KTM RC 390

KTM has managed to scale down the styling ethos of the wonderful RC8 for the RC 390, which has made the motorcycle too sporty and big in stance. The forward pouncing stance screams KTM’s tagline of ready to race, with the aggression in overall design in full glory from front to rear.

The RC 390 has been equipped with a wild looking pointy front fairing, which comes with dual projector headlamps and daytime running LEDs in assistance below them. At the upper portion of this fairing sits a transparent windshield, which aids in good wind protection at higher speeds. The fairing mounted rear view mirrors are wide and ergonomic, and come with turn indicators integrated within them, making the RC390 the most affordable motorcycle to sport this feature.

Talking about the side profile, the RC 390 comes with an orange colored trellis frame and alloy wheels, whereas the side fairing, fuel tank as well as rear side body panels are retained from the previous model. The side fairing now sports an even wilder livery and scheme of graphics, whereas the non-existent side body panels add further to the aggressive stance of the motorcycle.

The new model does ditch the underbelly exhaust for a more conventional side mounted exhaust pipe to make it compliant to Euro-IV emission norms. At the rear, the high mounted tailpiece, vertical LED tail lamp as well as extended long rear fender make the tail end of the RC 390 look pointy.

The RC 390 shares its backlit switchgear and super comprehensive fully digital instrument console with the smaller Duke, the Duke 200. The console displays a whole lot of information, which includes speedometer, tachometer, odometer, trip meters, engine temperature gauge, fuel gauge, clock, distance to empty, instantaneous fuel efficiency, average speed, remaining distance for the next service and many more. The low positioned clip-on handlebars are ergonomically well-placed too.

Apart from the engine, as expected, even the basic chassis has been shared with the Duke 390. At the front, the RC 390 is equipped with 43 mm inverted hydraulic telescopic forks and a fully adjustable hydraulic monoshock with rear aluminium swingarm, both of which are sourced from WP. As with the other KTMs, the RC 390 too is a beauty to ride in an aggressive manner. For bringing it to a halt, the RC 390 comes with a new set of 320 mm disc brake at the front and a 230 mm disc brake at the rear.

The RC 390 continues to share the same four stroke, single cylinder, liquid-cooled, 373 cc engine with the Duke 390, which though pumps the same amount of maximum power output at 43 PS. However, here, the peak torque output has risen from 35 Nm to 36 Nm. This has been achieved with the help of mild changes carried to the powertrain, which also include a new Evaporative Emission Control System (EVAP), new fuel pump from Bosch and a CAN-BUS system from KTM’s Moto3 WSBK motorcycle. The engine still is matched with the same 6-speed gearbox as before, with short ratios to make the bottom end as well as top-end performance much more thrilling.

The RC 390 was one of the very first motorcycles in this space to feature a dual channel ABS. Apart from ABS, this new version even comes with slipper clutch, which does give the bike extra stability while riding around corners.

KTM did show all the other manufacturers how affordable can a midrange supersport can be with the RC 390, which helped the motorcycle scale new heights of success. For its targeted segment and audience, the RC 390 proved to be an undisputed choice, given its excellence in outright performance and handling.