KTM 390 Duke review

The KTM 390 Duke has received a price hike for the first time after complying with BS6 norms. The racy 390 Duke is now priced at Rs 2,57,906, which is Rs 9,694 dearer than its BS4 avatar. For the additional moolah, you get new colours and a bi-directional quickshifter.

Design

The 390 Duke received a major redesign in 2017 when it was endowed with the SuperDuke design language. This means an aggressive, sharp and edgy appearance characterised by the intentful LED headlight and long tank extensions. The bike still features a purposeful streetfighter stance thanks to its flat, wide handlebars, and the white bolt-on rear sub-frame adds some contrast to the design.

Performance

Powering the 390 Duke is the liquid-cooled 373.3cc DOHC single-cylinder mill that we’ve fallen in love with over the last 7 years. Despite meeting BS6 standards, output has been retained at 45PS and 37Nm, and the motor continues to feature ride-by-wire. It is mated to a 6-speed gearbox via a slipper-clutch. Like most KTMs, the 390 Duke is held together by a trademark steel trellis frame. But while the first-gen bike featured a single-piece frame, the versions from 2017 onwards feature a main frame and a bolt-on rear subframe. This makes accidental damage repair cheaper and easier. The frame is suspended on a USD fork and preload-adjustable monoshock, both from WP, and stopping power comes from a 320mm/230mm disc brake combo assisted by dual-channel ABS. At 149kg dry, it continues to weigh exactly the same as its BS4 counterpart.

Features

The 2017 update also brought with it a whole host of new features. Lighting is now LED all around, and the bike has been equipped with a colour TFT display. Bluetooth connectivity is standard, and like before, the bike also sports dual-channel ABS and a slipper clutch. New for the BS6 version is a bi-directional quickshifter offered as standard.

KTM 390 Duke Price: The new KTM 390 Duke is expected to be priced at Rs 2,57,906 lakh