Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

Both statements are rather contradictory, are they not? Its ok for RC 390 to have a 70 cc advantage but not for Ninja 400 to have a 30 cc advantage on the RC 390 is it? Fact of life, for power output cubic capacity matters, period.

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

You just picked the portions which suited your intended reply. Much like what the media does .And much like the politician, I'd say I have been quoted out of context

The reason I said Ninja 400 cannot be compared with the RC(or for that matter the Ninja 300 itself) is the fact that the former is targeted at the sport tourer junta and the latter towards the corner carving/track junkie.
This of course, as I have mentioned already in my earlier post, not the case in India, where it's targeted at someone who wants to own class leading performance without breaking the bank.
If Kawasaki launches a 400 Ninja which is a bigger brother of the 300, then rest assured it'd be compared with the 390 as the intended purpose(and target customer) and character is more or less same, even if you do not like it being compared.
Look at the middleweight nakeds. The Street triple(675 cc) is routinely pitted against the FZ 09(847cc) and the ducati monster.First two are triples and the last a V twin(and air cooled). So I think more than the engine comparison and capacity differences(if they are not eye popping) what matters is the intended purpose and the character of the bike.
If we need to have everything to be same for a fair comparison then we don't have much to compare anyway.

I think the RC and the Ninja are fair game for a nice little track shootout at the BIC, on the lines of what MCN USA does(at chuckwallah). Indian Mags are you listening?

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

^^^ pointing out a contradiction in your statements makes me selective like a politician and the media ... Anyway, I rest my case on the basis of my pervious post.

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

I agree with Doga. You quoted him out of context. Read his post again.

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Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

Ninja 400 coming here?

I don't think it will happen. It's essentially a 650 with smaller displacement. That means heavy for a 400. heavier than a street teiple.

Bringing them in India will result in similar price of 650. So 400 makes little sense in my opinion for India.

Sent from a phone that results in frequent spelling mistakes.

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

Talking about quoting out of context...
Btw he never said that it was unfair for N400 to have a 30 cc advantage or imply it.

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Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

i wanted to comment on this post of yours somehow.
regarding the displacement-
less cylinders equates less power. thats why world over when 1000cc inline 4s are allowed, they give an extra 200cc to the twins to be in the same class. in this respect the rc should be given a fair chance to compete coz with the N300 jus coz it has a cylinder less. now thats a different matter that it produces a monstrous 43.5 bhp(relatively). it should be and is indeed being compared to the ninja. now coming to quality its a different ballgame altogether

but you cannot take away this fact that the RC wins here after compared.
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Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

Like I said in the previous post, I rest my case on the basis of my previous post.

I can comment on the WSBK point but that would be another long post on merits of V Twins vs. inline 4s vs. V4s which is for another time and place.

Will just make one point on this, ever wondered why the WSBK started out as a 750 cc 4 cylinder vs. 1000 cc Twins went to 1000 cc 4 cylinders vs. 1000 cc Twins to the current format of 1000cc 4 cylinder vs. 1200 cylinder Twin. It's interesting how politics has as much or much more to do with making rules than technical viability.

By the way, my N300 already makes 5 bhp more and weighs 15 kgs less than the stock with a lot more to come. This is without playing the displacement card as of now. Ultimately, that card will also be played at some point of time.

The same is going to happen with the RC. The moment delivery is taken, the bike is going to be stripped down to start work on.


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Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

These are some bestest lines that i love and i am really waiting for the displacement card to be played

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

The contradiction you pointed out would not be much different than in this case :

I love KTM bikes for their fun charcater.
But I hate KTM bikes which are built in India for their build quality.

You can quote the above and prove that my posts are full of contradiction.

Also I rest my case based on this post.

PS: I have nothing against the Ninja, in fact I am a regular visitor of your thread and have learned a lot from the what you have posted there.The mods are really awesome and
I'll consult your thread once I start modding my ktm , after the warranty period is over.

I never said that the 400 would be launched in India. I just said that comparing a touring oriented bike(N400) with a track oriented bike(RC390) would be unfair.

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

[MENTION=48967]Doga[/MENTION] and [MENTION=26077]abhimanyu31[/MENTION], both of you are right in your respective points!

Fact is, both bikes can, and will be pitted against each other. They fall into the same category. Car and bike reviews are never fair to be honest, as you change your perspective, your idea of what should be compared changes. Whether it's from the price point of view, engine point of view, quality point of view, changes what we think.
But in the end, the only way of comparing them is either on the track or on the road.
Doing that, on the track, so far, it looks like the RC390 really is gonna set faster lap times. It's chassis is definitely stiffer, looking at the steering angle and rake and trail, it's handling is going to be way sharper and it does have a higher power output. I think we all agree on that.
On the road, having ridden the 390 duke a fair bit, I can almost certainly say that about 120 kmph, the RC will be buzzy (also due to being a single cylinder) it's harder suspension will make sore backs, shoulders and wrists for all those who ride on Indian streets. The Ninja will have an advantage for sure. In fact, on street and endurance riding/touring to an extent, the Ninja will be a better bet for sure.

We all know, Bajaj can definitely reduce the price on the Ninja, maybe not to the KTM level, but definitely to around where people looking at the RC might just be tempted to go for the Ninja. It's going to be interesting to see what Bajaj does, considering both bikes are supposed to be in the same showroom.

Personally, I love the look of the KTM and the Ninja, and whenever I do look to upgrade, I'm going for the one that makes me smile more! At the moment though, the sinister looking RC 390 is it.

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Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

I don't really how much Bajaj/kawasaki is making on the Ninja, but the tax structure doesn't give them too much room for maneuvering I think.

I think the USP of the Ninja is it's refined character and the peace of mind it offers to the buyer.
The RC would have teething issues for sure owing to the fact that it's essentially a Duke 390 with fairings. A cursory glance at most pages of the 390 thread would tell you that most of these issues cannot even be classified teething. I have a 200 and trust me, it does get a bit frustrating visiting the svc every now and then and I haven't even had the major issues others have there like engine oil leaking from the engine block(most common)/ cracked rims etc etc.
I have a minor bent in the front rim but that was because of an accident (collision with another bike).
The chain/sprockets lasts 10K at best(on the 200), my clutch plates need replacement(this would be 2nd such replacement in less than 30k on the odo)/minor faults in the electricals(faulty grounds etc :to an extent this might be due to the negligence of the svc, but hey Ninja's are accorded the same maintenance schedule as the dukes, nothing extra).
My bike hasn't betrayed me till date because of a part failure(touchwood) but it's a bit more maintenance intensive than other comparable bikes.
I have no experience with any other bike so I may not be the best judge, but to give you an example, some bolts and nuts do not appear to have great metallurgy.
The spanner would simply blunt the edges if you try to unscrew some of them.

My dad was an IAF technician and he would tell me how the Soviet Migs were different than the English Jaguars. Many times the nut from one Mig would not fit another Mig, but the Jaguar nuts wold be interchangeable always. The Migs commanded great respect certainly owing to their capabilities, but the european aircrafts were considered better built.
This scenario is kind of what we have here with the Indian built dukes which give you exceptional affordable performance but with somewhat suspect quality.

The RC would be an experience for sure but may turn sour for some who graduate from the trusty Karizmas and yamahas.
Faster lap times are great once a year, but an svc visit every month is very frustrating [MENTION=26077]abhimanyu31[/MENTION] : Are Kawasaki really considered BMW of Japan? I think Honda should be called that. BMW had a reputation of churning out bland and super reliable bikes(till the K1300R and S1000RR may be), somewhat like Honda? Kawasaki on the other hand have bikes which are most aggressive of the Japs, atleast these days?

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

Some shots of the RC siblings!!
Source: Derestricted fb page!!




The Indian version which is been tested, has got the turn indicators coming out of the fairing (no blinkers on rvm ), is that a rule for Indian motorcycles or just another way of cost cutting by Bajaj
& as far as the quality concerns go, I think Bajaj & KTM will think twice before using substandard quality products in RCs because KTM's reputation is already going down for quality of bikes they provide us, so as a step to gain the respect & trust back they would have slightly better quality products used in the RCs (not at par with the European standards but still better than the present offerings)

*Drop a Gear & Disappear*

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

They look sick!

And hope you are right about bajaj not compromising about the quality on these. Keeping fingers crossed. But the thing I don't get is if bajaj is the owner of KTM, manufacturs it here, exports from here, and we Indians do not shy away from paying up for genuine and worthy products...why the cost cutting at the expense of quality? Bajaj is known for vfm products agreed, but you are marketing these as KTM. you can keep the quality at par with European standards and charge us accordingly.

Re: KTM RC 390 Launch confirmed: xBhp News

amazing stuff besides the lil quirky headlights... not sure how will it look from front but the side profile is definitely killer stuff...
finally some real world images without camou..

white black looks far better than all black and that exhaust is eye candy with white fairings..