Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

I am no longer getting a ktm unless bajaj ktm sorts this out and acknowledges it. I dont want my skull cracked just because some dumbheaded wit thought that by making them lighter and weaker they could use wheels to reduce impact

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Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

I'm just quoting what others have said. Be this as it may, I don't think ktm have used inferior quality rims to cut costs or anything. It in no way affects my decision of getting an Rc390.

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Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

Even I don't think they would knowingly put inferior rims but it also depends on where they are sourcing these alloy wheels from, it is taiwan or china or where?

But these examples would only probably be seen here since in other countries (read developed) the chances of encountering a rock on a highway let alone a road is next to nil.

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

That front headlamp gives a cheap plastic look !!!

Else Bike looks great!!
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Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

Caught undisguised



I understand your position. I personally wouldn't even mind paying 3L for this bike if we get that higher quality European export version.
I personally am not getting this bike because of the low price, I'm getting this because there is nothing like this bike in this category in India. Even the more expensive Ninja 300 doesn't come close to this other than in the high revving twin cylinder engine and the quality department. The only way of getting Bajaj to notice this properly would be if some 10000+ people sign an online petition or if the administrators of this site speak regarding the concerns of the members to Bajaj. They still may not do anything, but such a feedback from the country's biggest motorcycle community should at least get them to see what people are feeling.
Bajaj seem to be following even worse cost cutting in the KTMs than on their Discovers

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

Yeah, I don't know what the bajaj bean counters have for food but it is no brainer that a 5%-10% price increase will result in much better overall quality of the bike and still not make a dent to their the sales figure.

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

Not to start a brand war out here, but have you even tried the N300 before making the above statement or is it just comparison on paper? Don't get me wrong, I am a owner of a N300 and am planning to be one of the first to book a RC 390. And I am planning to keep both the bikes. Why? For the following reasons (I want the best of both the worlds);


A multi cylinder bike has its own characteristics that no single cylinder can match. The elasticity of the power band of a multi cylinder engine and its capacity to provide sustained power output is not something that a single cylinder can match easily. Also a multi cylinder engine provides natural balancing which results in a smoother power band than a single cylinder even if the single cylinder engine is equipped with a counter balancer.

On the other hand the single cylinder has some very desirable characteristics, it is extremely narrow, light and quick revving. These characteristics make the engine a real hooligan and fun to ride.

So its unfair to compare these bikes. Remember, the power output on paper that most people are harping about when making a comparison is courtesy a 70 cc additional displacement for the RC 390. All said and done, the old adage 'there is no replacement for displacement' still holds true even in this day and age.

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

You beat me to it. For the same reason I wanted to book the duke along with my Ninja 250, but decided otherwise. There is actually no comparison between the 2.

It's like comparing cars to bikes, apples to oranges, boys to girls and so on..

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

What you said is totally right.

I haven't ridden the N300 but I have ridden the N250R. I really liked the high revving twin cylinder engine on that. That's why I said that the Ninja leads on the engine front.
I know it is unfair to compare these bikes and I would love to own both if I had the money but when I can afford only one of them, it is only natural to compare among the options available. The specs I compare are only on paper as the RC hasn't been launched yet as you know. But the specs are too obvious to make the RC a better sport bike. The Ninja doesn't even have a clip on handle bar to start with. On the other hand, the RC has clip on handle bars, USD WP suspension, better rubbers among others which are the characteristics of a real sport/ a supersport. I have read all over the web where many current N300 owners who also ride 600cc bikes on track, have bashed the N300 for its supposedly bad 'commuter' handling and are eagerly waiting for the RC. I, on the other hand am a complete amateur compared to them and found the N250R to be a great handler and will find the 300 to be a great handler too. But when I can find an overall better sport package at a better price, I'll definitely consider that. I know the the RC's handling looks good on paper and hasn't been tested. But when the Duke is such a great handler, it's sort of expected that the sportier RC with more track focused adjustments will only handle better.
Moreover, some of the more experienced people I know who have ridden both the 300 and 390 have been of the opinion that the 390 is more fun to ride and the 300 feels tamer in comparison. So, I'm more inclined towards a bike which supposedly provides more fun and better handling at a better price. The quality is a bummer, so I'll wait for a year to check on them. If the poor quality of the KTMs continues, Ninja will hit the top of my priority list.

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

I'm having a really hard time deciding among the ninja 300 and the rc390. I watched almost all comparison videos and reviews on YouTube for both bikes. Read many reviews, went through many forums etc. etc. from the past one week. Although I'm a big fan of the ktm, I couldn't get the flawless ninja 300 out of my mind. I had gone to banjara Hills ktm (Hyderabad) yesterday and really loved the big bike feel of the ninja. But I had a great deal of fun while riding the Duke. I liked the 390 not just because it was more powerful and cheaper than the ninja, but because I think it's a genuinely great machine. I'm gonna go crazy!

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Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

No point comparing the N300 with the RC390, because though they seem comparable, at the end of the day they offer different things. All said and done if I had the money I would go with N300 without as much as a blink. The quality of build and butter smooth revving twin from mid to high end and superior handling is worth every penny.

The RC390 packs a punch for the price it will be sold at and that's what makes it a great deal. The torque, ABS, 375cc and KTM in one package is something that cannot be dismissed. The only grouse being the Q from Bajaj.

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

I had almost finalized my decision about getting the ninja. But I realised that buying the bike is just one thing, maintaining it afterwards is also a very costly affair. For example I read (correct me if I'm wrong) that the front fairing of the ninja, the whole thing is somewhere close to rupees 72,000! The brake pads are something like 1800 and the oil filter is..... wait for it.... 900 bucks (this freaked me out the most). I know you have to pay more for quality yada yada but this is ridiculous! I decided that it's in my best interest to not buy the ninja for now and wait for the rc390.
The funny thing is that I read on some American forum people are thinking of 'upgrading' from a ninja 300 to an Rc390/d390. Both bikes cost the same there. This made me think, do the people here rate the ninja above the Duke just because the former costs more? The mentality of majority of the people is to think that if something costs more, it must be better. I mean no offence to anybody on this forum.

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Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

First of all, this is not to start a brand war, but to clarify some points as I am a N300 owner and have been using the bike for the past 11 months.

Your calculations about maintaining the bike are a bit off if I may say so. Yes, the parts are expensive no one can argue against that. However, what really matters is how long those parts last under normal wear and tear. Lets take the example of the oil filter that you have mentioned. The recommended oil and oil filter change interval for a N300 is 11,000 kms. Whereas the recommended oil and oil filter change for a Duke 390 (RC390 should also be similar) is 7,500 kms. Therefore, don't look at it as Rs. 900/- per filter, look at it from a cost per kilometre proposition. I don't know the cost of the Duke 390 oil filter, but I am assuming that it cost around 300 to 400.

Yes, the parts are expensive, as almost nothing is made out here, however the long service intervals do make up considerably for the cost.

Now coming to your point about some American forum people thinking about 'upgrading' to RC390, its because they want to try something different and has nothing to do with the quality of the Ninja. Nowhere on those forums do people say that because they are not satisfied with the quality of the Ninja they want to shift to the RC390. Not one of them says that they have tried the RC390 and found it to be a superior bike to the N300. They are again doing a comparison on paper.

In motorcycling world Kawasaki has reputation of being the BMW of Japan. The bikes created by Kawasaki are infamous for being long lasting bikes. That reputation is well deserved. Ask long time N250 owners and they will tell you that many of them have clocked over 65,000 to 75,000 kms, and their bike and engines are still going strong.

I will buy the RC390 for the reasons mentioned in my pervious post, but to compare it with the N300, nope, not happening, the N300 is a different animal.

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

Wait for the RC390 only if you want a pure 'supersport' bike or if you want lesser overall costs. If you're looking at a powerful sport bike and do not want all those extra supersport goodies that the RC offers, don't even consider it if the Ninja is within your budget. The Ninja may cost more, but it'll offer more peace of mind and is highly reliable in the long run as looking at the current cost cutting methods adopted by Bajaj, the RC390 will also suffer from quality issues.

Regarding those from the American forums, those guys have some considerable track riding experience with 600cc or bigger supersport bikes. The Ninja lacks on that 'supersport' front and hence those guys find it to be a pretty bad handler. So you may feel the Ninja to be lacking on that front only if you have some decent track riding experience. Otherwise the Ninja will turn out to be a great handler too. The RC hasn't been launched yet, so no one can talk about its handling apart from what the specs say, but considering that the Duke is already a great handler, and that KTM is making it even better, I'd expect the RC to have slight edge in handling.

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News


I do not think it'd be unfair to compare these too. The Ninja and the RC would both be considered more or less entry level bikes abroad(along with the CBR 500). IT'd be unfair if we consider the RC with say the Ninja 400(which is a smaller 650 suited to sport touring).
I know being only entry level doesn't lend itself to fair comparison, but in this case both are fully faired sport bikes with reasonably committed riding stance and handling characteristics suited for track riding. One may be a bit more than the other but nevertheless both of them targets,at least in markets abroad which are mature and the price gap is not as significant as here, the just out of teens amateur who has more CBR/GSXR/S100RR/Panigale posters in his bedroom/studyroom than ,say ,the KTM Superduke.
The only major difference is the engine configuration. But if we could not compare a peaky twin with a quick(and reasonably high revving) single, then there would be no shootouts/street comparisons between the Jap litrebikes which are all I4s and the Euros which are mostly V Twins(barring the beemer which is I4) or V4s.
But they all compete for the litrebike crown.
And btw a lesser cylinder would mean higher displacement to coax the same power. So a 1200 CC Vtwin is allowed a 200CC advantage over a 1000CC I4 in WSBK since it's an accepted fact that more cylinders mean more power per cc(albeit with lesser horses in lower rpms). So the KTM could be forgiven the '70' cc advantage and I think there is more juice in the 300 CC twin Kawi mill than the claimed 39 bhp, while keeping it very reliable at the same time