KTM 390 Duke Review at RevZilla.com
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00Spurgeon here at RevZilla TV and today I'm getting to rip around town on the KTM 390
00:11Duke.
00:12Now we're going to take a look at how KTM has brought their ready to race mentality
00:15to the world of the 300cc beginner motorcycle.
00:19Now I'm sure there's a lot of advanced riders out there that are interested in this bike
00:22as well, but we're going to take a look at it through the lens of a beginner rider.
00:25We're going to talk about how the bike goes, how it stops, how it handles, but we're also
00:29going to talk about maintenance that you can learn how to do on your own machine,
00:33as well as some modifications that you can make to really enhance the performance of
00:36this bike.
00:37Now before we dive into those specifics, let's address what you're really looking for out
00:41of your first bike.
00:43You want a bike that's lightweight, you want a bike that's easy to handle, and you want
00:46a bike that gives you enough power to grow into, but without having too much power to
00:50be intimidating from the get go.
00:52So first and foremost, you need the bike to look cool.
00:56You're a new rider, you want to be proud of what you've got.
00:58So let's take a look at the frame on this.
00:59KTM uses a trellis frame.
01:02Now while I'm sure KTM can talk to you about how this frame is going to improve handling
01:06and this and that, really it looks like the same frame you're going to see on the 690
01:10as well as the 1290, and that gives you a bike that just looks the part of a real motorcycle.
01:15Secondly, take a look at the tires on this.
01:18These are Pirelli Diablo Rosso 2s.
01:20That's going to be a real sport bike tire.
01:22That's going to be a tire that's going to give you better handling and better grip on
01:25the street, and as a new rider, that's going to help to instill confidence in your riding
01:28abilities.
01:29Now lastly, take a look at my rider position.
01:32I am going to be straight up and down.
01:34This is going to be a nice neutral position for a rider to learn how to ride a bike.
01:38You have nice wide handlebars.
01:39In my opinion, this is going to be a really ideal seating position for a new rider.
01:43I can really get leverage to just throw the bike around back and forth.
01:47Now that's not to say that the KTM doesn't have its faults.
01:49Honestly, it's going to have a more maintenance intensive regimen than any of the other bikes
01:53in its class.
01:54Now, speaking of other manufacturers, let's take some time, let's pull over, and let's
01:58discuss some of your other options out there for a beginner.
02:19So KTM's motto is ready to race, and that is a motto they take to heart throughout every
02:23bike in their lineup.
02:24From the smallest bike, the 50cc SX Mini, all the way up to the fire-breathing 1290
02:30Super Duke, KTM makes no apologies about making quality machines with performance components
02:35aimed at enthusiasts.
02:36Now, one of the biggest trends that we have seen across all OEMs in the past three to
02:41five years is really a push into the beginner market.
02:44With 300, 500, and 650cc motorcycles, beginners really have more options than ever before
02:51to get themselves onto a bike.
02:53Now, for the scope of this review, we're going to focus on the 300cc class sport bikes that
02:57are really in competition with the Duke.
02:59Now, when you're choosing your first bike, really you have to figure out what features
03:03are important to you as a rider.
03:06So for example, let's take a look at the R3.
03:08The R3 wears the same, almost the identical price tag as the 390 Duke, however, it doesn't
03:13have ABS, and it's not going to have all the performance components like the Duke will
03:17have.
03:18One of the things it does have, though, is it's got full race fairings to it, and its
03:22maintenance costs are going to be significantly less than the Duke's.
03:25Now, if you want that fully faired look, you just want the same performance as the Duke,
03:29KTM has you covered with the RC390.
03:32That's going to give you that same power and performance as the Duke with a fully fared
03:35version.
03:36So lastly, maybe you like the naked look, you just don't want to spend the money because
03:39you're not really too worried about the performance.
03:41That's where Honda comes into play.
03:42Honda's got the CB300F.
03:43You're not going to have the performance of the Duke, but the price tag is going to be
03:47about $1,000 less.
03:49So that's something for you to consider.
03:51Now, one of the things that I really liked about the 390, one of the things that stood
03:54out for me was comfort.
03:55I'm 6'3", and compared to the other entry-level bikes in this class, I was much more comfortable
04:00on this bike.
04:01It might have looked a little big on it, but it actually fit me quite well.
04:04Now, there's a lot of performance parts on here that really work to set itself apart
04:09from the competition that we just discussed.
04:11So let's go out, let's hit the highway, and let's talk about and discuss exactly how the
04:14performance of the Duke sets itself apart from every other bike in this class.
04:20Let's go.
04:50So the first thing most riders want to know about when they're looking at a new motorcycle
05:07is how much power does that bike make?
05:09But honestly, as a new rider, the thing you should be really asking yourself is what type
05:13of power does the bike make?
05:14You should be looking for a bike that makes nice, even power that's not going to intimidate
05:18you, yet there should be some stuff left up top so when you crank back on the throttle
05:22as your skills progress, you can really have some fun with the bike.
05:25So that's what I like the most about the KTM 373cc single-cylinder engine in this bike.
05:31You're looking at power that's going to be nice and usable, it's not going to intimidate
05:34new riders, yet there's plenty of left for me to crank back on and really have some fun
05:39with as I'm getting out and I'm playing around on this machine.
05:42Now, that power is going to get transmitted to the pavement via a six-speed gearbox.
05:46That's going to be important for you new riders because it's going to allow you to get out
05:48comfortably on highway speeds, 70, 75 miles an hour, and as your skills progress, you
05:53can take those longer trips out of town.
05:55Now the one issue I did have with this is the shift lever and the gearbox.
05:59Take a look down here.
06:01The shifts on this were clunky, they were vague.
06:03I really had to pay attention to what my left foot was doing.
06:06It wasn't the real tight snip-snip I was expecting from this transmission.
06:11Now that, coupled with the throttle response, could cause concern for new riders.
06:16The throttle response on this in lower RPM range is very leaned out, it kind of stumbles
06:20on itself.
06:21And look at this.
06:22There's a very on-off feel to the throttle, and if you're not careful, it can be disconcerting.
06:27So something I definitely keep in mind.
06:29Now as far as stopping is concerned, KTM does a great job.
06:32They're going to use Bi-Bri brakes.
06:34This is a company made by Brembo, and check out those calipers up front.
06:38This is going to set itself apart from other bikes in the 300cc class because you're looking
06:42at four piston radial mounted calipers.
06:45All the other bikes are going to use two piston calipers with a traditional mount.
06:49So the KTM is going to give you a bigger brake feel.
06:52Now where I feel like KTM didn't complete the job, however, was with the levers on this.
06:56The brake lever and the clutch lever, they're cheap, they're chintzy.
06:59They move around, and they don't complete the good feel and good feedback that I was
07:03expecting from these brakes.
07:06Now as far as the overall handling on this bike is concerned, this thing handles like
07:10it's on rails.
07:11For a $5,000 300cc beginner bike, the handling really does excel.
07:16Check out those front forks.
07:17These are massive 43mm shocks, WP suspension in the front, telescopic fork.
07:22This is going to be a really great setup, and in the rear I've got 10 positions of preload
07:27out of a single rear shock.
07:28For someone like myself, I'm 210 pounds, I'm still able to fine tune this and really hit
07:33the curves with ease.
07:35Now with any bike, there's going to be some good, some bad.
07:38There's always going to be some warts, and it's important to remember as a new rider,
07:41for most of these situations, there's going to be modifications that you can make to really
07:45fine tune the bike to your riding style and make it just a little bit better.
07:49So let's head back to the garage and discuss some of the modifications you can make if
07:52you're planning on adding the KTM 390 as your first bike.
08:05While your first motorcycle is going to provide you with a vessel for which to learn to ride,
08:16it's also going to provide you with a platform to learn your basic maintenance adjustments.
08:20So by learning things like oil changes and how to adjust your own chain, you can save
08:24yourself money, and you can also learn basic skills that you can carry with you for every
08:28motorcycle that you own in the future.
08:30So the first thing I'd recommend for you is investing in a solid set of basic tools.
08:34What you're going to need is some wrenches, some screwdrivers, and some sockets to really
08:38perform all the basic adjustments associated with this motorcycle, and then as you need
08:42specialty tools, you can add them to your toolbox.
08:45So one of the things that KTM did with this 390 that I really like is they gave me an
08:49owner's manual that gave me troubleshooting tips, and it also walked me through some of
08:53the basic maintenances.
08:55For example, that shift lever that we talked about earlier, it talked about how to adjust it.
09:00I was able to fine tune the lever for my foot, and while I wasn't able to completely eliminate
09:04the clunky feel, I was able to give myself a much better performance because it matched
09:08up with my tail box.
09:10Now, as far as some modifications to make, first and foremost, these levers, they have
09:15to go.
09:16So I gave the guys over at Solid Performance, our local KTM shop, a call, and what they
09:20recommended was the KTM performance adjustable levers.
09:23I threw a set on, it was like night and day.
09:26Better feel, better feedback, and the adjusters on them really worked well to give me a longer
09:31throw for my longer fingers.
09:33Now, if I wanted to make more of a major adjustment to this, I would definitely consider a fuel
09:36mapping device.
09:37And this is not to add power, but to give me better fueling in that lower RPM range
09:42to eliminate some of that stumbling.
09:44This is going to give you a much more confident ride, especially as a beginner motorcyclist.
09:48Now, finally, if I was going to keep this bike any longer than the 10 days that I've
09:52already had it, I need some kind of storage.
09:55I would go ahead and add a Krega US 20 to the back.
09:58I use a US 20 on all of my bikes currently, and it gives me great mobility for getting
10:02to and from work for commuting, while keeping everything inside nice and waterproof.
10:07Now, if you have any questions that I haven't answered here, click the info button, head
10:11over to Common Shred, and read my detailed article on the KTM 390 Duke, where I get into
10:16all the down and dirty facts that I simply just didn't have time to answer in this video.
10:21If you still have questions, or if you want to weigh in with your opinion, please do so
10:25in the comments section below.
10:26And remember to subscribe to us on YouTube, so you can follow along and get all the updates
10:30for all the new bike reviews that we have rolling out.
10:33Thank you for joining us for this look at the KTM 390 Duke.
10:36I'm Spurge.
10:37Enjoy the ride.