The RC is much more rideable in a way that it is able to handle lower speeds at higher gears without stuttering or complaining like the D390. This is probably because of revised lower gearing(RC does 100 at 6k rpm, Duke at 5.3k rpm) and this makes the power delivery much smoother and not jerky like Duke, people tend to confuse it for a tamer bottom end, which believe me and the Powerdrift guys is not the case. In fact their vid shows the RC(stock, brand new) doing a 0-100 in 4.5 secs flat which makes it way faster than the Duke even to 100. After 100 the RC comes to its own. May be because of the lack of wind blast, it feels way quicker than the D390.

Unlike the Duke where you feel a very strong surge past 7k rpm its not there is RC because it already reaches 7k rpm much stronger than the Duke, its power delivery is linear in feel. The surge is there but tamed. Keep in mind, tamed does't mean less powerful, it means the power band is much better spread.

Also because of the altered gearing the way RC launches from a standstill feels much better, bajaj has improved the clutch feel too. Overall I am impressed with the bike, the only thing Duke does better is being more comfy but I am not complaining. *Grinning*

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You would lose your bet mate. This is coming from an ex duke 390 owner. Duke feels mad, jerky and powerful(probably because of the wind and the way power is delivered) but RC not being able to catch up, tell me that's a joke. The RC is the faster bike, I have explained above why(even with more weight its geared lower, so acceleration is faster and better aerodynamics aid better high speed performance too)

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I have answered the comfort part above, but compared to an R15 v2, RC has a more dedicated posture for the upper body, you'll have to lean more.

Regarding the difference between power delivery, yes, I too felt Duke 390 was jerky. Infact while cornering, most of the time it feels like you are not in the right gear. It feels like you need 1 more gear in between.

i differ a little, the word jerky is a bit misleading yar... i think it has more to do with the rider in proper gear and proper revs with proper throttle adjustments. Well, at such situations, refinement words comes again and RC is better refined to help the rider. With that word the bike is better than the other.
Put it like, mid corner corrections are easier in RC than D390.

Haha! No, sold the D390.


Now for some updates, clocked 500 kms.

The RC even though its new, runs a lot cooler than my D390. And as it happened with the Duke the heating would further lessen as I clock in some more kms.

Headlights are strong but the beam focusing job is a pain the wrong pace. The svc had to rip apart the whole fairing to do the same and they took 2hrs.

The test RC had lesser vibes compared to my duke but mine somehow is a little buzzy at the handlebars, more than my duke. Probably would lessen as the engine runs in more.

The ride with a pillion is again better for the pillion compared to the duke but can get really difficult for the rider because when you brake, the entire weight of you and your pillion falls on your palms and your balls. Phew!

I am getting a better FE compared to my Duke already.

Brake feel is a lot better and so is the exhaust note.

The bike gets crazy dirty and cracks and crevices are much difficult to reach for cleaning.

And for everyone, the red light that blinks is not the limiter or that doesn't mean that the bike is locked at some particular rpm when it is delivered. Its just a shift light which you can program yourself, just read the manual.

A very Happy Diwali to all xBhpians!! And hope many more have got the wackiest cracker that the RC390 is!!

So Blade today went for a ride. 30% was in city traffic with speeds below 30 kmph and 70% was on nice empty roads where throttle could be opened wide!! (Joking actually. :-/ Wide open throttle is just wishful thinking. I still haven't found a road where I can do that)

One thing that stands out is that Blade already feels a lot smoother (at current 180 kms on odo) than what it did 100 kms back. That's a really positive sign!! Now, in city, things certainly heat up and fan does kick in. But the good thing is that hardly any heat is felt on the legs. And as for the feet, I was wearing sandals today (pardon me for that) and there isn't even a whiff of heat to be felt. Summing up, I don't think engine heat should be a problem at all.

On open roads, Blade comes into its own! Keeping the revs above 5,000, everything feels absolutely terrific. The best part is that the vibrations of low revs vanish completely here.

A bit off-topic here now:

The purpose of ride today was to witness delivery of Bullet 500 for a colleague. Had a short ride (my first ride of Bullet) and these two bikes are completely chalk and cheese (very obvious though!). After riding Blade, if I ever stride across a Bullet, I'll probably marry the Bullet then and there itself!! I wonder if there can be more contrasting riding experience!

I already asked this on the review thread but there was no response there - Are the brakes running on DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluid?

I.e. red fluid or clear(ish) fluid?

Dot 4/Dot 5.1 as per owners manual.

I have clocked 700 kms on my rc now.. And I am already late for chain cleaning.. Want to know which lube and cleaner I should use.
I have speedol biko lube lying at my home which I got for r15. Can I use that or should get any other lube..
I think a lot of new owners like me would be thinking about it
sent from my Xperia z3

as you are already an owner would like to ask you about the chain slapping issue if its present or not!

Sent from my XT1033 using xBhp Connect mobile app

By slapping you mean clapping sound from chain right??
There is no slapping sound from chain till now..

sent from my Xperia z3

thanks for that! i asked coz it was an issue by design in the dukes i guess. any other issues that you are facing or you know some owners are facing?

Sent from my XT1033 using xBhp Connect mobile app

I am having issues with high beam projector light.. It sometimes flicker in the beginning.


sent from my Xperia z3

as you are already an owner would like to ask you about the chain slapping issue if its present or not!

Sent from my XT1033 using xBhp Connect mobile app