Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

Lol. As we all know by now, anything related to duke 390 is too much of a talk & guesswork.
Wait n watch is the best & only option on ur Q's about duke 200 too.
Am going back to my sukhaasan sabbatical.
Hari om... hari om...

Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

Ah!
That's one of the hardest things to do...
Wait and wait. :sly:

Hari om hari om!!

Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

Guys I proudly bought the Honda cbr 250r in August 2011. Just sold it last week after 27000kms of city commuting and weekend highway trips with my cbr 250r group. My group has 30odd ppl from mumbai all having the 250r. I had the following problems with it :

Damaged cone set 6 replaced in 1.5yrs... the first of which went kaput after a week of getting the bike before the 1st service. .. in 200 kms

Chain sprocket changed at 17000 kms
Tyres changed as stock tyres couldn't grip at all in the wet and took a v long time to warm up.
Their front brake had issues and master cylinder was changed. I had reported this problem first in Mumbai that the brake gets sudden play during riding which is super unsettling at high speeds. They replaced it twice before they got it to work properly. ..
Honda service ppl are usually reluctant to replace stuff unless you haggle and parts are never in Stock usually and shit expensive.
I had 7 blown gaskets in 1 year after which the cylinder head cover as replaced.
Clutch changed at 25000kms as there was no top end power after 120kmph
The clutch wasn't the real culprit.... the engine head. . Pistons and cylinder were defective I got them changed under warranty and sold the bike. Mine was the 4th bike in the group to have engine issues so soon Inspite of sane riding. 6 more cbr 250r were awaiting engine parts for replacement at the service center. 7ppl from my group have had engine issues. The quality in the 250r is pathetic made in india types and no quality control by Honda.
Spares are v expensive... non abs pads cost 2000rs a set to replace.
The cbr 150r has an engine made in Thailand but is v smooth and refined. No engine problems in that bike. I'd recommend that bike in a second but underpowered for your requirements of touring.

I sold my cbr a week ago and booked the 390 Duke long ago. Comfy and fast yet safe with abs. The cbr has his stability but v less agility. It is a lil lethargic to change direction due to soft front suspension.

Ktm service in india is v good. They replace stuff if found having problems with NO QUESTIONS ASKED. PERIOD.

Ktm spares are cheaper by 30 percent minimum than Honda. .. bike is lighter faster and as efficient as the cbr in terms of fuel efficiency.

Most of my group members are finding buyers for their bikes. Honda has severely compromised on quality with the 250r. Pls dont buy it. U'll lose peace of mind all over again. Ktms are better engineered and v well built.

By the way the 6th gear of 390 is made v tall for cruising for tourers and one can't reach the Rev limit in it. I suggest you put the money on orange without a blink like I did. Cbr is a ***** to maintain. The cone set rusts during every monsoon! I genuinely would advise against wasting your money on a Honda, U'll b taken for a nasty ride. A friend's 8 year old 600rr hasn't had this many issues in 8 years. That's the build qualityunlike the Indian cheapness.

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Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

Better straight line stability, due to (maybe):
1. Longer wheelbase
2. Fairing.

Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

I agree with both your points
....though I own a bajaj now but whenever I need high quality spares..i just go to ktm without doubts.....cheap yet very high quality and a large variety of ktm powerparts.

Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

As Divya Sharan correctly stated - stability of CBR comes from the fairing & the longer wheelbase - as well as the heavier body weight. The duke, being so light will be flipped by crosswinds at high speed.

I visited Probiking at Indiranagar this weekend to enquire about the 2013 Duke for my wife. They were still clueless about availability of ABS on the 2013 Duke 200, though we all had a glipmse of a leaked webpage on ktm.com/in/... stating the inclusion of ABS on the 2013 D200.

Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

Well, Straight-line stability has nothing to do with the fairing. Its only purposes are to (1) Make the bike more aerodynamic so as to reduce co-efficient of drag and hence improve efficiency at higher speeds and increase top speed &(2) save you from fatigue caused by headwinds.

The trade-off here is that the fairing acts as the sail of a sail-boat in case there is a cross-wind. Given a Naked and a Faired bike of identical weight, wheelbase, and tyre width, the Naked will have better straight-line stability in cross-winds because it has a smaller impact area for the side-ways force exerted by the wind. Thats 'one of the many reasons' for the legendary stability of the REs.

Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

So Anant, does it boil down to just the weight and the wheelbase?

Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

If I add a windshield to my Thunderbird and drive her in crosswinds, I can easily feel the instability. I had to remove the windshield for the same reason.

Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

Weight just doesn't make the bike stable because a liger class super bike weighs same as CBR 250 and we all know its stability...still need a proper explanation because in bikes don't think downforce will apply if it does then it won't do wheelis at high speed still cant make out the theory behind bikes stability

@ants just yesterday my friend(tb350 new) was complaining that above 120kmph his rear wheel was acting crazy and couldnt cross 120 as it was very scary solo but with pillion its dead stable it seams...well even p220 is very stable with pillion or even solo
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Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

more weight, longer wheelbase, forward lean sporty riding position (as compared to Duke) and full fairing + wind shield.

Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

Everyone in the net is raving about the 390 n how stable it is... they have a slightly longer wheelbase in the 390(read about it in the overdrive technical review). That helps stability.

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Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

Exactly, you are adding an additional target for the wind to exert a sideways force on. In case of Cruiser windshield, this target is very high up from the ground creating more turning force (or Torque). People who are aware of basic physics would easily understand this because that is whats happening. The Wind is exerting a force away from center of gravity.

Torque = Force X Distance(from CoG)

This Torque tilts (and in effect turns) the bike in the direction of the wind.

As per the formula above, bigger the area where the wind force can act, more the turning force. The more the distance of this area, higher the turning force.
In such a scenario, your friends are:
1. Vehicle + your weight (Higher the weight, lower the change in direction)
2. Width of tyres (wider the tyres, more the effort required to change direction)
3. Long Wheelbase (which will help restrict the degree of movement possible)

Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

Dear All,

I guess I found a small thing that breaks our hopes of having Duke 200 ABS in India.

When searched using google with keywords "duke 200 abs" we get a link to the KTM/in website that shows a KTM with ABS.

But on the closer look in the URL bar you will find Duke 200 EU written very clearly.. (see the attached image)



Also, when you directly go to the KTM/in website and select Duke 200, it shows no ABS

On a closer look in the URL bar, I did not find EU written there, so probably Indian.... (see the attached image)



Hopes have gone down.

Re: Not happy with ThunderBird, Please Suggest: CBR250R or KTM Duke 390 or other

Check this discussion thread Valkyrie...