KTM Duke 390

The KTM Duke 390 looks like no other motorcycle in the segment to which it belongs. The futuristic styling and levels of equipment are miles ahead of other rivals in this space.

At the front, the Duke 390 is blessed with a very angular full LED headlamp with daytime running LEDs, which gives the motorcycle a very mean looking front fascia. The LED turn indicators and short design for the front fender accentuate its minimalistic design even more.

The rakish fuel tank of the Duke 390 gets well-sculpted tank extensions, below which is placed the fully exposed dual tone trellis frame with subframe attached to it at the rear. The split seats are large and set at low height than before in order to make the pillion as well as main rider comfortable. The angular tailpiece comes with a clear lens LED tail lamp with long rear fender and LED turn indicators.

The KTM Duke 390’s major styling highlight happens to be the full colored TFT LCD screen for the instrument console, which is by far the most advanced unit in this segment. The units pack in a whole lot of information on board, which includes speedometer, odometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, temperature gauge, MID data like average fuel consumption, average speed, distance to empty, instantaneous fuel efficiency, gear indicator and many more. It also supports Bluetooth connectivity for receiving and disconnecting phone calls on the go. The switchgear too is by far the meatiest looking one on an entry level performance oriented motorcycle, and they are backlit as well.

In the department of chassis too, KTM has to be given full marks in equipping the Duke 390 with sophisticated components. The front inverted hydraulic telescopic forks, rear monoshock as well as aluminium swingarm have been inspired from bigger KTMs, which make the Duke 390 a very sharp handler on all speeds. The disc brakes at both front and rear are complemented with steel braided lines, which make the stopping power exceptionally good for this price point.

KTM surprised everyone when it launched the Duke 390 for the first time with its four-stroke, single cylinder, liquid-cooled, fuel injected, 373 cc motor, which happens to be the most performance oriented mill in its segment. KTM has decided to not fiddle with this successful formula, and in this new generation model, the engine has been retained in the same state of tune.

This means that the engine continues to produce 43 PS of maximum power and 37 Nm of peak torque output. Mated to the 6-speed gearbox, the engine has a massively impressive performance in the higher rev range, and is quite rev happy across the entire rev range. However, the gearing is too short for daily city commutes.

KTM has equipped the motorcycle with switchable ABS which has three operational modes on the go – on, off, and supermoto. The supermoto mode allows the ABS system to switch off the system on the rear wheel, thus allowing the motorcycle to enjoy wheelies as and when wanted.

The KTM Duke 390 might be too aggressive in character for some, who prefer a rather more sedate machine both in terms of looks and performance. However, at the price at which it is being offered, the Duke 390 appears out to be a very exceptional value-for-money offering. The futuristic design and loads of advanced features make us hard to believe what the package of Duke 390 is. On the other hand, the sharp levels of performance, as well as handing, is typically KTM, which enables the rider to push his limits even further.