shonith]

Came across this video today. It's sad to see such things happen on a new bike.

https://youtu.be/ndbFK_TroZc?si=cTtmvOKGSXri9fO4

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Shonith

Came across this video today. It's sad to see such things happen on a new bike.

https://Youtu.be/ndbFK_TroZc?si=cTtmvOKGSXri9fO4

From what he's saying, looks like some slimes at the showroom palmed off a damaged bike to him.

Similar situation almost happened to a friend of mine with an out of turn Thar.

Never ever trust a showroom shortcut spiel. Golden rule.

Go straight to the company and escalate.

Cheers, Doc

P.S. Admins could you please edit the title of this thread to Gen 3 or 2024 or something. Its causing confusion everytime, because there already is a mega thread on the Duke 390.

[ebonho]

The plot thickens.

https://www.youtube.com/live/8yjmCPq...r1XizYDAt_PO9R

Cheers, Doc

[nikman]

Got my Gen3 390 home today.

The user manual is provided only in the KTM app. No hard copies along with the bike.

[sac23]

Originally Posted by Shonith

Came across this video today. It's sad to see such things happen on a new bike.

At 7:28 of the video, some metal parts can be seen being slushed around in the oil.
I guess one of his clutch plates broke and caused the noise and gear shift issues.
About the failure itself, it could be a manufacturing defect or he was sold one of the abused bikes. I have seen YouTube videos of people thrashing the new 390 with the speedometer disconnected to tamper the odometer.
From my experience in the past with KTM, they (the company) never get their hands dirty.
They will never reply to your email to avoid documented communication. They will always put the service center in the front and play, especially the service manager, and play the sympathy card by making him say to please take the 'fixed' bike or he will lose his job.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by sac23

From my experience in the past with KTM, they (the company) never get their hands dirty.
They will never reply to your email to avoid documented communication. They will always put the service center in the front and play, especially the service manager, and play the sympathy card by making him say to please take the 'fixed' bike or he will lose his job.

I love TATA in this regard. People heap abuse on Tata cars, service, quality, etc. But they really keep their dealers on their toes. And the doors are always open for you to reach the Tata regional guys with just a phone call, to escalate, if ever needed.

On topic, later videos prove that thos dame bike was first goven to, ridden, and returned by another guy, who saw these videos, recognised the bike (issues) and dealer, and got in touch with the aggrieved new owner.

Cheers, Doc