Triumph Speed 400 v/s KTM Duke 390: Replacement for my old Honda CBR

My 9-year-old 39k km run Honda CBR felt smoother than the Duke 390.

BHPian pratik_terni recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I managed to get a short test ride on the Speed 400 on Friday and a slightly longer test ride on Saturday. I am considering the Speed 400 as a replacement for my 9-year-old CBR for city and occasional highway rides.

Observations on Triumph Speed 400:

I loved the comfortable seating position, the comfort, the light clutch and the flickability that the bike provided in the city. I did not notice any bothering vibrations that took my attention away from the overall riding experience.

A friend who rides an Interceptor agreed with the observations as well. My friend did find the performance to be a bit sluggish since he is used to the Interceptor. He did admit though that it was definitely a better bike to be ridden in the city since the Interceptor is heavier and has a harder clutch which is enough to cause discomfort.

The suspension is set up beautifully. The bike is very confidence inspiring in corners, not that I am skilled enough to do high lean angles, but just saying.

Being used to the CBR, I was downshifting in traffic as I slowed down. I had to put in a conscious effort to not downshift, and see to if it can be ridden in higher gears at low speeds. The bike was very comfortable doing speeds of 30-35 km/h in 3rd gear, not so much in the 4th gear. But was quick to accelerate at those speeds.

I was not bothered by any vibrations, not that they weren't there. Just that I did not notice them.

When I rode back on the CBR, it just felt slow, more on that later though.

I even test-rode the KTM 390 to compare it with my current bike and Speed 400.

Observations on KTM Duke 390:

The bike had to be in the right gear for the right speed unlike the Speed 400. The bike made it crystal clear that it hated to be in the higher gears at low speeds. The riding position is different, it is more focused at getting pushing the bike harder. The acceleration though was much better than the Speed 400, not that the Speed 400 is sluggish but the Duke is on a different level. It was supper addictive. At the same time, the vibrations were very prominent. The vibrations made their presence felt when I test-rode the ADV 390 a few weeks back as well. The vibrations were a downer, so much so that they had my attention. The suspension was stiffer, probably tuned for better handling.

When I got back on my CBR, it felt a lot smoother even after having completed 9 years and only 39k kms.

I got a call later in the day from the Keerthi showroom asking for a full payment and that they'd deliver the bike in 15 days. I asked them to hold my booking since I will be out of town for a few weeks.

Currently, the Speed is the preferred choice because of the overall experience and because of the higher vibrations on the Duke 390.

A couple of questions though:

1. This is my first new bike. We did buy a new car, so I am guessing it is normal to make the full payment beforehand. Can someone please confirm?
2. A bit off-topic, but does the Duke 390 really vibrate that much or does it get better?

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