KTM Duke 390 Review

July 29, 2013

The Duke just got bigger.. And angrier.....

Ironic as it may seem, one weekend I decided to take a break from my hectic schedule in Goa and have a nice, chilled out vacation back home in Bombay. So just like that, one morning dad and I decided to go pay our respects to the new Duke in town, put up at a KTM showroom at Phoenix Mills.  Those who found the last line confusing, read no further. This article is not for you. For those who know who the new Duke is and want to know how he looks, acts and behaves, here it goes…

Starting with the KTM service. The overall test ride experience was very professional. They inspected my driving license, made me fill a test ride form and took my signature on the dotted line. The test ride was supposed to be within the Phoenix Mills premises. That meant that I would have at max around 40 - 50 meters of straight involving two nasty speed breakers on the way. But that’s ok since that also meant that I wouldn’t have a sales guy sitting as my hostage pillion and I could do what I wanted with the bike.
So how different is the Duke 390 as compared to its younger sibling the Duke 200? When it comes to appearance, not much. Apart from the handlebar mud flaps and the slightly different graphics on the fork and the tank side panels, it would really take an expert eye to tell the two apart. Sit across the saddle and you still can’t tell the difference except for a slight feeling of more weight between your legs (no pun intended). Start the engine and the first crack in the wall of similarity begins to appear. The engine note is slightly more hoarse as compared to the Duke 200. There’s a slight more bass effect added to it. It’s like the difference between the sound made by Ranbir Kapoor gargling and that made by Amitabh Bacchan gargling. The point being, both the Dukes are still gargling. Not thumping, screaming, roaring or whining but gargling. The overall quality of the fit and finish seemed ok. Not exactly top notch but not explicitly cheap either.

The clutch seemed to be a bit hard for an everyday rider but functioned with perfect smoothness. No jerks or vibrations in the pick up. It may be a bit of a forearm exercise in everyday traffic conditions but that’s good news for right handed people. Both your forearms can now be of the same size. Twist the throttle and the true character of the Duke comes to life. If I had to describe the acceleration on this bike in one word, it would be: INSANE. The bike doesn't believe in jabs. Goes for the knockout punches straight from the opening bell. No matter where you are in the rev range, there is insane amount of power delivered till you redline the engine. Short gear ratios ensure that that happens pretty soon. Again, that’s a trait inherent in the Duke 200 as well. Just that here there’s a multiplier effect at play.

Bank the bike slightly under wet conditions and the rear end doesn’t really feel planted. Since our test ride location didn’t exactly involve corners, I couldn't really gauge how the bike would handle them but just the initial impression didn't really inspire much confidence. Something that did inspire that confidence though was ABS. To try it out, I picked up some speed, tilted the bike slightly, pulled the clutch and slammed the rear brake. In the absence of ABS, this would have been the perfect recipe for suicide but not here. I could feel some clitter clatter happening in the brakes that ensured that the rear end didn't move an inch. Tried the same with the front end and it worked perfectly well there too.

Took a few rounds up and down the parking lot at Phoenix Mills before happily handing over the keys to the KTM sales guy. Riding the KTM Duke 390 is like trying to put reigns on a wild mustang. It may throw you off the saddle but then if you do manage to master it, nothing else is ever gonna be able to come close to you. Finally the big question: Kitna deti hai? Going by the Duke 200’s 25-30 kmpl kind of fuel efficiency figures, don’t expect any kind of miracle with the older sibling. But then, with the kind of power that this engine packs, you shouldn't really be looking for mileage here. The best part however about this bike is not the power but the pricing. At a price tag of around Rs. 2 lacs (on road Mumbai), it takes VFM benchmarks to whole new levels.

Good quality, good power, good brakes and a great pricing. So if you have Rs. 2 lacs and you are out in the market to buy a new bike, should you just go ahead and blindly buy the Duke 390? Well it depends on what type of a person you are. Ask yourself this question: If you are out in the market to get yourself a pet dog and there is a Pitbull available for the price of a Labrador, would you buy it? My personal answer would be NO. For those who would love to have a Pitbull as a pet though, you need to head to the nearest KTM showroom ASAP..!

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