With the KTM Duke motorcycle everything is clear. These motorcycles are made to make you lose your mind as soon as you sit on them. The element of the KTM 390 Duke motorcycle is turns.
KTM Duke 390 will surprise you with its capabilities!
Motorcycle KTM 390 Duke, motorcycle KTM 390 Duke
The guys at Mattighofen call this duke ktm a rocket, and we have to admit they're not exaggerating. Anyone who has had the opportunity to ride this Duke KTM motorcycle on sharp turns will confirm this. In its segment, no other motorcycle allows such a massive power-to-weight ratio. 49 hp measured on the bench (44 hp on paper) per 149 kg dry weight - this means that the 390 Duke (ktm 390 duke) balances on the edge of the normative 0.2 kW per 1 kg. Another thing is that this proportion is suitable for both beginners and experienced bikers - in short, for those who like to have fun and know that less sometimes means more.
EURO 4 IN THE FOREGOING
The Ktm 390 duke made in India was not perfect. In addition to the less-than-ideal build quality, which can be forgiven given the price, as well as the brakes, we also complained about the WP's less-than-stellar suspension tuning. This year, KTM engineers were mainly concerned with Euro 4 requirements, however, they tried to please the tastes of buyers. True, little has been fixed in the engine, but the frame grille and trim have changed enough that we can safely talk about a new motorcycle.
Externally, the 390 Duke is similar to its predecessor, the 1290 Super Duke R. Aggressive fairings, an increased fuel tank by 2.4 (to 13.4) liters, fresh graphics, a new helical rear frame strut and, as a rule, the whole appearance The rear of the car and the LED lights are firmly in line with the Super Duke R. The ergonomics are commendable. The steering wheel is compact but comfortable. The seat, raised at a height of 830 mm, is favorable for tall people, in addition, the KTM Duke motorcycle has a narrow waist, so it will be convenient for you to spread your knees. Hands rest comfortably on the comfortable, wide handlebars, and riders confirm that they have more legroom on the new KTM 390 Duke than on its predecessor.
KTM Duke 390 characteristics: TFT instrumentation is controlled from the left side of the steering wheel. You will not find this in this class among competitors, KTM 390 Duke
The 373cc single works hard. After the 690 received a second balance shaft, the 390 became the latest bully from KTM. However, the signs of life they give are quite mild. The anti-hopping clutch is weak (on the bike it is controlled by both handles), but gear shifts are easy and precise.
After spending the morning on “125”, we saw that the engine produces 44 hp. and 37 Nm of torque (according to factory data, about 2 Nm more than before). The engine requires at least 3500 rpm to run smoothly at higher speeds. At higher KTMs, the Duke 390 pulls so hard that it is difficult to compare with it in city traffic.
New KTM 390 Duke
The official distributor of KTM in Russia presented another new product - the naked KTM 390 Duke.
Natalia Umnova
The appearance of a modern externally, high-tech internally and at the same time affordable motorcycle - the KTM 390 Duke - has become a great help for novice motorcyclists and those who use a motorcycle as a means of combating traffic jams in big cities.
The new 390 Duke retains the basic proportions of its predecessor, but has a completely new design, which now echoes the top-end 1290 Super Duke R. The new original headlight, tank tail and two-tone contrasting frame create a new perception of the motorcycle. The new face of the KTM Duke is a split headlight design similar to older KTM models. The headlight is fully LED, something no one in this class can boast of. The traditional birdcage orange space frame has been slightly redesigned to reduce the base by 10mm and is now bolted to the white subframe, making it easier to repair these elements individually.
In 2021, the motorcycle received a new instrument panel, built on the basis of a large color liquid crystal display, easy to read even in sunny weather thanks to auto-tuning depending on the lighting and switching to a dark background in the evening and at night. Navigating the bike's menus is intuitive and is done using the left-hand switch borrowed from the 690 Duke.
The handlebars of the motorcycle are now not aluminum, but steel - this is definitely some simplification and cheaper design, which made it possible to compensate for the introduction of a number of new expensive parts. The tachometer is now displayed in a more familiar and visual way in the form of a classic semicircular scale, and the tachometer bar turns red when the maximum 10,000 rpm is reached.
The new instrumentation is a significant step forward compared to the modest and unimpressive instrumentation on previous models. Optionally, when connecting the KTM My Ride function at an additional cost, incoming calls to the phone and music tracks played on it can be displayed on the dashboard via data transmission via Bluetooth.
Ergonomics have received additional improvements. The position of the steering wheel grips has become slightly higher and slightly forward, and new brake and clutch levers have been adjusted in five positions. The pegs are mounted slightly higher and set back, and their brackets are now made from stronger forged rather than cast aluminum. The new seat is much more comfortable than the previous model, but this came at the cost of increasing the seat height by 30 mm. Overall, the fit has become more comfortable, thanks in part to a narrower front section, which makes it easier to plant your foot on the surface when stopping. The motorcycle has become more comfortable for drivers above average height.
WP, which is owned by KTM and produces suspension and other equipment for motorcycles, also contributed. The 43mm inverted front fork remains unadjustable, but features an open-cartridge design with split rebound and compression handling that better handles a wide variety of bumps. Progressive coil springs provide better ride quality while remaining dimensionally compatible. The rear shock also features a new progressive spring with adjustable preload. On the new 390 Duke, the brake discs have been increased to 320 mm. ABS can be switched to Supermoto mode, in which it is disabled for the rear wheel, which allows, on occasion, to take corners with a hooligan skid.
The bike features an advanced electronic ride-by-wire throttle control system, which helps the engine both comply with Euro 4 regulations and remain highly responsive to throttle input, something that manual versions have struggled with. The engine remains virtually the same structurally. The airbox has increased in size and a new exhaust system has appeared, which allowed for a 5.7% increase in torque.
The exhaust system has been completely revised for 2021. The intermediate chamber behind the cylinder remains and works together with an external muffler - this system is aimed at ensuring that the motorcycle meets Euro 4 emissions standards.
The bike has gained about 10kg in weight thanks to a new exhaust system, 13.4L metal fuel tank, steel handlebars, new instrument panel and bolt-on subframe. However, the KTM 390 Duke is still a rocket in the corners and every maneuver is a pure delight. Weightless clutch, engine traction from the lowest revs, easy gear shifting. The slipper clutch makes even aggressive and ill-timed downshifts virtually flawless. The motorcycle is perfect for maneuvering in city traffic and navigating country roads, especially winding ones, on which even a novice driver will feel like a confident pilot.
Price KTM 390 Duke 2021 - RUB 349,900.
The editors recommend:
How to reduce washer fluid consumption?
Russians will be able to catch traffic violators on their phones
Where is it better to store a car - in a garage or outside? Opinions for and against
Advanced truck driver and savings on service: what do cargo carriers rely on?
New law: fine drivers for speeding 5 km/h
Discussion Cancel
I want to receive the most interesting articles
ABSURD TRAFFIC WAYS
A few wheel-up starts, a 20-kilometer highway section (on which the KTM Duke 390, despite being underwhelmed, handled it perfectly), and I’m in the mountains. Narrow side roads with tight corners and varying asphalt qualities are an ideal testing ground. I experienced the incredible joy of driving the KTM Duke there because the 390 is even more willing than the 690 Duke to run through absurd driving paths, make quick adjustments and play around corners. Enter the curve, change direction, recover and pipe to the next turn. I could do this forever...
Update: The 390 Duke gets a 320mm brake disc. The brake action is much better, and the removable ABS has, in particular, a Supermoto mode
The Austrians trust Metzeler's M5s so much that they use them as factory builds. These are not the best tires, but they still maintain a good standard. Especially in the motorcycle segment where money is very important. Metzelery makes the bike neutral in corners and inspires confidence in grip. It's only when you're really leaning as far as you can that a slight nervousness sets in.
As I go higher and higher, the asphalt becomes more and more cracked and the potholes become larger. But the worse the surface, the more I like the Duke 390 (KTM 390 Duke). Admittedly, in the pursuit of tighter handling, its front rake has been reduced by 8mm to 142mm (the rear is still 150mm), but KTM's off-road genes don't let themselves be forgotten.
After all, this motorcycle is intended for countries where the roads are bad. Because it was too soft for European roads, the loops were strengthened for the 2021 season. Thanks to stiffer springs, a new fork and shock, the Duke 390 regains the minimal damping and stability it had been lacking until now.
Signature frame, “predatory” plastic, screwed-down piece and slender rear end – the little “bully” references the 1290 Super Duke R
Some kind of wildness appeared in me from the KTM 390 Duke
Nobody wanted more spontaneity from the engine, but the bike got it. The ride-by-wire system has significantly improved throttle response, and mid-range power is offered spontaneously and can also be precisely metered. All this and a clear increase in torque around 6500 rpm provide a powerful dose of fun and sporty driving.
The Austrians also improved the brakes: the 390 Duke motorcycle had new pads and the front disc was increased by 20 (to 320) mm. As a result, the Bybre (Indian subsidiary of Brembo) brakes perform much better, and the icing on the cake is the removable ABS with Supermoto mode (works on the front wheel only). The next feature is the elegant and easy to read TFT display. Its operation is simple and, using Bluetooth, it can be configured to work with your phone (it also receives incoming calls and controls your audio player).
The 690 Duke and 390 Duke have elegant headlights in the “1290” style. Low and high beam headlights, daytime running lights - all LED
Weak spots?
As for execution, there are none. There is no doubt that the quality has improved a little, in any case, it corresponds to the price of the KTM Duke 390. The only thing that scared me was the fan, which is terribly noisy and comes on too often on a moving motorcycle. This surprised me a little, because the moto was designed with a warm climate in mind. In any case, corrections are advisable.
Despite all this, the 390 Duke has been heavily modified. This bike is truly a big dose of joy for the money.
Post Views: 9,217
Ready for the race! Test drive the new KTM Duke 390
The future, as the classic said, moves forward along a complex and obscure trajectory, which no social mathematician is able to predict. Futurologists of the eighties saw the motorcycle as a completely hooded device with a front console; no one could imagine how everything would actually turn out. KTM Duke 390 2017 is the last nail in the coffin of the future, outlined by science fiction writers of the past: yesterday’s “tomorrow” that has become today’s present.
I won’t lie - both devices with color LCD monitors and Bluetooth, all this could be found before, the top models of the same BMW allowed us to look into this future. But it was prohibitively expensive and remained the prerogative of wealthy guys who could spend seventy thousand on the latest iPhone without looking, simply because the penultimate one does not sync with a motorcycle.
The new Duke 390 changed the world not with technology, but with its accessibility. Never before has a motorcycle with such bells and whistles been so cheap - what new can you get for 349 thousand rubles? Maybe the BMW G310R. It's damn good, it's better than the previous Duke 390, but the new “Austrian” has left the Germans behind again.
The new KTM Duke 390 is the most technologically advanced small bike on the Russian market
It was the new Duke 390 that determined the vector of development of modern budget motorcycles for about ten years to come. It is he who will be imitated by all other world manufacturers, and it is his equipment that in a decade will become the norm and minimum for all motorcycles in this class.
The first, and, in my opinion, the most important thing is the dashboard. From now on, this is not a boring monitor with black and white graphics, but an interactive, informative and insanely bright color LCD panel with a diagonal of 5.5 inches, which allows you to actively interact with the motorcycle and more. Speed, revolutions, selected gear, mileage, fuel reserve and temperature - of course, but there are much more interesting functions. Blinker? Forget it, it’s a thing of the past, why put a separate light on when the animated tachometer itself first turns pink and then turns red as soon as the revs reach peak values?
The color LCD dashboard of the KTM Duke 390 motorcycle looks no worse than modern smartphones
What about the ability to sync via Bluetooth with a phone or headset? Now, when you receive a call on the go, the dashboard displays the caller's number, name and even a photo if you have one installed in your smartphone, and the keys on the left remote control allow you to answer or reject the call without taking your hands off the wheel! They also allow you to switch tracks in your player and manage motorcycle settings.
Of course, the left remote control itself is completely different, unified with the “older” models of the brand, with a bunch of keys that provide convenient navigation through the instrument menu. Disable ABS? Please! Or maybe not all the way, into the “supermoto” mode, where the front end still works, and the rear is free from the electronic stranglehold? Easily!
There is also an electronic throttle handle, which allows you to forget about maintenance and replacement of cables. Gas “by wire” on budget models is something that you don’t see often.
2021 Duke controls shared with older KTM models
The Austrians were greedy: in fact, ABS sensors and an electronic throttle control with the help of software alone allow you to open functions such as cruise control, traction control and the choice of engine operating modes, but they are not there yet. According to rumors, and personally they seem quite real to me, in the future the KTM company will offer them to customers as options that the dealer can activate for an additional fee. Moreover, competitors do not offer anything similar on devices of this class. Or maybe KTM is waiting for the rest out of nobility?
In any case, the motorcycle electronics of the future are indicated. Everything is like adults. And even though half of the functionality is not yet available, to open it all you need to do is write software, which means it’s a matter of time. Why is it needed if competitors do not have anything even close to the existing set?
Another feature of the Duke 390 is the presence of a light sensor. Now, when the ignition is turned on, only the stylish LED running lights of the bright, insect-shaped headlight light up, while the LED low beam is activated only when darkness falls. At the same time, the instrument panel changes the background from white to dark blue, providing excellent readability at night, and the pilot can only choose between low and high beams, operating a key that allows both the “high beams” to blink and to turn them on for a long time.
A distinctive feature from previous generation motorcycles is LED optics with daytime running lights
The optics have also changed: the headlight has become fully LED, and its design now echoes the appearance of the flagship KTM Super R Duke 1290 and Super Adventure 1290. The aggressive edging of the running lights adds visibility mainly on the viewing platform rather than on the roads, where it is still more appropriate to at least “ near". Among the decorations I would also like to include a stylish steel trim that visually cuts the headlight in half - it looks catchy and fresh. Its main task is to cool the headlight LEDs, a kind of radiator turned into a design element.
But the designers missed the mark with protection from dirt. An aggressive look does not imply developed wings; if you want to ride on mud, buy a Bajaj Dominar 400, KTM is a European brand! That is why the back of not even the passenger, who here, as in the previous generation, is assigned a modest perch, but the pilot’s, will be wet in any rain. How could it be otherwise: either elegance of form and aggressive design, or scary, but developed plastic wings and protection against getting sari skirts caught in the chain.
The aggressive appearance of the new KTM Duke 390 does not imply developed mud protection
The ergonomics have completely changed compared to the previous generation of “Dukes”, and, oddly enough, they have become even sportier. The handlebars, which were extremely close to the pilot, moved away barely noticeably, the footpegs became higher, and the saddle rose above the ground to 830 millimeters. Of course, many short guys and girls may find this inconvenient, but there are solutions to the problem.
The gas tank of the device has become wider and is now made not of plastic, but of metal, with all the ensuing advantages, but the main thing is that from now on it can hold three liters more fuel, which, given the modest appetite of a single-cylinder engine, provides a noticeable addition to the power reserve at one gas station.
However, even in total, the ergonomic changes do not allow us to talk about a departure from the concept set by the previous generation - the pilot still sits extremely close to the front wheel and wide steering wheel, which strikingly distinguishes the new Duke 390 from the same BMW G310R, which is much more conservative in this regard motorcycle.
Despite the fact that the seat height has increased to 830 mm, the rider's seating position has remained virtually unchanged
Frankly, at first I was afraid to use the word “new” in the context of the 2021 KTM Duke: yes, design and optics, yes, electronics and instrumentation, but the changes to the engine and chassis cannot be called radical, and the concept remains the same. Maybe not “new”, but still a restyling of the “old”? The frame put an end to the internal contradictions - visually the steel birdcage has not changed much, the geometry and rigidity remained at the same level, but from now on the rear subframe is a separate part. If you happen to get into an accident and bend it, instead of expensive frame repairs, from now on it’s enough to just replace it. And it is the frame configuration, along with other changes, that allows us to talk about a new model, and not a restyling.
But the engine can be safely called “old”, and although “gas by wire” has significantly improved the response to turning the right handle, all other changes have been reduced to increasing environmental friendliness in order to satisfy the new Euro-4 requirements. It is to environmentalists that the motorcycle owes its muffler, which has almost doubled in size and moved from under the engine to the right side. Peak power values, despite the additional restrictions on exhaust standards, remained almost unchanged - the number of horses remained at 44 heads, and the torque increased by two newton-meters, and, importantly, became available a little earlier.
The KTM Duke 390 engine, brought into compliance with Euro-4 standards, received a slight increase in torque
The six-speed gearbox has not been touched at all, but the clutch is now slippery, which allows you to confidently shift a couple of gears at a time. In addition, the pilot’s assistants have been added to the regiment thanks to another feature - the Power Assist system, which reduces the force on the clutch lever. I already found the clutch too soft, you can squeeze it with one finger - ideal for girls, but advanced riders would probably want more elasticity and feedback.
But these are nit-picking – the motorcycle has no obvious flaws or miscalculations, everything is in its place and everything corresponds to its intended purpose, without adjustments for the price tag or other fig leaves. And once you hit the asphalt of the Leader karting track near Moscow, all the reasons for criticism dissolve in pure adrenaline: first, second, slightly third, and again second - there’s nowhere to accelerate, but, on the contrary, there are plenty of sharp turns, Duke 390 in its element.
The dimensions and power unit of the Duke make it an ideal bike for small motorcycle tracks
The previous generation of Dukes was famous for its agility and gambling, but in the new Duke 390 these words are generally elevated to the absolute. The already short wheelbase in the new generation was reduced by 10 mm, the fork offset was reduced by 5 mm, small touches that added piquancy to the already chili-like character of the motorcycle. Tuck into a turn? Forget it! Once you think about the trajectory, the motorcycle itself falls into it and follows the pilot’s gaze; even in the rain that followed us throughout the test day, you can ride very actively.
The suspensions have hardly changed, no adjustments have appeared in them, and of all the innovations we can only name the front fork travel that has been reduced by several millimeters, which is completely imperceptible on the track. There are enough settings for driving around the city, there is nothing to add to them, but if you happen to put a passenger in the back, you can increase the spring preload of the rear monoshock absorber.
The WP fork boasts new settings and travel reduced by 8 millimeters
Narrow tires, a rigid and assembled chassis, tight suspension and a supermoto-like landing position are the ideal cocktail for both cross-country shooting and weekends on the track. And even though the weight of the motorcycle has increased by a respectable ten kilograms, the increase is absolutely not felt while driving.
There is no need to complain about the brakes either - they are quite sufficient even for emergency braking, but they also do not have excessive potential, the standard ABS often reminds of its existence. This is understandable, the front brake disc remained in a single copy, but grew in diameter from 300 to 320 millimeters, still working in combination with a Bybre radial four-piston caliper, a sub-brand of Brembo.
Bybre mechanisms are good, there is no need to complain about the lack of brakes, as well as their excess
And last but not least, the innovation is the ability to completely or partially disable ABS through the dashboard menu. And although the meaning of the “OFF” mode on an asphalt machine is not obvious, the “Supermoto” mode, in which only the rear circuit is turned off, while the front end is still controlled by “anti-lock”, on the contrary, came to fruition. From now on you can behave like a hooligan with less risk to your health!
Similar changes affected the rest of the Duke family, in which, in addition to the Duke 125 Duke 200, the Duke 250 was added. The “200” will not be supplied to our market, instead we will get a 250 cc device, but given the difference in price with the 390, The point of buying it is not obvious. Moreover, it still goes beyond the “children’s” category A1.
As for the new Duke 390, the verdict on it is clear - the most exciting, loud and charismatic motorcycle, both in its segment and beyond.
Video version of the KTM Duke 390 2021 review:
KTM Duke 390 2021 Photos:
Subscribe to updates from the Omoimot magazine on VKontakte, Facebook, Twitter or Google+ to learn about the most interesting new products from the motorcycle world first-hand. We thank the Bike Land company for providing us with a motorcycle for testing.
Accreditation and organization of test drives – Denis Sokolov | | +7 (999) 851-49-71
