Thanks man! The first one is on the road to Kurseong. The one where the road is all busted is along the toy train's route to Darjeeling.
Thing is, I'd just stepped out for a lazy sunday ride (I live in Jalpaiguri, in the plains) and ended up following the toy train's track till Darjeeling! Little did I know that the road had been lost in a land slide and that they had only recently cleaned up the tracks.
Anyway, no backpack; I didn't plan to go that far. I did have my helmet, boots and gloves though. Didn't realize how cold it would be in the hills, it'd been sweltering in the plains, and it was raining in the hills! First thing I did in Darjeeling was get some warm clothes! Ended up spending 4 nights in the hills!
I didn't take too many pics though... I'll post up the few that I did.
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I don't know if this question is repetitive but I am still going ahead with it [emoji5]️How is the experience with the plastic body? And is there any alternative for the long arm (number plate extension) growing out of the tail light?


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Points to note for prospective owners n bashers,

1. Duke is not a cruiser or thumper, it's a streetfighter. So do not expect comfort levels of cruisers but it isn't as unbearable as many think it to be. Upright seating position is a boon except for some windblast at speeds north of 120 clicks. A week's riding is all it takes to feel comfy.

2. Grip on metzelers - few have mentioned that metzelers are scary under wet. But there is no better rubber than metzelers sold in India now. Just to test this I went on a short little drive in rain yesterday evening. Dharwad-Goa stretch via Alnavar, curvy roads, my tires are 5k old, the performance in wet is impeccable, not once did I lose traction and I was going at a fair clip. The bike did not lose its composure even under hard braking, u can feel the abs doing it's job.

3. Suspension is stiff and ride can be harsh on broken tarmac but this is what makes this machine a great handler. Curves and corners will be dismissed with disdain. U can outgun a N650 in the ghats.

4. Windblast- many complain about this, it is a problem with all nakeds. Install a windshield and you are good to go. There is still no aerodynamic naked motorcycle that I know of in our country.

5. High revving single cylinder -yes it is. Have they anywhere claimed that it is a twin!!:banghead: It is what it is. You need to revv to reach its sweet spot, that is the reason for it's hooliganism. This bike doesn't like speeds below 50kmph. Give her the whip n see her fly. 0-60 and 0-100 timings that would make even an ashton martin proud. Other bikes south of 5lakhs can only dream of such timings some even with their extra cylinder.

6. Smoothness - it is rather subjective. What others call as harsh, I call it as character. Coming from Enfield background I feel the KTM is smooth.

7. Exhaust note- see if we wanted all sound and no go we would be sitting at home with earphones plugged, listening to R1 or H2.

8. Handling- kindly enlighten me if u have experienced a better handler in this category. Some remove even the horns n rvms to reduce weight to make their bike a nimble performer. With duke, no such probs...it's a performance machine by default n on a happier note, u can keep your horns n rvms The bike keeps you busy with it's demonic acceleration and unending grunt, so chances of dozing off while riding this is almost nil

9. Most of them see it as a cheap motorcycle with average build - they couldn't be farther from the truth. Just because a bike retails for 2lakhs and has bajaj associated u cannot say it's made of cheap stuff. Have you guy's seen the swing arm of duke's !! Metzelers, usd forks, light weight trellis frame, forged pistons, nikasail coated cylinder, ABS, slipper clutch, superb alloys, underbelly exhaust, LED tail lamps n indicators, fully digital speedo that displays everything you may or may not need except for say, high tide n low tide Most of the above mentioned are meant as options, accessories or plain aspirations for other bikes whereas you get this as std with duke. I won't say this bike is the perfect thing, but it isn't half as bad as others think it to be. There is just no perfect bike that exists.

10. Service and maintenance - hell lot of service centres everywhere. If you are not satisfied at one centre, atleast you have the option of other service centres. And the service managers are quite prompt, you can personally watch your bike being serviced. Regular spares are available most of the time. Most of the parts are localised and hence cheaper to replace. Look out for chain lubrication n tension, engine oil level, coolant level regularly.

Finally like all other bikes even this bike has imperfections like loosely hanging wires, pillion seat for aesthetics, jerking at low rpms, limited tank range, engine heat, stalling if in wrong gear n rpm, etc. But the positives outweigh the negatives by a fair margin. This is more bike per rupee than any in the performance segment. So anyone looking for performance under a budget, D390 is the obvious choice. It will surprise you with it's ability to punch way above its capacity.
It's the li'l Iron Mike of the motorcycle world



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My bike is a year old and the plastics have held pretty good and also there is no paint chipping or fading issues. Your other query has been answered, RnG.


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Interesting....!!!
BTW, I wonder how an RE lover prefers KTM Bikes (If you are not an RE lover, kindly ignore this)

First of all very insight review.. Kudos to that..my question to you.. How would you rate it's exhaust note? Some say it's resembles to auto rickshaw? No offence brother!

How about the plastics. This coming from a guy whose fed up of plastics on HH r karizma. [emoji4]

Cheers bro!


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Haha.. Nice of you to ask this question.. I had booked my GT/B500 last year September and I have been deferring it's delivery ever since.. Firstly I was confused between 500 and GT after 2 months of endless reviews and videos. I shortlisted GT which I was supposed to take it delivery on 4th July but.. On 2nd July I had the chance to ride my friends "shemonster" ( as he would call it) man it shook the very foundation of me buying the GT. but as hi-lighted like a gazillion time in this forum, I don't prefer plastics now.. That's now holding me back.. [emoji30][emoji30]


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Exhaust note of d200 resembles rickshaw. D390 is more like rickshaw on steroids On a serious note at low rpms it does sound like that gas cylinder delivery auto to some extent but if one is not hearing challenged he/she can definitely distinguish between an auto n duke, post 6k rpm it has its own rhythm and uniqueness, sounds maniac. Install KnN filter, the exhaust becomes bassier and angrier. And you have tons of aftermarket slipons n full exhaust systems to choose from.

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I have graduated from metal to plastic I do miss my bull sometimes n even I was thinking of CGT but as they say, make hay while it shines. So here I am with D390. You can always switch over, don't listen to others, check for yourself whether the grass on the other side is greener or not The plastics come with their own set of advantages, lightweight, no rusting, chipping, etc..Also d390 is more reliable. After lot of thumping I wanted to try a crotch rocket, trust me, it is one. Built like a missile n goes like one too. Apart from price perspective, you cannot compare bulls n dukes, different bikes aiming at different segments, performing differently. One is a nostalgic tribute to old times n heritage, the other is a technowizard marvel offering a glimpse of the future.

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Thanks man! The first one is on the road to Kurseong. The one where the road is all busted is along the toy train's route to Darjeeling.
Thing is, I'd just stepped out for a lazy sunday ride (I live in Jalpaiguri, in the plains) and ended up following the toy train's track till Darjeeling! Little did I know that the road had been lost in a land slide and that they had only recently cleaned up the tracks.
Anyway, no backpack; I didn't plan to go that far. I did have my helmet, boots and gloves though. Didn't realize how cold it would be in the hills, it'd been sweltering in the plains, and it was raining in the hills! First thing I did in Darjeeling was get some warm clothes! Ended up spending 4 nights in the hills!
I didn't take too many pics though... I'll post up the few that I did.
.

Breathtaking pictures, cool bro, thanks for sharing. Lucky you, I can't think much about these places, I'm from down south. Though we have such places, but they are either too far away or not feasible for me to trip. Congrats....!!
BTW, try with proper gears bro, it'll save you one day and moreover makes us feel pretty safe when driving...!!! Ride safe

Right you are! I'm sorting myself out with some knee guards and an armored jacket.
@drive_angry Naught bro, the Duke is definitely not a scrambler. It could be though. You'd need to change to exhaust manifold, the current set up rides too way to low to properly scramble; get rid of that belly pan before it snags on something, DIY engine guard as a replacement would make sense; and go in for some new rubber I seem to remember reading a good review on some CEAT on-offs in an xbhp mag from earlier on this year. Dizzy likes to behave bad and gets into trouble on some of the roads she takes me down, but I won't be splashing out on a new set of tires yet. And, no, chief. That chop job was a DIY. Pretty easy in retrospect. Took me bout an hour or so.