re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News

If you look at the bottom part of letters, Duke's tires are something between V and O.
Ninja 300 (and most other bigger bikes) are more like O.
CBR 250 and FZ are like U.

re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News

Yes I had this question because in some international forums, I have read people talking about the 'fatness' of looks. For example somebody said bridgestone 016-150/60 are fatter looking than michelin pilot 1s of same sizes! But I just cant understand how come the same profile tires where all the specs are same can be different looking( fatter than other).

re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News

I was comparing them for good 5 min, I was curious about it...
Duke's MRFs are very rounded, in fact too rounded, almost like a V. That's why they look narrower. CBR 250 and FZ have flat tires, good for straight line but crap for cornering. FZ also slides left-right a lot in muddy terrain because of those flat tires, which is not the case with Duke.

D390s Metz are almost identical to D200s MRFs in shape but they are just slightly more normal shape, less V, more O, than D200. Just slightly, you really have to look hard.
So they should look tiny bit fatter (not really noticeable) and together with 1cm lower seat for rider's lower center of gravity, provide little better cornering and handling because of more uniform rounded shape. Not to mention the grip...

re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News

Even the duke 200 tyres are way more 'round' than say the Fz or the CBR. But I didn't quite check the Metz on the 390. Are they less or more than the 200's ?

re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News

[MENTION=62798]jackofsome[/MENTION] - Look more closely at the design of those tyres. The 390's tyres are more round'ish as compared to say an FZ which has more of a flat (low profile) design. Just my 2 cents.
Awaiting Elixir.

re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News

You could have mentioned the source as well. Things You Wanted To Know About The KTM 390 Duke, But Didn’t Know Who To Ask

re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News


Completely agree... why is it such a big discussion here only for KTM? It is the case with most of the bikes with big performance. And that too only in stop-n-go traffic. I don't think it will be an issue otherwise.
[MENTION=62917]deepak82[/MENTION], please give source of your information credit.

re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News

Yup. I agree.
When I first started reading about riding experiences on D390 I started to scratch my head - why would they gear up a street naked bike as if it was a racing or a highway bike? Seems like giving a D390 an identity crisis with such tall gears... Not to mention that putting words "Duke" and "relaxed" in a same sentence together is like putting ketchup on an ice cream...

I mean, the theoretical top in 6th gear is around 210 kmh. They could have easily made gears 10% less tall and still have have the bike as a relaxed highway tourer but with much better pull in the streets. Bling, streets are more important for "street bikes" then highways!

KTM, hope you have some alternative sprockets ready to sell as soon as possible!

re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News

A review I just came across:





Sent from my Note 2 using Tapatalk 2

re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News

I was thinking yesterday night about the 390 power delivery and it's apparent departure from the 200. The 200 gearing is extremely short and it originally sported a 43 T sprocket at the rear, which was later changed to 42. This translated to awesome pickup from standstill and a sense of victory on most traffic lights .
The 390 has taller gears, picks up well from standstill but relatively poorly if one considers the fact that it's the same chassis as the 200 with twice the power. "Relatively" is the operating word here. One should think what would have happened if the KTM guys would have opted for the same maniac character of the 200. The jolt(launching from zero in first gear) one gets on the 200 would have doubled on the 390 then, resulting in probably the rider loosing grip of the handlebars.
Then it struck me. In light of the upcoming RC 390, I think, the same gearbox of the 390 would be used with only minor tweaks in mapping for increasing the top speed probably.
Makes sense, you essentially manufacture the same bike with a fairing and new handlebars(clip ons) with even the gearbox remaining the same.
I don't really find another reason for the relatively laid back character of the 390, given the fact that dukes are known for keeping the rider busy. If there was not a possibility of using the same setup for the RC 390, the designers would have opted for the Duke series USP, namely maximum fun possible in lower and mid range and not much regard for the higher rpms and top end. Make no mistake, the engines are all hig revving, but they don't wait for the higher revs to make the rider grin.

re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News

A query to all here.. Why do the 150/60 r17 tires look so thin compared to lets say a ninja 300's 140 section or even fz's 140 section? I know its superficial but do you think its related to something with the rims being thin of the dukes?

re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News

I am wondering where the crash guards can be bolted on this chassis. Oh well there is a small one attached, is it effective? And if there is some mechanism to add center stand it would be useful because we can't always rely on side stand for parking.

re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News

The hand guards are standard on the 390. Same was mentioned by a Bajaj senior manager in the gurgaon launch of the bike on Saturday. Maybe your dealer wants to make a quick buck or is blissfully uninformed.

re: KTM Duke 390 Launched in India at Rs 1.8 Lakhs: xBhp News

Take a look at here bro




Can anybody confirm that hand guards are standard or we have to pay extra for that ?
showroom guy was telling me that its not standard we have to pay extra for that if we want