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

My cents...

With all due respect for everyone's opinions here, but I must say that some of us are on a nit-picking spree on Duke 390. We have always wanted a motorcycle with the best performance for our money. More importantly, we have always guessed that an Indian company shall do it since it may not be possible for foreign manufacturers to please us on the price factor. But comes the Duke 200 and now the Duke 390, we are getting a European motorcycle with specs that will demolish anything upto 400cc on the road in most riding conditions. And now we have that, we are on to finding issues with it that may not actually be bad enough to be called one.

I for one, didn't find anything wrong with the way the wiring has been done and managed. It could have been more aesthetically pleasing but I wouldn't definitely not call it an eye sore. And Probably they will take care of it soon enough. I believe Duke 200 and 390 are made out of same material so I don't understand how the plastic on 390 could feel more flimsy! Personally, I just didn't like the hand guards (visually). The 390, naturally, looks as finely built as the 200 and overall better than most motorcycles upto that price range.

Regarding engine heating, even I took a test ride in CP just couple of days back and I didn't notice any alarming engine heating even though the environment was a bit moist. So I would like to conclude that the guys who took the test ride on the first day of the launch experienced more heating probably because the motorcycle was new. However, it this was not the case with Duke 200 (when it's new) then it could be a point of concern.

Honestly, yes, I would have been more critical if it was more expensive (in the league of Ninja's price) but it's not. A motorcycle like Duke 390 is the answer to many of our prayers. Thanks to Bajaj/KTM partnership.

Please understand that I am not expecting or asking people to not look out for quality issues, if any. I am just trying to say that we might have been nit-picking in the name of quality in this case.

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

Read in overdrive, and spec sheet mentions same.taoing is taping,error due to mobile keyboard.

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

It was in specifications and interviews with KTM engineers from launch in Austria, they are steel braided.
Don't know the reason for covering them though, it just adds to the whole cable mess thing...

True, many things could have been made better in this bike, at least visually.
Add the taller gears for reduced fun factor, and the whole package looks less desirable than when we didn't know anything about it...

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

Why the hell would they do that? And how do you know, did you tear off the plastic to see the steel braided lines in the 390?

ps. What is "taoing" of wires?

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

I really can't understand this, come on guys just look at the price and the package offered, we couldn't have asked for more.
To cut cost they have used the d200's frame. Just imagine they could have given us a so called a 'dent' free bike at 2.5L plus would that had been better??

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

It IS by design.Just fyi, theres a "dent" on duke 200's exhaust header too.

brake lines are steelbraided,covered in plastic,plastics are same, and taping of wires is similar in duke 200.

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

The plastic bits are flimsier, the taping of the wires below the dash is crude, non steed braided brake lines. But please understand, these things arent deal breakers, the bike is immensely VFM and I am sure on an open road it will be faster than anything else made in India currently. The engine heat up is a deal breaker is a deal breaker though and I hope they fix it and launch the bike soon.

P.S. Why the hell would a company launch a bike with 0 inventory? Thats pure bull dung to me!

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

Actually, this happens a lot more out there than we suspect. Let's hope this is not the case here.

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

can you explain the not built as good as d200 part. I havnt ridden d200 extensively, but felt the same.

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

Come on people, it's a simple DENT BY DESIGN.
Yes, I agree, it is a bit of a eye sore, but if you look inside you'll see the engine takes up all the space.
KTM wanted to keep the same frame, so the ONLY way to fit the pipe was to make a dent. This isn't a big deal... It isn't even a small deal.
They could have narrowed the pipe at that place, would that be any different from denting it?

One thing is for sure - engineers know how to measure dimensions of frame and engine and pipes, they've been to school.
They aren't assembling a bike and then at the last moment realizing "Oh, wow, we TOTALLY forgot about the exhaust pipe! Damn, where shall we put it now?..."

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

Technically you are right, however I am sure KTM would have factored this in and made suitable adjustments. But boy does that look ugly and jugaadish

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

It does matter because now the exhaust gas is being throttled before being expunged, it affects back pressure for one. This is pure jugaad, don't you think for a performance bike?

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

I had test ridden the Duke 390 on the first day it was available in the Connaught Place showroom in Delhi for TD. Also, some of us were lucky to get our test rides without a pillion. My observations:

Duke 200 is better built than the 390, period. The cost cutting shows pretty glaringly if you are in the mood to observe.
The gearing is taller and it doesnt accelerate frenetically as you would think. We couldnt get out of first two gears in CP traffic so will reserve judgement for another day.
The Metzellers are lovely, didnt spin up when we accelerated hard out of turns on cold tires. But costing at 12K rupees/tire and lasting for only 8-K kms, thats an expensive ownership cost to have!
The bike seriously heats up, even at 35 degress of ambient temparature. KTM has to fix it else you cant ride this thing in India without painting the road green with coolant And this could be the main reason they have held up the deliveries and reviews. The media and corporations have been in bed together for decades now, dont expect any mag or mainstream website to break this nexus

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

Bajaj has built a new, bigger engine of the 390 (not bored 200) and the frame is same as of 200 so to fit the exhaust pipe inside the frame bajaj has bend the pipe in order to fit.
There is nothing wrong in that, how does it matter if it is bend or straight?

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


The one on the right can only be called dent, because it is done purely to accommodate the pipe in the restricted space. That cannot be by design, or else why would they need to bring it back to original dia?