KTM Duke 390 Review, Price, Mileage, Specifications, Performance, Competitors and More!

Overview

Don’t get deceived by the small proportions of the KTM Duke 390, you cannot gauge the punch it packs inside. It’s enough to surprise its rider and the competitors alike. The 2017 KTM Duke 390 doesn’t get a massive bump in torque or power figures but the styling has certainly gone a notch higher. The bike is a radical departure from its predecessor and gets inspiration from its elder cousin, 1290 Super Duke. That’s the reason it won the recently concluded 2018 Indian Motorcycle Of The Year (IMOTY) year.

Powered by the same 373.2cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine of its previous generation, the Duke 390 returns unchanged power figures of 43.5bhp at 9,000rpm and a peak torque of 37Nm at 7,000rpm – up by 2Nm. It sprints from 0-100kmph in 5.60 seconds with a top speed of 170kmph. Major changes in the new KTM Duke 390 include a bigger 13.5-litre fuel tank, simpler underbelly pan, side-slung exhaust (earlier one had underbelly setup), newly designed seats, exposed bolt-on frame chassis and crowning the updates – an all-LED headlamps with daytime running lamps. Let’s dig deeper to understand the 390 Duke better.

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Price

Features

The new Duke 390 gets major upgrade in terms of features. If the bike senses poor light, it automatically turns on the headlamp provided the DRLs are also on. There’s a large TFT screen which displays a variety of information and helps the riders connect their smartphones for phone calls and audio controls. The screen adjusts the brightness in accordance to the ambient light in its surrounding. To make it comfortable with various glove and hand sizes, it gets adjustable brake and clutch levers.

Engine and Specifications

The fuel tank capacity has increased to 13.5-litre from the earlier 11.5-litre. It also comes with ride-by-wire technology and side mounted exhaust for complying with stricter BSIV norms.

Mileage

The addition of new features has added another 7kg to the motorcycle’s weight compared to its predecessor. However, the KTM Duke 390 mileage continues to be decent at 23kmpl, considering the segment it falls in.

Braking and Handling

The brakes are super efficient and bigger than its earlier version. The ABS too has improved and now comes with three modes – Off, Road and Supermoto. The Off mode is, of course, for turning off the ABS, while the Road mode turns on the ABS on both the front and rear wheels. The Supermoto turns the rear ones off to let you have some fun with, maybe, a stoppie.

The bikemaker calls the KTM Duke 390 ‘The Corner Rocket’ and it’s indeed a breeze while cornering, in fact it makes you more intuitive when approaching corners. The shorter wheelbase (10mm dip) and newer tyres have enhanced its stability and handling at corners. The slipper clutch continues to make handling of the Duke smooth.

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Tyres and Wheels

The 2017 KTM Duke 390 gets newer and fatter H rated Metzeler M5 Interact tyres. The tubeless, 17-inch alloys offer solid grip while cornering and at sharp turns.

Colours

The KTM Duke 390 is available with two colour options – White and Orange.

Competition

The sporty KTM 390 Duke takes on the Bajaj Dominor 400, TVS Apache RR310, Benelli TNT 300 and the Kawasaki Ninja 300.

Pros

Looks. The split LED headlamps with DRLs and the exposed metal frame turns the eyeballs around

The superb cornering and razor sharp handling ability

Cons

Riding the bike in city conditions at low speeds requires some effort