Re: Help needed!!!!

Thread approved.

Re: Help needed!!!!

Is manuverability and weight is the biggest problem ? Ktms have very stiff suspension which are very hard to live especially for a person coming from RE with after the initial excitement fades off. One golden rule . Never buy a bike without a test drive. All the best

Re: Help needed!!!!

My suggestion test ride Suzuki Gixxer 250 (not SF) Street fighter version.

Although it's not powerful as KTM Duke 250 but light weight compensate that area. Almost no vibrations till 7500 rpm.

Give it a go.

Ride safe. [emoji106]

Re: Help needed!!!!

The reason I am opting for KTMs are that it's power somewhat comes close to TB500 (27bhp to 30bhp) although torque will be less I agree. That's the reason I am not keen for fz250/suzuki 250. What are your thoughts on that? I will definitely TD D250 before committing to any bikes

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Presently I stay in Guwahati & here they aren't providing TD for 250 I think. Moreover the showroom has changed to a Nissan Dealer here..

Re: Help needed!!!!

I have ridden fz25 in the initial batches I loved everything except the headlight I don't know about the recent changes made to it. I did not ride Gixxer 250 so I cannot comment. Ride safe

Re: Help needed!!!!

Hey,

The 401 is an overkill for city and these big singles won't be too happy in city traffic. 250 is a great sweet spot.

Yes, the torque is not even close to TB500. Only Duke 390 can match the torque of the TB500. Not directly, but in terms of torque : weight ratio.

The engine is same 250cc on Duke and Husqvarna. Test ride and see which one fits you well. These bike are between 165 -170 kgs so they are at least 30 kgs lighter than the TB500.

Cheers!

PS - Do look at BMW G 310 R. 50K price reduction!

Re: Help needed!!!!

I would love to wait. but I don't think it will arrive here early. I want to upgrade from TB500 to D390. D250 will not be an update right? I am at the cross road here. Logic+Finance is saying to go for D250 but heart is telling me to go for D390. Last time when I changed my bike to TB500(from TB350), that time also I thought of buying D390 but at last ended with TB500. I was not really sure about how well I would handle the power of D390. But that was 4 years ago and I think I am more matured from that time also. Riding a TB500 and then switching to D250, will I miss on anything?

Re: Help needed!!!!

Dude, TB and Duke are worlds apart in terms of power-to-weight ratio. You are comparing raw engine power output which doesn't account for weight and balance. Duke 250 is thrilling, exciting and extremely fun and 27 bhp is more than sufficient to experience all that since it only weighs 160 kgs that too with perfect & low center of gravity. I couldn't buy any KTM machines because I'm too tall (6'3") to be comfortable on any of them. In my opinion, if you are not unfortunate like me in terms of height, you are below 5'11" then you can easily fit on Duke's.

I hope you do know that Duke's are an altogether different breed than normal sports bikes (Fz, gixxer etc) and totally different than any RE bikes. You will have a light clutch lever action then you will have to keep shifting gears to avoid knocking and riding in low rpm's. KTM bikes feel dead below 5000 rpm. Add to that the instant acceleration and quick gear shifts, you will always find yourself revving it more than necessary! The chassis and USD forks are so rigid and balanced that you can easily lean in and out of corners and chicanes. Braking is sharp and adequate with the added benefit of excellent dual channel ABS.

What you call power in TB500 was actually the Torque at low rpm's. When you add that to the thumpy exhaust, the rider gets a heightened sense of acceleration as compared to the reality. Also, you can never experience instant acceleration, flickable handling, extremely balanced chassis and superb braking of KTM's from any RE motorcycle ever.

Duke 250 vs 390: 390 is a beast and will always feel too overpowered for city traffic while being extremely fun and optimum on highways. Since you won't be doing any touring in the near future, D250 is more than sufficient for your needs.

Somebody mentioned here that KTM's have hard suspension, that's like saying Sun is too bright! Obviously an extreme sports oriented motorcycle like KTM will have a firm suspension with higher spring rate, higher compression and rebound dampening. That's what differentiates it from the average handling bikes like Hero motocorp ones. If you can't bother to brake before every pothole and bump then don't buy any sports bike, buy a commuter which can be thrown around in bad roads due to the super-soft suspension.

Why do I love the rigid suspension & chassis of KTM's so much?
Because I bought the Hero Karizma ZMR in 2010 and modified the hell out of it to get more power but ultimately it had the same old Hero splendour chassis and suspension setup and I started feeling uneasy, scared to death while riding it at high speeds because it was springy, bouncy and unreliable in terms of handling and braking. That's why I sold it off 2 years back and bought a Dominar 400 2019 version. Now I have got my confidence back and I often zigzag it around in heavy traffic as if I'm riding a duke 125 or something!

Re: Help needed!!!!

Understood man!!! I have learned to ride motorcycle on a TB350. You have cleared most of my doubts. Thanks. KTM would be new to me. It will be fun. I think I will go with the D250.

Re: Help needed!!!!


So glad you didn't mind! I am so jealous of you that you can fit on a Duke, (since you are ready to buy one so I'm assuming you are not too tall for KTM's).

Since you have learned motorcycles on Royal Enfield ones, you have to forget everything about handling learn from scratch. On a Duke (or any sports oriented motorcycle), first start riding while hugging the tank with the thighs, get a light grip, no need to apply too much force. While doing that, take off all the body weight from your wrists, hold the handlebar as if you are holding it in place and without your hands, it will fall on the road. Imagine you open your grip and somebody pulls off the handlebars from your hands, still your hands won't move since you weren't putting any weight on it. Initially this will put tension on entirely new set of muscles in your back and shoulders, you won't be as relaxed as riding a cruiser or tourer, but that's what is required to ride and enjoy a sports motorcycle and you will get accustomed in a few months.

Then learn "counter-steering" from youtube videos, it's a fairly easy concept to grasp and practice. Once you start practicing it, you will quickly get the hang of it BUT you have to be carefully practice so as to consciously stop using counter-steering at speeds lower than 20 kmph, it will not work at such low speeds. Counter steering allows you to lean as far as possible without losing confidence, change directions within microseconds, it also enables you to use the front disc brake with full force (gradually of course) while leaning at a steep angle! As soon as you grab the front brake lever, your motorcycle will start straightening on its own due to the physics principles in play. I have had so much fun even in non-ABS motorcycles like Fz, gixxer, karizma ZMR by demonstrating braking while leaning, friends used to get scared to death!

Frankly speaking, in city conditions, a Duke 250 can easily keep up with (if not overtake) bigger machines like Dominar 400, Apache 310r, interceptor 650 due to agility, quick acceleration, ultra-fast gear shifts and sharp handling. So I really don't think there's a reason for buying the 390 (monster) for city conditions. Also, D250 is easier to control (i.e. forgiving) at low and mid rev range compared to the D390.
Almost forgot, D250 has got great acceleration but loses torque under a pillion's weight. If you frequently travel with a pillion then you can consider buying D390. Besides, D390 has got cornering ABS and quick-shifter too, but I don't consider these a necessity, more of a luxury feature.

You can also try out Apache 310 its an amazing bike

Godspeed

I also need the same type of help...

Hey Ritabroto, better wait for Svartpilen 401. According to me, it's better than Duke 250.

Regards: Ethan.