Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

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Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

TB500 is the best one to go with bcoz u mentioned touring bike so we need to consider fuel economy and comfort

don't know much any duke390 if I am not wrong duke390 is for power and touring wise I think TB500 will be good choice

its not about riding bikes its about loving bikes...sandy loving avy220

Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

sorry i disagree. I would vote for d390. i know its still not on the roads. if you have ridden d200 then there wont be much difference between the two in comfort.

You will have to choose for yourself man.

If i were to choose between the two bikes then i will go with D390. why?
the duke will help you a lot in city riding, you might feel the bike little heavy then the usual bikes, but definitely lighter then the TB500 which is 195 kgs and d390 is around 150kgs.
i have no doubt that TB500 will be comfortable to sit on but hey you are not buying the bike just to sit right

the power of duke will make you feel worth it in city as well as highway ride cruising at 120 odd or so.

as a overall package i feel d390 to be far more better. oh yes you get ABS too which i feel is a real + point if you consider city and touring.

Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

Ya I feel the same duke 390 should be your choice it's new and fresh
And horrible Indian traffic and a heavy machine it's not good mix

Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

But when you are looking for a touring bike fuel economy comes in to screen
TB500 stands better n comfort a long ride to enjoy I think seating comfort matters bro

its not about riding bikes its about loving bikes...sandy loving avy220

Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

Hi Venkatesh,

If you are going to would ride on highways every alternate month, I would suggest TB500 or any other cruiser any time. Sure, they have problems of their own, i mean spark plug kaput and starting problems are still there and duke is trillion years ahead in terms of technology.
Duke has very stiff ride to back up quick overtakes and maneuver round the city. I am very doubtful about its highways performance though, there are discussions going around the forums so I think that would give you fair idea.
I would vote for TB500 have very relaxed seating, more evolved engine then before, excellent headlights and exceptional cruising experience.
You may want to checkout for CBR250.

Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

the choice may be not between the bikes, but between the category of bikes..
D390 is a naked street bike, whereas TB500 is a classics tourer..
its upto you which one you go for..
as for me, i would suggest you to go for D390..
whereas some might disagree..
what type of driver are you.. a tourer or a city rider.. its you choice..

Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

I agree with Ron.. you should go for duke 390.....

Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

I think Duke 390 and RE both are great tourers. 390 will tour awesome it has nice ground clearence broad handlebars nice ride position high speed touring at 110+kph are easy on Duke 390.
Few mods ive done on my D200 are like broad rally handle bars...on/off road tyres, engine skid plate , footpegs moved forward and a soft layered seat. It serves me as a fantastic tourer. Where bullets needs to be slowed at deep mud and extreme broken roads...I on my D200 go without slowing down doing jumps and trailing at high speeds. That makes it a more potent off road. And high speed touring at 90+kph one can do at D200 but 390 will do at easy 120+kph. RE wont be capable of any of these things.

Now comes RE. Plus points with RE are its easy to mend if it gets broken or witnesses a fall or at worst engine problem occurs. It will be mended there itself. Even at remotest areas even at Ladakh tour. But if a KTM gets a little sensor niggle and it refuses to start...mind you...you have no other option but to ship it over. My friend had it shipped when his Duke got a head problem on a tour in Bhutan.

RE has been used in rallys and tours and it has always served well. But its no where a tourer as a Duke 390/200 can be. But last thing anyone wants during a tour is to get stuck in a no mans land with a un-mendable engine. So the two have their pros and cons.
What will i buy!! im still confused regarding what to purchase next tourer bike.... either i learn how to work on my D200/390 or i buy a RE.

Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

Within city, both the bikes are good enough. Duke390 has that fun factor of being the fastest, whereas RE has that old world charm. both are good in city unless and untill you engage in a direct race between the two.regarding performance, Duke390 has a far superior performance envolope, more power, faster, class leading acceleration and top speed figures, and a handling to match the performance. TB500's performance is nowhere near to Duke390. Duke390will cover longer distances in a much quicker and safer way.Not to forget Duke390 comes with an ABS (Guardian Angel)Regarding Comfort, a TB500 will score over Duke with its soft suspension, it offers a plush ride over pothole filled roads. however plush ride not always means comfortable ride as comfort depends on lot of factors, like riding position or rider stance for example. plush ride is however a definite plus point.TB500 also has a longer range, requiring very few petrol pump stops as compared to Duke390, that means on a ladakh tour, you may need to carry much more fuel along with on a Duke390 which has a very small fuel tank.TB500 can carry much more load, i have seen pics of ppl carrying LPG cylinders (small one) on RE's to leh ladakh.in case of a break down, TB500 can be repaired by ordinary mechanics, whereas in case of Duke390, with all its hi-fi technology, it needs the care and hospitality of an ASC.so choose wisely.

Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

I am not concerned about the factor "what type of bike". It can either be a cruiser or a naked bike as long as my purpose is served. I will not be touring every alternate month. It will be done only once in every 3 to 5 months. I am not very concerned about the top speed factor but as I mentioned earlier the bike should be able to cruse comfortably between 100 to 120 with no strain on the engine while touring.

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Yes, I agree that a RE can be serviced by every other mechanic which bring me to my next question. How often were there instances of the Duke having these kind of issues. If the probability is very less, then I can take my chances. If there are numerous cases of these kind of issues, I think RE would be a better buy.

I am definitely planning on a trip to Ladakh next year. I have read several posts where the Duke 200 has crossed Leh without breaking a sweat. So I presume the D390 should be able to handle Leh much better.

The reason for me being so picky is, 2+ Lakhs is a big sum for me. I want my investment to be fruitful and be a VFM purchase. thanks for your inputs, btw.

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I need a bike to serve both city and highway riding purpose. I rode the TB500 on a highway. The ride was comfortable but I felt the engine straining at speeds of 110 to 120. From my point of view a 500cc cruiser should be able to cruise comfortably atleast at 120 Kmph. Yes, once or twice I may feel the urge to overtake or go faster , but that will last only for 5 minutes after which will fall back to a constant speed of 100 to 120.

And yes, as you said safety is an other important priority. In city, the bike should be able to handle itself well in wet roads on a rainy day (had a bad experiences on my FZ16 earlier where the tires locked while breaking and had to fall). So ABS a definite +1.

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Thanks for your inputs guys. Reading all the above responses, I am 75% in favor of Duke now.

I have few questions regarding the Duke. How reliable is the vehicle. Are there several instances where Duke 200 had small or big issues? If so, what kind of issues?

Also on the highway I believe the Duke would give a higher mileage because of the taller gear ratios, right? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

One more thing. If I am cancelling my TB500 will they refund the booking advance?

Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

these and some other points said by you, go for the D390 hands down..
it isn't that tha duke will have a breakdown every no n then.. ride with care and take proper of the bike, then the need to see a mechanic is greatly educed..

yea, the mileage won't be bad either of the D390 i suppose.. it has been tuned to suit for Indian conditions in a better way..

about the refund, don't know about that.. call the dealer and see what happens..

Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

Hi Guys.. Cancelled the TB500 and booking the Duke 390 on Monday.. Rode the vehicle today. The bike was really impressive. Quality, handling, breaking everything were top notch. Thanks to all of you guys for helping me to decide.

Re: Duke 390 or TB500?

Why you are not considering CBR250.. it fulfills both purposes...