No other brand is as generous as KTM when it comes to adding features on their little machines. Adjustable suspensions, quickshifter, tft display and a whole buncha electronic goodies. This is a best in class for sure.
It’s about time and long overdue for KTM gave this little pocket rocket an update. It’s arguably the best bike for anyone to take to the track. Regardless of how long you have been riding as on track (especially racing) is completely different to riding on the streets. It will not only make you a better and safer rider you also won’t be breaking the bank and buying a bike for the track that is beyond the capabilities of 99.9% of all road riders. Remember all current and previous world champions started out on bikes just like this one. Great job KTM. Hopefully, racing fairings are already been produced so you can take off all the street parts and just fit a fibreglass fairing and a decent set of rear sets to provide more lean angles as you do improve your skill set. Always learn to go fast on a “slow” bike than start out on going slow on a “quick” bike. 👍😎🇦🇺
Yes indeed it's much better to learn to ride fast a slower bike. My friend tried to learn track riding on a BMW S1000RR and that was a very bad idea...
@@Statek63 Yes, 😅but we can start with a new 1000cc bike, just put it in the lowest power mode 🙂 and wear full riding gears 🙂, but still it's better to ride a 150cc or 200cc bike first, then 1000cc with lowest power mode is OK...🙂
@@racer_v4r You need to learn slide recovery and lots of other things on a smaller bike first. My colleague thought he can do that on a BMW S1000RR, with lower power and what not. He did a lot of track courses and track days. But a big highside on the Catalunya circuit put an abrupt end to all that. Now there is only a Facebook memorial page left of him. Sad but true...
Lets be real, if you look at all of this bike that KTM sells, 95% of time this bike will be on road. Can we get a review on that? Its a bike that can and will be bought as a first bike, can we see how it fairs against its competitors like the R3 and ninja 400? Does this one still stall at low RPM? Does it surprise neutral when changing at lower rpm? How is the quick shifter and blipper while using it for transit? Can it handle long freeway drives? Does it overheat in traffic? How it is going up hills? This is the information thats useful to many more people.
@MrPatspp this comment was from well over a year ago. At the time I was looking at this bike and there wasn't a single video that looked at its daily driveability. I stand by what what I asked as it was entirely justified at the time.
I'm genuinely surprised by how many people seem to dislike the new look. I think this is one of the best-looking sportbikes of the last decade. The previous model was also a looker, but seemed to be missing something in the silhouette. I think this looks even better than the Aprilia RS660 and for me that is a VERY high bar.
Older version of RC set the bar high for looks so it will take time to get used to this new design, in my opinion they should've kept the old headlights they were kind of signature of the bike, other than that no issues with the design
Done about 60k kms on my duke and the only real issues I've had were a stator coil issue (which the service center ultimately couldn't fix so my speedo doesn't work) and just recently my rear shock started leaking. Considering how hard i ride and the quality of Indian roads; my bike rides well, after 8 years of ownership...
My brain starts drooling but my 57 yr old chassis calmly turns to the left where the Dukes are lined up at the dealer. I would buy both if I could because sometimes my spine isn’t paying attention to what I’m doing. It will kindly remind me later and the next day but the moments the damage forgets itself are worth it
Blows my mind that KTM said they wouldn't put a bigger motor in the RC390 because it wouldn't be safe on the street, but they make the Super Duke. A bike that will rip your face off and smile at you while it's doing it.
They said the same for a Litre class superbike...They are not safe for the streets..Yet they make a 180 bhp wheelie monster which is perfectly safe for the streets...What a bunch of jack asses .🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴
They said that 😂because RC 390 is a bike for new riders 🙂, and if rc 390 becomes more powerful then it can cause accidents to beginners 🙂 Whereas, super duke is more of an advanced riders bike 🙂, that's why they make it road legal.. After riding RC 390 to its potential for a year, anyone can ride the Superduke slowly 🙂
This bike is phenomenal. It satisfies both beginners and experts alike in my opinion. I've been riding since 1986 and this is one of my favorite bikes I've ever owned. So much fun.
Appreciate the quality of content. Great attention to detail. To me it's predecessor looked much sharper and attractive. My biggest worry however with the engine reliability. KTM engines are known for high rate of failures when pushed hard, esp. The crank shaft and its bolt tend to give up too soon. I ended up breaking my crank shaft bolt while riding persistently in high revs. Thats not something I would expect from a "Track Bike". While I'm totally unsure about the European version, the product line sold in India being the worst with cheap quality plastics (Rattles all time) and cost cuts. I would never consider a KTM again based on my previous experience. Perhaps spend few extra bucks and pick a Japanese! You will have peace.
@Daniel Vipin Here in Cambodia, People has given up on 390/250/125 Duke simply because their reliability is shit. There are some Super Duke R. People prefer Ducati because even if it can't move, it still can be an art piece or masterpiece.
I heard it still has transmissions issues. Geez you think they would have fixed those issues by now. My 2013 690 duke had the same issues with the transmission.
@@icecoldviv Transmission issues? You know missed shifts, false neutrals, that sort of stuff that seems to plague KTM streetbikes. They haven't seem to address that other than shifter harder with your foot.
@@mkviz ridden many street bikes including KTM. Never felt transmission issues to be specific to KTMs. Change your clutch cable and do a proper service
@@icecoldviv It's not about proper maintenance at this point. The transmission issue should have been fixed by now knowing how long this bike has been in production. As much as I would want to own this bike, having a missed shift or getting a false neutral while riding on the track is potentially dangerous.
Well, a bad gear box pretty much writes off the whole bike. That said, I just bought one, and so far, no gear box problems - this without the optional QS+. It was pretty klunky on the test ride (as are many bike's transmissions), but it is smoothing out some with only 150 miles or so on it already.
Well got her broke in now and at about 800 miles. Transmission is fine and smoothed out pretty nicely. Have yet to hit a false neutral... and been whaling on it for the last 150 miles.
Pretty sure the missed shifts and false neutrals were subjective to these test bikes. Never had any issues with missed shifts ever on any KTM, false neutrals yes, during heavy stop-go traffic only. Shouldnt be a hassle.
Yeah, my KTM Duke is laughing every time I read about these legendary "issues" with KTM reliability . I get asked about them regularly though, especially by owners of beaten-up old Japanese bikes.
Aesthetics aside...Ninja 400 is the same money and has HUGE after market support to make it as extreme as you desire...making the Ninjette the logical performance value. KTM 390 models have yet to be proven 'reliable' in any real capacity...at least in my experience in my neck of the woods
Lol, are you living under a rock? RC390 has huge aftermarket parts for engine, ECU, clutch, suspension, brakes, tyres and body parts. Engine mods allow the same engine to make 60+ bhp. Reliability is not a problem.
@@cranky1812 LOL...looks like you either, did not comprehend my post or you're responding to a different post or you're projecting. Either way...HILARIOUS.
@@Rastei well I mean who else would you rather hear it from? Not saying the KTM is better than the Kawasaki but the reliability of the ktm can't be too bad if this dude is still willing to put up with it, and other people are always going to talk crap on European bikes reliability just because they've heard the stigma... no matter how old the reputation is and they want to fanboy over their Japanese bikes. And before anyone gets their knickers in a twist, yes there are people who Fanboy over European bikes too. But japanese fanboys always go straight to reliability. Interestingly enough, they have more "opinions" on euro bike reliability than most modern euro bike owners. Personally, i'd definitely rather take an owner's word for it.
Been waiting for a current ride review on this bike! What would you say is the fix for the transmission if purchasing this bike now? Is there anything that could be done relatively inexpensively given that the quick shifter if anything only made problems more apparent?
Check out the KTM forums. There are aftermarket shift mechanisms that can be fitted to the bike to stop the false neturals. Not all bikes have this issue however - unsure how the new factory quickshifter has contributed to this problem.
#very useful sensible and helpful review, rive daily to work in the city and also the highway( Commuting) and sometimes during a weekend round of recreational Any way great video Be safe
Mass production with a small motor. I have 2021 390 Duke and I still can't believe it only cost me $5,700. It out classes every bike in it's category, and also a few bikes in the 600cc range.
New rc390 is a complete package it is more comfortable than previous generation rc390 not sure about engine reliability 😅 if that's an issue I'll suggest you to rather go for r3 or ninja 400
@@jaybosher6144 So, instead of asuming that except 3 countries in the world, every one use universal systems of weight... you assume the rest of the people is england lol Americans are so ignorants lol
It would be if you got a new ECU for it. Otherwise the Ninja 400 is a better performer but it's no frills unlike the RC390 with it's tech and better frame. It just needs a little more oomph which the ECU will give.
the previous design was better imo. this one is 'front heavy' where it looks too fat for the rest of the bike. a bit disproportional. having said that, the paint looks amazing and yeah it has quite good components. i wouldn't go for a ktm because of the reliability. even the local ktm dealer admitted they are not great. strange since i test rode rc390 and duke 390 and he told me he has a few new bikes (still under warranty) being repaired. the new king of the small capacity class has arrived in the form of the ZX4RR. there's no competition to that bike now in this capacity. not even close, although it's difficult to call it 'entry level' due to the price. it's more of a long-term keeper and a definite future classic.
Not tough really. RR310 is a Sports Tourer that TVS makes to look alike Track Bred and it didn't have the performance of RC390. I've ridden the BS4 RC390 & RR310 so trust me both are completely different. RC390 is step ahead when it comes to Performance and the level of confidence it give on corners it nuts. RR310 on other hand feels more like a Highway cruiser . Power delivery mainly concentrated on Mid RPMs. Bike feels like 250cc under 4000RPM which is good for City commute and boy it grab attention
@@ripster36 rr 310 use in Indian city = rc 390 use on foreign highway. Whatever they say here for the rc doesn't apply on Indian condition where rr 310 rules as versatile commuter and a bike which can tour to the track
yes same here, the performance gap is there but considering rr310 have less displacement it produces better power and gives better fuel efficiency than the ktm rc390, also the looks of rr is better than rc in my opinion....
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Every company was unreliable in the beginning, but after years of upgrading, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, Harley davidson all became extremely reliable 🙂 Same story for KTM too.. Around 2010 -12, KTM bikes were too much noisy, vibration bomb, lack of service centres , engine heating and many more reliability issues 🙂, But after 10 years of experience, it has become much more reliable and good 👍🏻
@@racer_v4r Japanese manufacturers were ultra reliable from the beginning, that's what made them a no nonsense option and that's why they stormed the market and sent many British and Italian manufacturers to their end.. don't just say things
@@le_kakis Blind Japanese fan found 🙂 😒No just starting company can give service to all over world.🙄. it takes time..😐 all Japanese brands are old over 100 years... that's why they have set up business all over the world, whereas European brands are new, especially like KTM and Ducati.. they're hardly 25 years old brands, but still they became equally popular for their Big crazy V engines 🙂 In 2022, KTM gives lots of modifications but No Japanese brands gives those.. Japanese brands focuses on a linear engine with low compression ratio, that's why they shine potentially 🙂... Japanese bikes have long engine life and they have good top speed as they makes power at high rpm... so they also feel very smooth and vibration free in low speed but as you redline it, it will vibrate as all the power is there... European bikes, unlike Japanese, they focuses on Torque, which makes them extremely fast in low rpm..🙂, as European bikes make full power from beginning that's why they vibrate a lot all the time and they also have a very high compression ratio 🙂 Both are good now 😌... if we want a bike for a very long period and for daily use, a Japanese bike makes more sense... as it has a long engine life and a smooth ride... But for weekend blast or for race track, an European bike like KTM or Ducati makes most sense 🙂🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
If you want entry level bike you would want a reliable one - definitely NOT KTM. Unless you don't mind having clutch cover gasket blown in a few months(few thousands km) or if you live in countries that all spare parts are readily available(but even so - why should I let such low quality brand to earn the money, when there are a lot of other brands that could easily reach tens of thousands of km without much problem?) I saw related topics about same issue which usually dated few years ago, so I thought they did some improvement already, but the MY21 one had proved me wrong. A Japanese brand at similar level would easily give me 10 times mileage of KTM;s.
dude fr i want a small cc sport bike to practice on the track but their all ugly asf to me 🤦🏾♂️ i dont wanna start on a 600 so all i really got is the R7 which is overpriced af
Engine refinement wise Yamaha R3 is better, even it sounds good.. But still KTM gives best in class electronics and many rider friendly features in a lot less price 🙂, that's why it's value for money 💰 and best option for new riders if they have not enough money to pay for R3🙃
I owned a R3 and now have '23 RC. R3 has Jap quality and reliability. RC has everything else.... lighter, more powerful, more tech, better ergonomics, vastly better suspension, better braking feel, better instruments...
Maybe 🤔, I thought that it would look exactly like the RC8R 1190, but 😐not... disappointed 😞, the front could look slightly better.... Companies should keep in mind that it is a road bike, not a motogp one 😐, it should have aerodynamics but not compromising the looks 😐 Even it looks bad from bottom as there is no belly pan 😕 😒😒😑 😫Why new KTM RCs doesn't have belly pan 😑???
