Purchasing a brand-new motorcycle is a dream of any budding motorcyclist.
What makes the newbie riders love to explore the whole concept of riding is mainly due to
the wind in the face experience coupled with the fun and entertainment motorcycling puts forth.
Being a relatively cheap and readily available offering,
the KTM 390 Duke is one of the most preferred options of the naked beginner bike segment.
The affordable insurance cost and maintenance cost also add to the portfolio of the 390 Duke.
Available for a base MSRP of $5,699, the KTM 390 Duke has a lot of things going for it.
The impeccable acceleration from the single-cylinder 390cc motor, a long list
of safety features and tech coming in as standard, and precise handling and riding dynamics make sure
that the rider has a wide grin on his face without compromising too much on any other factors.
This naked motorcycle is here to compete with the likes of the Honda CB300R and the
Husqvarna Vitpilen 401. Here are 10 things you need to know before getting a 390 Duke.
Even though the single-cylinder short-stroke 373cc motor producing 44 hp and 25.8 lb-ft of torque in
the KTM 390 Duke comes with liquid cooling, it is one of the hottest motors of the lot.
In comparison, the Honda CB300R barely heats up, making it a joy to ride around through the
crowded street. This also makes the 390 Duke a hard choice to recommend for the new riders.
With a compression ratio of 12.6:1, which is the highest in its class,
a ride through the busy city traffic is enough for the radiator fan to kick in.
The fan noise is ridiculously high, and that surely attracts a lot of attention.
Also, the high heat can affect the lower parts of the legs of the rider too.
Nevertheless, it is much better than the earlier generation of the 390 Duke.
The KTM 390 Duke is considered a decent beginner motorcycle mainly due to its short dimensions
and nimbleness. However, it is not the most ideal choice for the newbie riders who have
never ridden a motorcycle before on the streets. This is because the short initial gears and high
torque make it an excellent wheelie machine, not the most ideal situation for a newbie.
The twitchy throttle response due to the ride-by-wire technology and weird
fueling makes it a difficult motorcycle to ride through the stop-and-go traffic.
The motor can also get overheated, especially if you don't maintain it properly, which is possible
in the case of new riders. When that happens, the rider will have to wait out for it to get cooled.
Being a lightweight motorcycle, weighing just 362 lbs and having a power to weight ratio of 226
hp/ton, the 390 Duke accelerates like a bat out of hell. To stop this crazy fast naked streetfighter,
KTM has equipped the 390 Duke with 4-piston caliper with a 320 mm single disc for the front,
which turned out to be the sharpest brake setup in a naked beginner motorcycle segment.
The bite is surreal, and the progression is top-notch too. When it comes to the rear brakes,
the 390 Duke gets a single-piston floating caliper with a 230 mm disc. Even though many
of the rivals don't offer sharp braking for the rear, the 390 Duke is quite the opposite.
The rear brakes are capable too. The brake fade is the lowest of the lot as well. To top it all off,
the front and rear get the Bosch ABS setup, saving the rider from tricky braking situations.
With no major changes from the 2017 model year, when the 390 Duke received a major generational
update, the same stiff and precise suspension setup is retained. The front end gets the
coveted WP 43 mm upside-down forks with 5.6" of suspension travel. This suspension setup, along
with the rigid Trellis frame, helps the motorcycle to tackle sweeping corners with excellent agility.
The rear end gets WP mono-shock suspension with 5.9" travel. Even though the rear is a bit too
stiff, that helps quite a bit when it comes to the handling. The motorcycle maintains the line
perfectly in corners, and diving in and exiting from corners are razor-sharp and incredibly fun.
The stiff suspension setup and higher heating are the only deterrents from making the KTM
390 Duke a perfect city commuter. However, both of these issues can be rectified quite easily.
A slightly lower air pressure in tires and setting the WB suspension to the softest setting takes
care of the stiff suspension problem. Even without making these changes, it is still perfectly fine.
The heating can be solved with regular coolant check-ups and changing it during the maintenance
schedule. Many owners from the KTM 390 Duke forum have also mentioned that the Red Line SuperCool
coolant takes care of the problem completely. Also, makes sure that the coolant lines don't
have any leaks, since the Duke series is quite famous for coolant line rupture.
The multi-colored Trellis frame, orange alloy wheels, and striking LED headlights with LED DRLs
make the KTM 390 Duke look more expensive than it is. The beautiful design of the masculine tank and
the LED taillights also stand out in the sea of fairly bland-looking motorcycles of the segment.
However, it is the side profile of the KTM 390 Duke which looks the best. The long and
sporty-looking exhaust, KTM engraving on the engine, and the engine cowl add to the sporty
character of the motorcycle. It also looks very identical to the elder sibling, the KTM 890 Duke.
The older generation of the 390 Duke has been criticized highly for the fit and finish issues.
With the arrival of the new generation, the 390 Duke has evolved leaps and bounds, making it
comparable to the Japanese rivals of the segment. The fiber parts do hold up pretty well, which
wasn't the case with the older models. They also don't have much rattling and squeaks. Many owners
in the Duke 390 forum, who have done more than 30,000 miles in the last 4 years, have reported
no major issues in the fit and finish front, as the bike is holding up pretty well. The switchgear
is of reasonably high quality. All the other touchpoints are built to a high standard too.
Unlike the 390 Dukes before 2017, the newer generation models don't have any major
reliability concerns. The earlier models were quite synonymous with worn-out piston rings,
rod knock, and radiator leak, all of which were mainly due to the incredibly hot engine.
As a result, the rubber and plastic parts don't last long. The coolant line rupture
was a common sight too. In comparison, the newer 390 Dukes doesn't have most of these problems.
Sure, the engine runs hotter than the rivals, however, it doesn't overheat as it used to.
The coolant lines and radiator are better built, too. However, the front fork seal issues,
instrument cluster going bad due to water ingress, etc. have been reported by some of the users.
The main reason for the uncomfortable ride of the KTM 390 Duke is not due to the fairly stiff
WB suspension. It is majorly due to the seats offered as standard, which is hard and offers
mediocre bolstering. The cushioning is not satisfactory too. All of this results in a
sore butt after about 70 miles of the continuous ride. The pillion seat is even more terrible,
in comparison to the rider seat. The cushioning is not enough and the seat is quite narrow too.
The only way to solve this issue is to get the gel or air seat setup, which is quite affordable.
You could also look for the KTM Ergo Seat, which is a direct fit for the 390 Duke.
Being a reasonably inexpensive motorcycle, many would expect the KTM 390 Duke to miss
on many essential features that are quite necessary for this day and age.
However, for such a low price tag, KTM offers all the bells and whistles as standard,
shaming even the motorcycles that cost double. It gets the impressive TFT display which gives
out all the ride-related data in just a few clicks of the button.
The speed, revs, maps, trip information, engine and coolant temperature, turn-by-turn navigation,
and many more are offered, making it a very versatile proposition. Along with that,
the LED headlights, LED taillights, dual-channel ABS, Supermoto mode, etc are on board too.