• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

KTM 390's

Burning1 said:
Dealer says early April. No spec sheet yet, so no confirmation on slipper clutch.

I will say that I dug through the Fiche and didn't see any sign of a slipper in the 2015 US Duke. No guarantee that info is accurate, however.
Click to expand...

I have a deposit down at motor cafe but chances are pretty good I'll wait till 2016 for a slipper one if that was the case.
 
Found this review by a guy who imported an RC390 to the US on another forum. Thought his pros and cons were worth sharing on this thread:

fos373 said:
The good:
  • Overall the bike is pretty light (compared to Ninja 250) but not as light as (and can be expected) as a 450mx. I easily unloaded it from my full size truck by myself (after a day of skiing and in freezing cold weather). I would not have done that with a 600 or even a 250.
  • The fit and finish of the fairings, headlights, seat and controls are very good. Most of these will be sold off as they aren't needed.
  • The R&G case covers (obviously an aftermarket product) fit perfectly and were easily installed.
The bad:
  • The upper clip-on / triple clamps are junk. The bars are held in place by two very small hex bolts and the bar itself is proprietary and tapered at the end. It would have been just as easy to use a standard replacement bar. Regardless, I'll fit real clip-ons below the upper triples.
  • The battery is located under a cover in front of the gas tank. There's a separate plastic cover that is released from under the seat. It's a pretty crappy design and will break easily.
  • The stock rear sets, well, they're like most stock rear sets and aren't the best.
  • The stock windscreen is way too low and wraps around the side of the bike.
  • As it is low it will offer minimal wind protection.
  • The wrap around design - why??? One tip over and the whole thing will shatter. Confusing.
  • My biggest gripe - the bolts used on most of the bike are pretty sub-standard and are odd sized.
The front brake caliper bolts are a 8mm x 1.0 pitch x 65mm long. Try and find a replacement for that.... (remember, it will be raced so I was drilling for safety wiring and generally have spares in case something happens).
The pinch bolts for the front axle are a more normal 8mm x 1.25 pitch but the Allen bolt heads themselves are pretty soft. I think they sourced them from Ace Hardware.

I haven't taken the rear sets off yet, as the adjustable KTM's are still on their way. However, the mounting bolts look pretty junky as well.

It seems that I have more complaints than good, however it is much better than a Ninja 250.

The overall quality is very good and it's a much more thought out bike and will likely be a better performing bike than bikes in its category. Compared to a Ninja 250, CBR 250, etc - hands down this bike is much better!! If I gave a review of my Ninja 250, everyone would be appalled: It's fat, slow, doesn't want to turn, the suspension is mushy and crappy at best, slides when pushed, louder than hell with an open exhaust, has to be beaten to do anything and has no real power.
Click to expand...

(Rider is 6'1", 175#)
 
Meh to everything in that except the bit about bolts, and if he really wanted to, he could drill out the odd thread sizes and helicoil... If he got the pitch correct.
 
Yeah. He went on to say that he was seriously picking on tiny things, but figured he'd give as detailed a review as possible, since he's one of the first to have one in the states.

Most of the stuff he mentions are all things you'd swap out on any lower to mid level sport bike. Hell, there's even quite a few liter bikes that match that description.
 
I just want to see if it's as comfortable as my RC8R. Nothing beats that bike for all day comfort without going to an adventure or sport touring bike. Also want to see what the 390 duke is gonna be like.
 
PunkRockMonkey said:
I think he means with both wheels on the ground.

:teeth
Click to expand...

Both wheels on the ground? With an RC8R?

obama_laughing_rectangle.jpg
 
I am 5'9" and I dont find my rc8 that comfortable. got rear sets to raise my legs for support and grip on tank but the clip ons are not ideal even at the high position.

as usual the racy positions always feel better in the twisties or track
 
Well would'ja look at that. A company that actually got a small displacement sport bike right finally. USD's, aggressive low stance, good brakes, good rear suspension, etc. Well done KTM, well done.
 
A lot of the reviews I've seen say the KTM's brakes are the worst of the three between the Ninjette, R3, and RC390. Not that it couldn't be fixed easily...
 
Nick said:
A lot of the reviews I've seen say the KTM's brakes are the worst of the three between the Ninjette, R3, and RC390. Not that it couldn't be fixed easily...
Click to expand...

Out of all the small bikes, I'd say that is the easiest and the cheapest thing to make right. Most guys end up with a completely current version of brakes anyways.
 
So word on the street is that there's shipping delay due to port strikes. Got the same port strike shipping delay answer from Revzilla yesterday when I inquired about some gear that was supposed to ship out mid March. :thumbdown
 
At this rate, I'm starting to doubt if we'll see them in April. They haven't even hit KTM's webpage.
 
Burning1 said:
At this rate, I'm starting to doubt if we'll see them in April. They haven't even hit KTM's webpage.
Click to expand...

I don't know if the bike are actually there but if you look on cycletrader Paso Robles has a duke 390 and an Rc390 with prices listed. It does not say taking deposits next to the price like some say

edit: I just called and they said any day now :thumbdown
 
banshee01 said:
I don't know if the bike are actually there but if you look on cycletrader Paso Robles has a duke 390 and an Rc390 with prices listed. It does not say taking deposits next to the price like some say

edit: I just called and they said any day now :thumbdown
Click to expand...

Dealers have been taking pre-orders since... January? There aren't any in showrooms yet.
 
These need to hit the streets ASAP so aftermarket manufacturers can start making parts for them. Hopefully by 2016 AFM season, they'll be easy enough to come by.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top