You reviewers need to stop calling this bike a BEGINNER bike.....it seems any bike that is not one of the fastest bikes in the world you are calling a beginner bike....if a bike can go over 70 mph it is as good as any bike and NOT just for a beginner!....99% of bikers ride their bike to work and around town....and these bikes like this one is as good as any....if you have to be racing all the time with your friends or wanting to go 150 mph or more then this is not the bike for you....simple.....but it is not a beginner bike....there are people who have had more powerful bikes who are now riding these 400cc bikes!
Yes me included. I'm 65 this year. I've been riding for over 30 years. I've had high capacity powerful bikes all my life. But as you get older I personally can't manage big heavy bikes now. And what I currently ride is a Royal enfield meteor 350. And a Bendall TNT 125. It's not all about power and speed.
A reviewer using limited words needs to improve their word choice. The 390 looks like a fun city bike. Light enough, quick enough, fun enough, cheap enough. Enough. ;-)
One of the most fun bikes I’ve owned, by far the best small displacement. The 890R feels the same size with 3 times the hp and torque. It’s a freaking Beast! If you get a chance, ride one.
which would you recommend, im looking at either the new duke390 or then the old duke 690. . . i had a duke390 2015. been riding for around 2 to 3 years.
@@kobiasnova2964 My opinion, whichever you get the best deal on in this market. Prices are up and the bikes you mentioned are both fun. I’d probably go the 790 route, seeing as they are not much more than a new 390 or used 690 and you get A Lot more bike. The electronics package alone is worth the difference in price.
I've got the 2021 390 Duke model and if the 890r has 3 time's the torque and 3 time's the HP I admit that is far too much power for me and it frightens me just the thought of riding it. I love my 390 joy machine.
@@maxypad3379 It’s a badass machine, but you’ll wish you had kept the 390, while loving the 890. Get the R, resale alone makes it worth it, not to mention you’ll wish you had. Appreciate that 390.
I fall in love with my 390 Duke a little bit more everyday. I write it love notes all the time, lol. Instant change is bar end mirrors and tail tidy. Love the TFT display and ABS. Love it’s uniqueness, every time I’m out riding, people ask about it. I changed the levers to orange yesterday.
Yes awesome bike and not just for beginners!....But the seat SUCKS!....One mile on the bike and My Ass is not Happy! People have complained about these seats for years and KTM does not come up with something better....you have to spend over $100 for a seat that is a bit more comfortable...That is BS!
I fall in love with my Duke 390 a little more each day as well. I couldn't stand the ugly mirrors either but just removed the rubbers off them for the time being. I've painted the exhaust black with heat resistant paint because I didn't like the look and am going to get a Leo Vince GP one exhaust because they are the only exhaust that makes it sound much better. The 390 Duke love just keeps on growing.
I commute 60 miles a day on my 2020 (7500 miles 1 year in) and it never fails to make me smile. Best tool for the job, light, responsive and 78mpg, with two teeth less on rear sprocket and still fast enough for the motorway/traffic light grand-prix and London traffic.......I've been riding bikes since 1987, have bought, sold, swapped more than I care to remember from RD250LCs to VTR1000 Firestorms but this one is a keeper. My BMW F800 hates it as she ends up staying in the garage whilst I play out with the mistress. Orange and white, mine has a top box and rack from Givi fitted, which is also excellent.
I own a Honda VTR 1000, Suzuki Bandit 1200 and a Suzuki Katana1100 . I'm considering the 390 just to have fun on around town. Bikes like this are not beginner bike but rather smaller cc anyone bikes. Very cool bike to blast around on.
I agree! I have the 2019 390 orange and the amount of compliments feels so good. But can you blame them lol everything about it feels great. Working on it is a breeze and upgrading is so fun
@@malgentocilla7829 it was decent, i put 13k miles on her and had to put a new chain on her old one got worn out. I had an issue with my center bolt that holds on the clutch basket kept coming loose. I’m guessing it’s not a common issue but it’s left me stranded on the side of the road a few times. I just had to tighten it down to 80ft lb. Torque which is crazy but that’s what the books called for. Other than that normal maintenance and oil change it did good. My screen kept turning off while riding and I believe it was just a loose grounding bolt so that wasn’t a huge issue. But the milage wouldn’t get recorded when it went dark so that’s a big issue. Other than that she did good, fun little bike. It was my first bike and I’m glad I learned on something smaller than jumping up to a 600 or bigger for my beginner bike. Fun, quick little bike to ride on the windys. I got frustrated when it did have issues and wished I would’ve got a Japanese bike for reliability but I learned how to work on it and understood how they work now.
Own a 2014 Duke 390, lot of positives as have being mentioned, fun, responsive in twisties, easy to commute, however , there are one or two serious negatives. U get blown around on highways, dangerously at times (it's only about 150kg weight), and is exhausting for long term highway usage, whether it's the wind and the force pushing against you (even with a slightly bigger wind shield).. Above 65mph (105+kph) the bike is revving hard and loud. If you ride highways a lot or plan longer trips, then this bike may not necessarily be for you (despite I've ridden 300km day long rides with it)Have had my Duke 390 close to a year, will upgrade. Love other duke owners thoughts on this. Cheers guys and safe riding.
I have a 2023. The only thing it lacks is top end speed. I can keep up with all my buddies that have 650s and 700s until we hit the highway. On the twisties its the opposite, even the 2024 MT07 fights to keep up.
5 reasons? Naa…there’s only 1. They’re fun.. Yeah I’ve got one. Orange variant. And I’m 63. 😂😂 Easy maintenance up to a point. Try changing the spark plug without taking the tank off…good luck. 😂 But that itself is pretty easy with snap on connections. And some of the bolts are a bit on the soft side. So be careful. Most fun I’ve ever had on any bike. Awesome machine. Drill the baffle out..easy job. Sounds way better then. Cheers From South Africa 🇿🇦
I agree with you regarding the little bike's performance, but it sure was a lot more expensive to buy than I expected. I bought a 2020 Duke last spring from a San Francisco Bay Area dealer. On top of the $5,499 msrp, I was hit with a $795 import duty and a $595 setup fee. After adding 10% state and local sales taxes and a DMV registration fee of $212 you are starting to talk about real money. Then when I took my Duke in for its 600 mile servicing I was shocked to receive a bill for $661, which included all of the items in a major service, including valve lash inspection and coolant replacement. When I asked why this work was performed during the initial servicing I was told that KTM was now requesting that this work be performed at the initial servicing, even though it is not shown as needed to be done in the 2020 owner's manual. One good thing that I will add is that the engine has enough grunt to easily pull a 15-tooth counter-shaft sprocket, which raises the stock 6K rpm at 60 mph to 65 mph at 6K rpm. And installing the larger sprocket, which is the larges that will fit, was a snap, although it did require the chain adjusters to be moved all the way forward. If you want the best and smoothest performance from the engine you need to keep the revs between 4K and 9K rpm.
Sorry about that friend but They ripped you off. They tried to get me like this but my wife works in finance so she I went from being charged msrp of 5.5k plus import duty and setup fee and she negotiated them down to lower then msrp for the bike plus she had them remove the import duty and setup fees and got the bike for like like 5k out the door!! Please don’t let these dealers get you like this next time
The reason that I raised my final drive gearing slightly was to reduce revs at freeway speeds, reduce chain wear slightly due to the larger counter-shaft sprocket and to increase fuel mileage a bit - not in an attempt to increase the Duke's top speed.
Hello Chris, what's with the refueling though? I mean, what's the real world consumption in a month? Can you make a little trip with it with 100-120 km/h on a highway?
Just got my 2022 duke 390 last Thursday for 4700$ with just shy of 2000 miles on it . I wasn't even looking for a naked bike or even the brand ktm . I was gonna get a ninja 400. The salesman told me to sit on the duke . I was sold right away especially after i looked into it more.
I absolutely agree with you. This is probably the best & the most cost effective bike for a heavt traffic city ride with some short distance tour especially for a beginner rider. (I have been riding many bikes and am currently riding 2019 GSX S750). This bike is so light and narrow that the lane splitting is sooo easy with this bike!
Do THOSE mirrors show you anything besides your armpits? With most mirrors you have to learn the bike or move your body in such a way as to be able to see behind you....that is my experience anyway with the 2 bikes and one scooter I have owned....
He talks all good about the duke 390 and everything about it but then again he wants to sell it! if he! liked it that much he won’t be talking about selling it😂
I think it looks like a kids toy and it's SMALL. imagine a tall 30yo running on that around the city. I mean I kniw looks aren't everything but come on
You won‘t think it‘s a toy anymore when one of these things bullies the 1000cc riders in the corners. It‘s light weight, easy to turn, super flickable. When you care about what other people think about your bike you need to grow up. Just ride what FEELS good
@@Watson2108 first off, I don't care how others think I look, I care how I think I look. If I was the last man on earth, I would still polish my car. Second of all, the bike is small. True, haven't sat on it, but I did sit on a Yamaha mt03 and it just feels bad compared to it's bigger brothers. I am not that tall, but 87cm leg inseam and long arms seems to make bikes feel small. Now imagine someone actually tall, at 1.9-2m. Lastly, I just think it's styled for kids.. but no offense, it's my personal taste.
Thanks for the video. Just wondering if max. Torque at 7000 rpm with 60 mm stroke would be considered usable torque in traffic? Compression ratio is 12.6:1 as well. On paper, it is like a wild horse to me. Compare it with Honda NC750X with max turqe at 4700 rpm with 80 mm stroke. What do you think? Cheers
God help you if you don't live near a dealership or think you're gonna travel far with it in America , there just isn't that many service centers and parts may take awhile to get .
Just picked up a used 2019 with 4000 miles. This is my first bike, learned to drive watching videos and training in a parking lot. Zero issues, runs great and got it at a bargain. Already added engine crash bars and protection on the handles. Planning on getting the Pirelli tires and go for a 500km round trip. I think I will keep it for at least a year before considering an upgrade.
@@marioa6695 highly recommended and very reliable bike, I've been having a blast and learning to ride with this bike has been amazing. Do consider buying crash bars for the engine. If fallen twice so far and both learning to do slow turns.
Great review! Mostly for non-highway and urban riding, could anyone recommend their 2023 year choice between the CB300R, Yamaha MT-03 or Duke 390? I’m 5’11” tall, 175-pound weight, with a 34” inseam pants size. Thanks!
It looks agressive and its 370 cc probably it's expressway legal here, interms in torque well the performance is superb it can go with other naked bikes even though it's single cylinder by the way thank's for the info.🙂👍
just got mine last month, 400cc is indicated on the vehicle info. no CR yet, but it should reflect the same displacement. And i've gotten in and out of MCX and SLEX without question 😊
Someone told me before 2017 that there was some engine build quality issues. I'd love to hear if this is true or not as the price on them is coming down where I live.
I bought the 2019 duke and not a single issue. People complain about the fan coming on all the time. I live in the tropics of Australia and it’s always bloody hot here and I don’t notice the fan at all ?
I have a bigger GSXS750 but it’s brand new and I want to keep it for the weekends and not commute on it. I can’t decide between a Duke 390 or a MT03 just for highway commuting. I like the Duke more but I am worried about reliability….after all the MT03 is from one of the big four.
@@MotoChrisOfficial Your vocabulary is basically SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER...................... This is what what an American education provides? How sad.
I need to get my A2 license so I can ride one of these. In Germany they have even better blinkers and are super cheap since there are soooo many around here.
@@dontmindme4466 There are 3 motorcycle licenses. With the A1 you are allowed to ride 125cc bikes with max. 15hp/11kW you can get it at the Age of 16 With the A2 you are allowed to ride all motorcycles with max. 48hp/35kW you can get it at the age of 18 The A license allows you to ride all motorcycles, you can get it at the age of 22 or earlier if you have had the A2 license for 2 years.
Stay away from KTM unless you like being stranded on the side of the road in the middle of the night........ no cars in sight, pitch black, and now you're regretting listening to all those ghost stories on RU-vid. But hey, go for it if you want one.
Hi, pl take a test ride. Be cautious and check for any rattling sounds or the mechanical tappets sounds. Rest everything is easy to work on and quite a value for money package 👍🏼
Watch this first, homie. Lot of variables come into play when buying used. Need to know what you're looking for.. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VKGZdsIkLog.html
The signals are incandescent bulbs, not LEDS. The brakes and front fork are the weak point of that bike. You mentioned the R3, which has better brakes than the 390 Duke. I loved my 390, but it’s not perfectly and definitely doesn’t have the reliability of the Japanese bikes.
@@callumboothroyd3766 How can you disagree with the bulbs not being LED’s? US models do not offer led signals. And once you get a few bikes under your belt, you’ll see what I’m talking about. I was completely biased starting out as well. I’m still 100% bias when it comes to the 890R, the best street motorcycle out right not, period.
@@freebehindbars8654 ive had plenty of bikes... Started on a 2t RS50 Then a ybr125, then a duke 125. Now a 390.. an 890r is too powerful for the "street" much better with a small cc bike. The R3 has worse brakes than the duke too.
@@callumboothroyd3766 I’m not knocking the 390, it’s my favorite beginner bike. To claim it’s as reliable as a Kawasaki or Yamaha is ridiculous and shows a lack experience. I’ve seen a few 390’s with blown head gaskets, one that broke the connecting rod and dropped a valve. To say the 890R is too much, is subject to one’s own ability. But who am I, but I’m not at a place to take advice from someone that just moved up to a beginner bike. ✌🏼
I have the duke 390 2019 for about 3 weeks now and the fan only goes on when i stop for a couple minutes or ride at very low speeds but i havent ridden it with hot weather only with around 15 degrees.
If you plan to do any sort of commuting on highway, def R3 or Kawasaki 400. They're a blast on the streets and they can handle highway easily (triple digits). Kawasaki can't take corners as well as R3. So, better all around choice is R3 IMO, the 400 is faster tho for sure.
I'm from India and i suggest 3 reason to not buy it 1. It sound like Auto Rickshaw 🤣🤣 2. Engine reliability sucks !! 3. In India service is too good but... bike make unknown & unpleasant sound form different parts. that's means if you interested to buy this bike . it's life expand less than approximately 2 year. ( Yeah it's true look's like toy unique deign breaking good in 400cc segment bike or great performance bike in single cylinder and insane pick up )
Actually i still having 2014 390 duke . It is still running . Engine is absolutely fine . I had only heat issue on indian traffic . Engine sound is very ok for my . It doesnt make noise . Quality of ktm cant be get in any bike plus service cost is very less compared to other bike in those segment . 3rd reason comes for all the bike (ns pulsur , yamaha r15 )all depends on rider regarding maintenance and drive .