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Re: KTM Duke 390 - Owners Reviews and Experiences
Seems like a lot has been going on here when it comes to long term reliability, and I should probably spank myself with a club for even contemplating an answer for such a naive topic. Will try to keep it simple and concise.
I really am a big believer in the fact that, maintenance does play a very VERY VERY important role in how a bike performs throughout its life cycle. And the notion of comparing yesteryear engine technology to the present day is totally and a naive thought, in my very humble opinion. Why? Have you seen, people go gaga over, Made in Japan blocks, Made in Japan, Made in Japan and compare them to the present day rivals, this is seen especially in the two stroke arena.
Guys, metallurgy and metal technology is light years away from what you see in those bikes to the present day bikes. I personally am a big believer in the notion that comparing bikes is really an infantile notion, in the first place. Metal composition and metallurgy has come a long way, and the block itself has enough rocket science in it, (more than skindeep) to make one really crazy. Gone are the days of cast iron blocks, just bored to spec and lubricated. Nowadays, there are excellent, coatings such as Nikasil, Ceramic, Boron etc etc, which really makes way a bore replacement at the highest cost, it is designed to reduce bore wear and induce piston wear, so that the latter is comparatively cheaper than the former.
Those who owned and experienced Bajaj would completely agree with how Bajaj's quality was before, mid 2000 to 2004s, the bikes were good, build was good, but quality and finish were WAY subpar. But compare that to the present lots, you'll see a significant difference in how they've improved. I in no way am appeasing Bajaj, but having owned their products I can attest to their quality improvement, though at a retarded, snail pace.
As I've already explained, don't compare KTM to a Yamaha or Honda, or the Japs, not just because of the fact that their build quality is good, but look how each of the motorcycles are really constructed per se. Next time when one contemplates to bring the "build quality" factor for any bike be it Suzie, Yammy KTM or Honda et cetera, think for a while, they're all Made in India, and know that the bike you have and the bike you're comparing has the product/component manufactured from the very same vendor 95% of the Indian manufactures fall in the same category, including 4 wheelers.
Driving style matters, a LOT. PMS (not the one you think) Periodic Maintenance Service, plays a major role in how well a vehicle performs, no matter what you own, where you own.
As technology gets more and more complicated, so are the sophistication in the vehicles that we own and induced malfunctions. It's directly proportional not inversely proportional.
Bottomline.
Why doesn't my bore last long or why did my part fail prematurely?
Parts are mass produced, no matter you own a Yammy, Suzie or KTM and at any given order/lot there WILL be a few faulty components, though these will be scoured by the folks at the factory itself, still some flows down and gets it to the vehicle. Now this is exponentially more, when a bike is designed from scratch. You might ask? They do so much hours and hours of testing before launching the bike, and still why did my bike have this issue It happens! Real world stress, is totally different from what people test.
Case in point, in the four wheeler arena, ARAI claims 24.1 KMPL in standard conditions for a xxx branded car, do you get 24.1? Look closely you will see, STANDARD TEST CONDITIONS. Now what does this mean? This means the car is driven like a butterfly to get the maximum KMPL out of it. However in real world what do you get, hardly 17 or 18 kmpl.
So did that make you feel real naive about the brand value per se? Absolutely not.
You see brand is just a marketing tool, quality takes time, experience and repeated errors.
So next time when people start whining and start comparing, you can have a big smile and just walk away, and now you guys know why.
Cheers!
VJ
Originally posted by ags1773
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Originally posted by junaid12345678
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We can't comment on the 390's engine longevity as the bike is pretty new and none haven't clocked much miles. But forged pistons, nicasil coatings, Bosch ABS, Metzeler tyres, trellis frame, an outstanding ECU, all under 2 lakhs is a bit skeptical. These parts if made well would have definitely cost a bomb, but still Bajaj managed to price the bike really low, while KTM is one of the expensive bikes to buy and maintain all over the world. We all know how Bajaj made this possible from the quality issues spread over the thread.
And speaking on the latest tech, our good old proven Hero splendors are capable of running well past 1 lakh kms,no matter how you abuse it, the engine never dies. Technology and durability are entirely different things. A technologically advanced engine may or may not be durable as the bottom line is the quality of the parts used.
+1. I ride a cbz xtreme which has clocked 60k, but still running solid on fully stock parts. These Unicorns, Hunks and Xtremes are highly reliable motorcycles, with most parts just refuses to wear off. I have seen them involved in serious crashes but can be ridden home just after with small bends and cracks here and there
And speaking on the latest tech, our good old proven Hero splendors are capable of running well past 1 lakh kms,no matter how you abuse it, the engine never dies. Technology and durability are entirely different things. A technologically advanced engine may or may not be durable as the bottom line is the quality of the parts used.
+1. I ride a cbz xtreme which has clocked 60k, but still running solid on fully stock parts. These Unicorns, Hunks and Xtremes are highly reliable motorcycles, with most parts just refuses to wear off. I have seen them involved in serious crashes but can be ridden home just after with small bends and cracks here and there
Originally posted by junaid12345678
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Originally posted by mustang28
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I really am a big believer in the fact that, maintenance does play a very VERY VERY important role in how a bike performs throughout its life cycle. And the notion of comparing yesteryear engine technology to the present day is totally and a naive thought, in my very humble opinion. Why? Have you seen, people go gaga over, Made in Japan blocks, Made in Japan, Made in Japan and compare them to the present day rivals, this is seen especially in the two stroke arena.
Guys, metallurgy and metal technology is light years away from what you see in those bikes to the present day bikes. I personally am a big believer in the notion that comparing bikes is really an infantile notion, in the first place. Metal composition and metallurgy has come a long way, and the block itself has enough rocket science in it, (more than skindeep) to make one really crazy. Gone are the days of cast iron blocks, just bored to spec and lubricated. Nowadays, there are excellent, coatings such as Nikasil, Ceramic, Boron etc etc, which really makes way a bore replacement at the highest cost, it is designed to reduce bore wear and induce piston wear, so that the latter is comparatively cheaper than the former.
Those who owned and experienced Bajaj would completely agree with how Bajaj's quality was before, mid 2000 to 2004s, the bikes were good, build was good, but quality and finish were WAY subpar. But compare that to the present lots, you'll see a significant difference in how they've improved. I in no way am appeasing Bajaj, but having owned their products I can attest to their quality improvement, though at a retarded, snail pace.
As I've already explained, don't compare KTM to a Yamaha or Honda, or the Japs, not just because of the fact that their build quality is good, but look how each of the motorcycles are really constructed per se. Next time when one contemplates to bring the "build quality" factor for any bike be it Suzie, Yammy KTM or Honda et cetera, think for a while, they're all Made in India, and know that the bike you have and the bike you're comparing has the product/component manufactured from the very same vendor 95% of the Indian manufactures fall in the same category, including 4 wheelers.
Driving style matters, a LOT. PMS (not the one you think) Periodic Maintenance Service, plays a major role in how well a vehicle performs, no matter what you own, where you own.
As technology gets more and more complicated, so are the sophistication in the vehicles that we own and induced malfunctions. It's directly proportional not inversely proportional.
Bottomline.
Why doesn't my bore last long or why did my part fail prematurely?
Parts are mass produced, no matter you own a Yammy, Suzie or KTM and at any given order/lot there WILL be a few faulty components, though these will be scoured by the folks at the factory itself, still some flows down and gets it to the vehicle. Now this is exponentially more, when a bike is designed from scratch. You might ask? They do so much hours and hours of testing before launching the bike, and still why did my bike have this issue It happens! Real world stress, is totally different from what people test.
Case in point, in the four wheeler arena, ARAI claims 24.1 KMPL in standard conditions for a xxx branded car, do you get 24.1? Look closely you will see, STANDARD TEST CONDITIONS. Now what does this mean? This means the car is driven like a butterfly to get the maximum KMPL out of it. However in real world what do you get, hardly 17 or 18 kmpl.
So did that make you feel real naive about the brand value per se? Absolutely not.
You see brand is just a marketing tool, quality takes time, experience and repeated errors.
So next time when people start whining and start comparing, you can have a big smile and just walk away, and now you guys know why.
Cheers!
VJ
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