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Street hooligan as they say
2 years ago by Amitava739 viewsWell let me start with negative points.1) engine vibration- right from start, all the time you sit on it. 2) sound- horrible, if you stay in a busy neighborhood, you will be ashamed to start the bike.3) engine heating - it will burn your thigh and knee area, if you get stuck in traffic. Also engine shuts down sometimes because of heating. Pretty embarrassing.4) my own bike has starting problem from very first day. Even after servicing parts.5) seat is rock hard. Up to 60-70 speed you will feel almost every pebble on the road. Shock-absorber is non existent up to those speeds. So barely you can sit on it little more than an hour.6) there is some issue with fuel pumps. They do not last long and they will cost around 4000 rs. Now about positive points 1) mind boggling acceleration. If you are not strong and fit, this is not the bike for you. In traffic signals, when light goes green, few times i twisted the throttle to full and every other bikes, cars faded away, every time. 2) gearing ratio is ok. Although first gear is too short, almost never used it. In third gear you can leave the throttle, eat pizza and roam around the city at ~25 kph. Cruising is possible fourth gear at 40 kph , in fifth gear 50 kph and in 6th gear 60 kph.In 6th gear from 60 to 100-110 kph vibration is minimum, you can cruise for long hours (only the hard seat will not let you), although not as good as a perfect cruiser but manageable.3) if you can ride a bicycle then with this you can hit the corners like motogp racers (that is the feeling you will have). This is the thing, i guess the bike is made for,4) the engine braking along with actual braking is decent enough and it saved my life few times. 5) mileage - !!! yes it is mileage. In city i consistently got 26 kpl. And in highway tour, which i have made only one, i have got more than 37 kpl. But this is from calculation, not exact reading (reading gave 32 kpl in last 100 km, in that i believe 40 km was inside city and rest on highway).This is a damn good engine for touring. That is what exactly bajaj did, they made dominiar 400 with this engine.Just an advice- if you own a car or a bike, you need to treat it as a living being and take care accordingly.
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Used it for
Occasional Commute
Owned for
> 1 yr
Ridden for
10000-15000 kms
Got mileage of
31 kmpl
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Used it for
Everything
Owned for
> 1 yr
Ridden for
> 15000 kms
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Used it for
Tours
Owned for
> 1 yr
Ridden for
< 5000 kms
Got mileage of
20 kmpl
Got mileage of
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Used it for
Everything
Owned for
Never owned
Got mileage of
26 kmpl
Got mileage of
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Used it for
Everything
Owned for
> 1 yr
Ridden for
> 15000 kms
Got mileage of
25 kmpl
Got mileage of
Inappropriate review? Report Abuse
Used it for
Everything
Owned for
> 1 yr
Ridden for
10000-15000 kms
Got mileage of
21 kmpl
Got mileage of
Inappropriate review? Report Abuse
Used it for
Occasional Commute
Owned for
> 1 yr
Ridden for
< 5000 kms
Got mileage of
21 kmpl
Got mileage of
Inappropriate review? Report Abuse
Used it for
Everything
Owned for
> 1 yr
Ridden for
10000-15000 kms
Got mileage of
30 kmpl
Got mileage of
I have owned a passion & pulsar 180 before the duke 390.. After the pulsar, i wanted to upgrade, back then i always saw myself as a guy who would prefer a laid-back cruiser and just glide around.. :d and an obvious choice then was the 'thunderbird' (not surprised are you? ;) ) i got to know of the duke 390 from my friends who had it then (those were the ones w/o the slipper clutch) and during one of those "orange rides" (which ktms organize) i got a chance to ride both the duke 390 and the rc 390.. I was in awe of that power which i wasn't used to and that adrenaline rush, it took me a while to get used to that.. Let me honest, it did freak me out... Second encounter was during one of the rides to hp (shoja), i was on my pulsar 180 and the two friends of mine on their duke 390s; riding at an easy pace towards chd, those guys making sure i am on their trail.. But the moment we hit the himalayan expressway the two dukes took off like rockets dropping me like a stone..!!! it felt humiliating (face-palm)... That was the moment when i decided to buy this mean machine and nothing else.. Bought it in 2015 (that's when the slipper clutch came) and been riding it since.. Most of the kms clocked on the odo are from rides..
The bike is very agile and light… and has the go-to-anywhere ability.. I have pushed the bike to its limit and what it does is takes me to my destinations in one piece… i had never imagined me leaning on the curves/apexes, but the duke 390 taught me those (courtesy those metzelers) and with each and every ride, i can feel i am getting confident.. The servicing – maintenance of the bike after such rides does not burn a big hole in your pocket at all, even when i have had certain incidents.. A major plus point.. I know how many times i have breath sigh of relief after seeing the bill.. The power delivery is spot on, that 43 bhp power is enough to give you goosebumps.. Even in traffic one can easily navigate at lower speeds..
It’s a very distinct bike.. The ‘orange’ on it and the ‘sputtering firing’ catches everyone’s attention and people actually turn their heads to see.. On most of my rides, the locals come upto me enquiring about the bike, the tech specs and even asked to have their picture clicked with the bike.. Hahaha.. On a recent trip to mana (the last indian village in uttarakhand); one of the local boys excitedly comes to me and asks, “bhaiya kya ye duke waali bike hain?? maine suna hai iske baare me” (“is this bike the duke? i have heard about this bike!!”)
The flip side what i can think of on the top of my mind would be the space for the pillion.. It’s a little too cramped.. So riding with a pillion would be slightly uncomfortable and other issue is the heat from the engine especially when you are in traffic, you can feel the heat coming onto your legs.. If you can look past that, nothing to worry about.. That’s all i can think off.. Summing it up, those who want an adventure machine, which will take you to almost everywhere without having to worry what damage it will do this is the machine to buy.. Most importantly all the goodies packed into this and at the price it’s at makes it totally a “value for money” buy..
Happy riding! :)
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Used it for
Everything
Owned for
> 1 yr
Ridden for
> 15000 kms
Got mileage of
30 kmpl
Got mileage of
I personally feel awesome bike for racing and long tour ride .Even good mileage in traffic road too.I had a great experience with this bike.Guys for it ktm bike 390 abs braking system is also very powerful ..I drove this bike almost at 155 to 160 on highway continuously 2 hour..I felt great experience with this racing bike
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Used it for
Everything
Owned for
6 months-1 yr
Ridden for
< 5000 kms
Got mileage of
37 kmpl
Got mileage of
I own a second hand bike and riding it more than 5 month, my experience with bike so far is very good. It give u power which no one can beat it. Performance wise it beast in its category. It got 22km/l avg. On my daily commute. I use it for my office going. Service and maintenance it not that cheap but no that much high. Service have to be done after 7500km, which is good.
Pros: good looks, performance, pickup(goes 100 very quickly), brakes
Cons: heating issue in traffic
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Used it for
Daily Commute
Owned for
6 months-1 yr
Ridden for
< 5000 kms
Got mileage of
22 kmpl
Got mileage of
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