KTM has started offering the Duke 390 to the media and the first ride event has taken place in Austria, the home of KTM. The 390 Duke is not only awaited in India, but in many global markets too, where enthusiasts are waiting to get their hands on this value for money performance machine. While most of the cycle parts of the Duke 390 are similar to the Duke 200 and Duke 125, the heart of the matter is different, which changes the complete characteristics of the bike. Can’t wait to know how the Duke 390 performs? Read the interesting points below, which give a fair picture about the performance of the KTM 390 Duke.
* The 390 Duke is relatively smaller in size compared to the engine it is powered by.
* The Duke 390 is quite agile and easy to ride and handle, thanks to the low dry weight of 139 kgs.
* The Duke 390’s 373cc engine will entertain most experienced riders but low end power is only average.
* One needs to rev past 5000 RPM to extract the best from this engine.
* Engine sound at idle is quite disappointing, but gets better as the revs increase.
* There is an adjustable shift light on the console, which is similar to its siblings.
* Mid-end to high-end thrust is excellent, redline comes in at 10,500 RPM.
* 0 – 100 km/hr takes around 5 seconds, top speed is 171 km/hr (speedo indicated).
* The Duke 390 is frugal and returns an average mileage of 30 km/l.
* Metzeler Sportec M5 tyres offer good levels of grip. Indian Duke 390 might get MRF rubber.
* 10 mm lower seat height than Duke 200 (800 mm on the Duke 390), riding position good for 6 footers too.
* The trellis frame is finished in orange, so are the alloy wheels.
* There is small amount of vibrations at high revs and the suspension is on the stiffer side.
* Front visor offered as option, which reduces wind blast at speed.
* Braking is good and ABS works well.
The initial reviews of the KTM 390 Duke are very positive. The motorcycle is all what we expected it to be – fast, easy, fun and frugal. The Duke 390’s engine uses forged pistons and NiKaSil coating and produces 44 HP of power and 35 Nm of torque. The rev limit is placed quite early so tuners will take advantage of increasing it, resulting in top speed increasing to around 180 km/hr. Bajaj Auto will launch the Duke 390 in the Indian market by June 2013, offering it at an on-road Mumbai price of Rs. 2.5 lakhs. ABS is going to be standard. The KTM Duke 390 is priced at Rs. 3.57 lakhs (€4995) in Europe.
Source – Auto.de