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

[QUOTE=chinmayakar;965909]Reasons I could think of are:

1. Strike at Chakan: No matter what Bajaj says, KTM production is not affected, I dont buy that......]


I am thinking the same here. According to Dilip Pawar President of the Union
whose members are on strike

"of the 1600 workers employed at the plant,
925 are permanent and belong to the union. Less than 500 are reporting to
work, most of them being contract labourers and trainees"


[Source: The Hindu dated 11-07-2013, page 13]


I don't know how capable the contract labourers and trainees are.

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

@ MG

Any indicative on when can we approximately expect the curfew to be lifted from the detailed review.
Its getting hard to kill time as there is no real info on delivery schedule, no more new reviews online to read, no test bikes (at-least in bangalore), and even the discussion/gossip posts on this thread aswell are drying up.

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

If the reason for holding up the Xbhp review is minor niggles found in the test bike, then frankly I do not understand the logic. Since MG would have already spend lot of effort in reviewing the test bike given to him, he is not going to do another comprehensive review after the so-called minor niggles are sorted out. So the Xbhp review should be published now, and when the issues are sorted out, a further update can be published about that.

Nobody is expecting a flawless bike. The major features about the bike are already known. Those who really want to get the bike would have already booked/will book in the near future. Fence-sitters/speculators/market-watchers/critics will always be there!

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


If it were only xbhp it would have been something minor. But reviews everywhere have been put on hold. Check team-bhp. ebonho on teambhp has also been asked to put his review on hold.

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

I fear that this is probably pointing to an issue with production of the bikes themselves, what if KTM found a QC issue and asked Bajaj to hold any further production? This strike may just be blurring the cause.

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

Took a small test ride on duke 390 at Connaught Place, Delhi. It was a small ride, just one round of the inner circle. The circle has speed breakers at regular intervals so can't ride very fast either. I didn't go beyond the second gear. However, compared with duke 200, the on-paper-heavier 390 felt equally light and maneuverable to me. A friend of mine has a 200 so I have ridden it quite occasionally. In my opinion, the longer gearing of 390 felt more street friendly since I didn't have to upshift too quickly (something which 200 forces the rider to do). On the same stretches, I could ride the 390 in a lower gear compared to 200 without lugging or over-revving the engine. In short, the gearing felt better to me. During this small ride, I didn't feel any lack of torque compared to 200. I think this is enough for me to conclude that 390 has enough torque low down because I took the test ride of duke 200 for the first time on the same stretch in exactly similar traffic conditions.

Other than this, can't comment anymore. Can't comment on ABS either since there wasn't any opportunity to check it. And oh yes, the orange frame and wheels look good but the 200 with black frame and wheels still holds its own alongside the 390.

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

I would just like to add that I took the test ride on the day the bike was launched at CP. I was one of the last few to try and found that the engine was giving off quite amount of heat, not uncomfortable, but I could feel the heat through my jeans. I have ridden my friends D200, but did not find it quite so hot.

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

Just a thought. Can we change the KTM 390 front[or rear] sprocket to bring it to it's original short geared,wheelie maniac,violent form?

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


Might be due to the fact that 390 was new then (since you rode it the first day it was launched), and new engine tends to heat up a bit quicker. So may be.

One more thing I would like to mention since I saw and rode the motorcycle today. The taped-wires around the engine, which has been reported as a big eyesore recently, were not obvious to my eyes for a pretty long time that I saw the motorcycle. I could only notice it when I recalled that this has been reported often on xbhp. So, I wouldn't make a fuss about it as it didn't look too bad to me.

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

Yes the wires are not much of an eyesore. only thing which was an eyesore to me was the bent exhaust pipe to accommodate the fatter engine..btw I am in Delhi and haven't seen to many dukes here..many CBrs but no duke..Delhiwallas don't like the duke or what ?

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

In order to maintain the supplies, Bajaj Auto has shifted the production of Bajaj Pulsar to its Aurangabad plant. Apart from this change, the company will continue manufacturing as many motorcycles as possible in the Chakan plant with the scarce workers. Currently, the plant manufactures 1,200 units in a day.

Despite of the ongoing unrest, the company has stated that KTM Duke 390 will be delivered to the customers within the given period.
Source: pardaphash.com

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

This is being said on tons of websites. I believe all major auto mags including overdrive and autocar had stated the deliveries would commence v soon after the launch in every news confirmed by bajaj prior to the strike.

If the above news currently circulating is true, I and my friends should have gotten it bikes by now!

Sent from my Note 2 using Tapatalk 2

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

Booked my 390 Duke yesterday at South Mumbai KTM.
I am 76 in the bookings list. The guy quoted a waiting period of 3 months but he also said that deliveries will commence as soon as the get the bikes.
So fingers crossed.

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

A look at those nasty wires



Also, while a TD was not offered, the manager allowed me to start up the bike inside the showroom. The bike sounded deeper than the hollower sounding younger sibling. But, there seems to be an issue with starting up the bike. The bike needed multiple attempt to start up after it stalled/got killed. (Due to side stand being down, and the clutch being released in gear.) Maybe, this is what Bajaj is looking into.

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

there might definitely some technical issue with the bike.. else they wouldn't have with hold the reviews..
lets hope that KTM solves them soon enough and begin the delivery.. only then we all could know how the bike behaves in actual conditions..