Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017

Query Approved



More details sought:

Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017

@ Kushal - Which is your current bike ?

I ride an NS 200 and frankly is it more than enough for a city use all included, show it a empty patch of road and thats where it looses out on steam,
Hence I have decided to save some more money be more patient and wait for some more months and get a middle weight in 600cc

2017 R3 (whenever that comes out with or w/o ABS) and the current orange temptation 2017 Duke 390 are great bikes for entry level performance segment bikes. So if this is your first bike then i am sure you will be happy with both of them barring the flavor you choose

In terms of ownership cost Duke will be slightly cheaper than R3 but in terms of highway high speed performance R3 will win hands down any day compared to Duke 390 due to twin cylinders and aerodynamic fairing

R3's instrument cluster is clear practical and no nonsense unlike Duke 390 which is little jazzed up with the TFT and blue tooth work..frankly the young guns will love this and ABS will save their asses too however for a season's rider..ABS is like crutches..as long as you have good control of the bike one does not need ABS, I mean all our forefather have been riding without ABS

I rode both these bikes and frankly it boils down how you like your ride.
The new 390 is way refined and smoother than the out going model and for the On road price it command great value for money in that segment, no other bike can come close to it also the power to weight ratio which is the best in class

R3's future in India is not very clear only time will tell, if you patient like me although i have sleepless nights each day thinking about my next big bike, Duke 390 is a safe bet.
But the biking scene in india is changing fast and for good.

Apache 310 RR , BMW 310R are coming soon !

Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017

1. Budget : 3L
2. Age: 28
3. Height: 5 ft,8 "
4. Weight 68 kgs
5. Intended usage: Touring, Office, Highway runs, Weekend recreation riding
6. Fuel Efficiency requirement : Not much of a concern.
7. City &amp; Highway percentage usage<br />
8. Approximate Daily / Monthly running: 700-800 kms monthly
9. City / Town /Village of residence : New Delhi.
Otr price : Duke 390 2017 is 2.5L OTR and R3 2016 is 3.6L otr
10. Brand / Bike type preference: just a reliable machine as i would like to tour often.

Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017

Hey Javed, thats a nice analysis man...thx.
I have had an RTR 160 for 10 years now.
Mine was 1 of the 1st 3 yellow RTR's delivered in North India.
It is now starting to age. I wonder if it will be able to support me on longer tours now. Plus its now becoming difficult for her to keep up with the bigger bikes in the group.
So,definitely need an upgrade.
The real fight is between a single cyl or twin cyl.
Akula and 310r will be great bikes but will just be
300 cc single cyl with leaser power compared to the duke. Hence,not considering at the moment.

God only knows when they will launch the R3 with ABS and ABS is mandarory for me now.
I know we have been riding w/o ABS for generations including myself, but considering the few encounters i have had, i have kind of decided that ABS will be mandatory for me...

Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017

To lean riding more without ABS try riding in lower gear at higher rpm with good amount of engine breaking you will feel the torque power in acceleration and good traction to break on time without skidding however don't don't shift too aggressively that might fish tail or lock your rear wheel for a while

Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017

Haha... I know how to ride w/o ABS. I have been using a non-ABS machine for a while now. My point was kind of if you have three facility, why not avail it
Having said that, will try the above mentioned for sure...

Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017

Wait for 2018 to happen when the government will make it a mandate until then for R3 I doubt..

Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017

Upfront cost and Ownership costs of R3 will not justify the usage bro. You plan to tour and that means rough usage and more mileage. I will recommend going for Duke 390. It has more torque, cheaper ownership costs, more equipment and parts are much more easily available. 2017 Duke 390 is already upgraded too so you do not need to worry about next upgrade for an year or two.

Money you save can be utilized for few upcoming trips .

If you really want a multicylider import then Benelli Tornado 302R could be good buy too once it is launched in next few days.

All the best for your buy.

Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017

Thank Riot yes even I think initial cost of R3 is more unless we are doing many miles in touring which I am not currently as NS is not strong for highway runs.. City ride is where it belong mixed with some high speed sprints once in a while that way I am so close to buy the new 390 Duke.. But I think I need some more time till I take the plunge..
I was thinking if I should retain my NS 200 for city and get the Duke 390 for weekend ride but that also involves cost of maintaining 2 bikes

Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017

I thought the same thing when I retained my Classic 200 while getting Duke 390 and so far I have not used my Old Pulsar much for daily commutes. The only reason I still keep it is because of emotional connection.

I always prefer to ride my D390 to office. It is probably the best city tool money can buy . Once you start riding D390 daily, you will hardly even think about picking up NS. ABS is a huge plus and it cuts through traffic just as good as NS.
Honestly speaking, there is no bike in Indian market right now that can come even close to D390 when it comes to VFM, Practicality and Power. Its been almost a year I have been thinking about switching from D390 to a bigger bike however nothing so far has cut in. Not even Ninja 650R or 600i.

Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017

Couple of doubts and concerns

1. Am sure the NS 200 will give more mileage and heat up less than 390 in bumper to bumper traffic especially when you are commuting
2. D390 comes with metzeller which are best suited for highway or track not daily use

Please help me decide if I should retain my NS 200 or sell it and have just the jew 2017 D390 as my daily driver?

Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017

No, metz can be used daily use, metz on my 390 lasted for 16k kms. Life of metz also depends on your riding style.

Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017


1.) My D390 returns a average fuel efficiency of 30kmpl. It heats up fair bit in traffic and mine is 1st Gen D390 so that heats up much more than current 390s. Battling engine heat is a part of owning a bigger bike and you will get used to it.
Once you get a bigger bike, you wont be using NS at-all as you will always want to ride the faster bike. If you doubt, I will recommend keeping your NS for some time and see if Duke suits you as a daily drive. I am sure it will though.

2.) Metz are great all-rounders and they perform great in any situation. I switched to rear Michellin Pilot Street. It looks fat and really beautiful however is pathetic compared to Metz. As Chandan pointed out, they will easily last for 16k or more depending on how you ride.

Overall, in my experience you just cant go wrong with D390. ABS, TFT Display with phone integration, USD Forks, Trellis Frame, 0 - 100 in 4.5Secs, top end of 170kmph+, LED Headlights, LED Indicators, bigger disks, Metzelers etc and Its one hell of a package and you are going to love it to the core.

Re: Yamaha R3 2017 vs Duke 390 2017

So any news about the new r3??