Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Today marks the first anniversary of my bike. Been riding it every day since in various conditions. B2B traffic is what clocked the most kms and few highway runs to Ooty, Kolli Hills and other places to bring the ODO to 7132 km. Which isn't much but warrants a report based on different types of conditions (of road, weather, traffic) it has been ridden on.

In short, I'm in love. I have a June 2015 manufactured bike and it is almost flawless. Got no high temp issues, coolant or oil consumption issues nor parts quality issues (like rims, fork oil seals, gasket etc.). I hard broke in the bike without babying it too much but I also didn't ride it like I stole it, always linear throttling. The gearbox has become so smooth and responsive that I almost always use clutchless upshifts if the RPM permits. Completed 3 free services and changed oil twice as for the third service, I hadn't clocked much kms for an oil change.

Fuel economy is 22-25 kmpl in city based on traffic, but highway mileage is superb. The recent Ooty trip from the house & back provided mileage of ~36 kmpl.

Finally, the pull is what makes this bike such a great ride. After riding this, most other bikes in the category feel mellow. This bike is raw and has a soul but you need to be in the mood for it. Take it as positive or negative but it's a fact.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Guys I'd like to know the differences between the 2014 and 2015 model, I know there were a few changes to the model , I was almost about to go the duke but ended up going for a CBR due to better fe and usability in traffic and highways. I absolutely loved the duke when it came out, but now I have seen the list of changes for the 2017 duke had 390 , I'm a bit excited, if the bike is soo good, I might trade in my CBR for it , reason I didn't go for a Duke in 2014 because of the various issues like gasket leaks, overheating, low fe,etc

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

2017 models might come with its own set of new issues.
There is no such thing called a trouble free bike.
It's just a matter of buying it if you can adjust & live with it or skip it if you can't bear.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Exactly! I have ridden my Duke (2016 version) in B2B traffic of Bangalore and never faced overhearing or engine shut off problem. We should just make it a point not to turn off the bike when the radiator fan is running which would hamper the cooling process. In order to test, I switched the engine off when the radiator fan was running and when I switched it on, the temperature gauge was at the last bar. As soon as I started the bike, the fan kicked in and things came to normal. When I wait for the fan to switch off automatically and then turn off the bike, the temperature would be 2 or 3 bars less and 1 bar less on a hot day from the max temperature. It runs hot and blows hot air for sure but nothing unbearable and it's the same in most of the high capacity naked bikes. I would say it's gem of a bike and all other minor niggles would be easy to fix considering the price at what it is sold.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

I'd suggest you to wait for some specs of the '17 Duke 390. If they've done some solid changes to the engines like a balancer shaft or other tweaks, then it's a no-brainer to buy that. But if they haven't touched the engine, I'd think going for the '16 Duke 390 won't be much of a bad choice. Because '15-'16 Dukes have like almost zero issues except of course if you get a lemon, then that's your bad luck. FE will be bad in B2B traffic, trust me, cars will give better FE than this.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Below are the primary issues that I faced during 11000-14000 ODO range. After 14000 KMS, issues on the bike has been non-existent.

Burnt coil (Replaced under warranty).
Fuel pump (Replaced under warranty). Bike used to stutter a around 3500 RPM. SVC finally replaced it under my persistance of the issue.

Mine is close to 3 years now (will complete 3 by end of August).
KTM can improve on some quality aspects but the durability of the bike cannot be commented right now.
But on Reliability wise, this has be excellent.

Wish I had patience like you in maintaining the statistics. I tried few apps, max I could use them was for 3 months.

I got my bike service last friday at KTM Kompally. It is quite huge showroom and SVC comparing to others in the city.
They have been pretty good and did the work well. Bike washing was detailed and excellent again. Below were the things done on the bike. Bike has done 38000 KMS.

Engine Oil replaced (Now comes in 1.5 Lt can).
Oil Filter
Fuel Filter
Spark Plug
Cone set bearings (Have very bad concrete roads near my home)
Clutch plates cleaned and refitted.

Mine is out of warranty and total bill was close to 3500.
This particular dealer is different from Varun and Vinayaka dealers that we have in city. They are names as SS Motors. Apart from KTM, they have Suzuki 2 Wheeler (Beside KTM showroom) and Mahindra 2 Wheelers nearby.

They have stock of spare parts that is amazing. If you want to pick up some spares, check with them. I was speaking with owner's son Naveen (who is also cousin of Varun Motors Owner's son). He said that they kept 8 lacs worth of spares stock.

After buying my bike, below are the things that were replaced or changed.

Rear Tire changed from Metz to Michelin at 14000 KMS, still running on Michelin. Even after 38000 KMS, tire has good tread left. But only worry is sidewall puncture it has.
Front tire changed from Metz to Michelin at 32000 KMS. Yes, front Metz lasted 32000 KMS for me.
Brake Pads changed on both front and rear at 32000 KMS.
Chain and Sprocket set changed at 32000 KMS.
Drum rubber changed at 38000 KMS. During 32000 service, there was no stock.
Rear suspension changed. It was leaking fluid and had to be replaced (Thanks to bad concrete roads near my home).
Fuel pump and coil changed at 14000 KMS. Coil was burnt and fuel pump was defective.
Tried XADO engine oil. Good but not worth the price.
Cone set bearings changed at 38000 KMS.
Removeds stock RVMs and replaced with Apache RTR RVMs. They provide better view and decrease vibes at handle bar a bit.
Pilot lamp changed from halogen to 8 point LED bulb.
Installed fork seal guards and rear shox guard (these came with New 390 and are direct fit. Pretty cheap too).

Luckily, my 390 never had issues like stalling, fork leaks or alloy issues.

What I like on my 390?

It is too much fun to ride. I miss riding it when I am forced to take car out for my commuting. Every time I ride, it always feels like riding for first time. Haven't got bored of it yet.
ABS, Have to thank it for saving me more than couple of times.
Handling, the little fun part of your daily commute is when you lean into corners.
Largely trouble free.
Cheap to maintain.
Decent mileage of 28 KMPL for 373cc single cylinder motor.

What can be improved?

Improved plastic quality and switchgear.
Better build quality of cone set.
Better cable management.
Larger fuel tank. Not a major issue, but nice to have.


EDIT: Mods, Bullets are not working. Not Royal Enfield ones!

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

A Photo of the potent machine enroute highest Inhabitable village in the world(Komik-Spiti Valley, June 2016)



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I was charged 70 bucks for it, and it has been holding good since, done spiti circuit on the bike and seal still holding fine.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Data Data Data

Which one is available in 1.5L, Motul 7100 or 300v?
Also cost please.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Yeah the big difference between the the 2014 and 2015 model is the radiator setup, slipper clutch and a few small changes, but yeah I think the 2017 Duke should be the bike where all major problems should be eliminated hopefully.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Today I met with first accident on my 2015 Duke 390. Some Honda Dio guy came in front of me out of nowhere at intersection without looking. I was at approx. 50-60kmph and when I applied brakes hard along with engine braking, I was below 10kmph( ABS kicked in too) but still we both collided. Couldn't avoid collision as it happened in less than couple of seconds . His bike and he both fell down with little skid. Started abusing me. I was able to control the bike and kept it standstill. Avoided fall by tapping left foot on ground as bike leaned to left side.

There are no scratches and dents anywhere. But after collision when I started riding it back, I feel there's something wrong with handlebar alignment. When I take off both hands from handle bike tends to go towards right side. It is slightly visible too. Handlebar along with forks, I mean the whole steering, is now slightly towards right. Please shed some light on this. Planning to visit SVC tomorrow.

Thumbs up for superb controlling of bike. ABS+Metzeler combo is great too as road was wet.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

I avoided exactly the same situation yesterday on my Avenger 220. Helmetless guy just entered the main road even after seeing me crusing at around 50-60kmph. It was raining and slippery. I had few seconds to react and I applied breaks at the right time and just missed banging Activa's Tail.
These are tricky situation where both riders think the other guy will stop or slow down.
Be safe buddy and hope theres no much repair work to be done on ur bike.

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

You cant build wall without bricks!

Rs 1200 something. Not sure about 300v, but 7100 is there.

Fork alignment!

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Thanks! Any guess about repair cost?

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

Hello guys. A quick question.
A friend of mine is selling his kawa 650 er6n for about 3.ishh
I was finalised on duke but this offer is tempting. It has 10k on the odo and a year old. It has no issues since the bike is known in friends circle.
Shall i go for it or the new duke 390. Also for that price i can get a new yzf r3. What say?

Re: KTM Duke 390 - Ownership Reviews and Experiences

If you are in a hurry and don't worry about fuel economy, I'd suggest to get the ER-6N if it's all good since both this and R3 don't have ABS. Choosing R3 would be good if you're into touring as it has fairing and wind shield.

If you can wait till next year, then the new D390 would be a valid option too.