Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

I see myself in you when I think of ordering biryani :P. what type of biryani to order. Lol..

Anyway, toss a coin and buy one based on result.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

There's one more consideration that i think hasn't been mentioned. When it comes to sprited riding, while i haven't test ridden the Honda 300R but if it's anything like the Honda 250r or the more recent 650r then the Duke is the one to get for skilled riders who love cornering. I ride a RC390 and the bikes i mentioned are simply not at the same level, in fact nothing under 10k lacs is...
(the rear shock is a limitation while the front forks are pretty good. Nitron UK makes very nice rear shocks for both the Duke and RC390. I got one and they are worth the money)

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

The current Duke's handlebar is very straight and it makes my shoulder to rotate internally when riding in city. When riding in traffic jams, with a couple of fingers on the brake lever, it hurts at the shoulder, wrists and neck. Its manageable in the outskirts.

So I was checking on ways to adjust the handle bar. One option is to increase the fork height. When I checked the top of the front forks, it's like a 1/4 inch lowered. Is this way Duke 390 2017 is usually setup? Can I make it flat against the top holding part of the fork?



Also, is it possible to get handlebars in a pattern similar to the below? V shaped holding section at the ends while the bar is raised after the fork clamping area. These actually helps to maintain a much better posture for wrists and shoulders.

Have someone changed their handlebars with anything else? I guess even clipons with raised heights will provide much more comfort and control.

Please advice.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

yes, that is the way the bars are positioned since the 2017 model 390.
you have an option to add handle bar risers, to raise the bars by around 25mm. this is supposed to be fine, without messing with the wires/cables. these cost around 600-900rs. according to viaterragear.com who are one of the sellers of the risers, for the 2017- 390, the pulsar rs200's clutch cable should be used since it is longer and works without hampering the clutch function.
other vendors have the 25mm risers that are made up of 2 blocks of 10mm + 15mm (total of 25 if used together).. like the ones from bikers billet.
but make sure the clutch wire is proper otherwise it could end up causing problems with the clutch mechanism/parts. another known part for clutch cable is to use one from a chetak scooter (info from a reliable ktm mechanic).

you could fabricate a handle bar to whatever ergonomics you want.. but the challenge would be to make sure the stock cables/wiring like the clutch cable, controls, brake hose etc.. would fit in properly or need to source longer cables.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

I have done the same and also added 1 inch risers from Viaterra. The motorcycle has just transformed and is much much comfortable.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

My stock rear tyres are completely gone, what are the options available. My 99% of riding will be in city btw.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Oh my! I've never seen a Metz turn into super-slick to the extent I can see steel belts. Good job here. You can stick to MPSRs or Apollo Alpha Rads, Ceat Zoom Rad X1 or normal Metz. I'd suggest, try the Ceat they offer a blend of grip and life.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Read somewhere that's ceat rad x1 are puncher resistance! How are they any different to normal tubeless tyres?

Got four puncher today all the old puncher are opening up, have to replace tyre asap.

I need to decide between mrf revs fc1 and ceat rad x1.. also like to know the performance and life of these two.
Any other from Michelle in the same price bracket and performance

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

If I were to pick from these in the order Metz>Ceat>Apollo>MPSRs> Metros and the likes.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Ceat rad should be good enough for your usage.. or maybe the mrf revz c1 (fc1 is the front tire). both are good tires at an affordable price point, with a softer compound than the michelins.

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

I'm about to replace my front metzelers ( just waiting for freedom sale at Amazon) after running 17k, I could go maybe 1-1.5k more but I don't wanna take that chance in Kerala where it rains heavily. 17k is good enough life so I'll stick to metzelers. Anyone running both front and back Apollos, I'd like to hear your opinions.


Although at the rear I'm running an Apollo, I've come across Metzeler sportec street ( m5 comes as stock with 390). Sportec street is a non radial tyre but being a metzeler I hope it should provide comparable grip to m5s and better life. I don't know how the sportec street would match against the radial Apollos. Any thoughts ? Anyone using sportec street on d390 ?

Here is a convo if my query regarding sportec street to a metzeler rep.

Hi,

Obviously you can’t expect the same performance by Sportec Street which M5 delivers when it comes to grip while leaning, stability in wet surfaces even at higher speeds, response to quick acceleration & sudden braking but even Sportec Street is built on the same platform & especially for bikes upto 400cc.
So basically here I am talking of the real character of Duke 390 which can be complimented only by Tyres like M5, but contrary to that as you have mentioned that…. “But my query would be for a guy who uses the bike mainly for weekend touring/ commute and occasional curves or Twisties.” You should go for Sportec Street without any 2^nd thought.

Regarding the Tyre life, Sportec Street will give you more than M5 for sure considering that it completes its life without any structural damage & with even tread wear.

Regards,

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

HI All,

KTM has released an APP called KTM Care for tracking your service , currently its available only for Android.

You have to register with your vehicle registration number it will send OTP etc to your phone, so its properly connected

This is home screen.


This is service history.


The app is beta not everything works perfectly but basic things are working fine.

Regards,
Mohan

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

i installed this a month or so ago.. it only shows service data from past one yr.
anybody able to view older data ?
mine is a Oct 2014 D200 (manufactured in Sep).. but the app was showing it as a MY13 d200.
not sure how and what qualifies as their model yr.. since in late 2014 a lot of small changes/additions were made on the d200 (e.g. like the new radiator fan shroud design, mud flap+covered rear monoshock.. my bike came with both these.. later that yr towards Dec they added front fork plastic 'mud guards'.)

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences



You cross check with this chart, if 8th digit(month) and 10th digit(year) of chassis number comes out as "F"(Sep) and "D"(2013) as per KTM for your bike.
If this holds good then probably the App is still in Beta stage and buggy not updated with latest info.

Also, you can check the "Model year" as per KTM here

Re: 2017 Duke 390 Owners Reviews and Experiences

yup, am aware of this date decoding from vin. mine is F and E for the 8th and 10th character, so sep 2014 made, purchased in second week on Oct 2014.
there are other tell tale signs from which i knew it was made in sep (at-least), one being the date stamp on the rear mono.. plus the new additions on the bike that I had specified earlier.. plus the fact that the bike arrived at the dealer just one day before I picked it up. i was of course being pushed the 'older' model, because this small updated one was just arriving at the dealers.. but i politely told them and they understood that i knew what i was talking about and let me have the one I wanted.
either app data is incorrect, or ktm's designation of what a model yr refresh isn't what we think it is .. i would have understood if it was from jan or feb.. but at the fag end of the yr and still designated a prev model yr. i'll cross check the parts catalog, which has clear info comparing the parts list between years, considering there have been plenty of small and big changes on the ktm's since launch (some which most aren't even aware of).