390 Duke Frustration

A WR450 motor in a true streetbike chassis is the ticket.

Price it at $8,500.

OK - I won't come crying.

Funny I just finished honing an axe - estwing - still made in god's country (at least that's what I heard - I mean the bible IS written in english).


Which axe are you referring to?

I want a 1290 Super Duke R that is not a KTM. The Japanese would make a killing if they made a TL1300S, or VTR1290RR.

KTM has a general idea of what I want. Shame they can't even properly engineer an airbox.

The MT-03 looks pretty good, though it looks kind of thick (read heavy), but I don't know.
Dual discs seems overkill if it is light and I'd take a chain drive over belt, thank you.

Yeah, not that one...

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle...-25-coming-on-june-6/26741.html#ixzz3bSDrcqU3

Figure under the 369lbs of the R3, same everything else.

That means the same decent steering stem size, matches a GSXR 600, 41mm fork tubes, caged ball bearings, better than the Ninja 300 loose balls, 42 HP, brakes aren't as shitty as the Ninja, hollow axles, formed swingarm but in steel.

Then again, Kawi didn't bring the naked 300 so is bet against it coming. Build your own.

I so hate these new motorcycle commercials. I don't want to see guys running around or female DJ's. Show me the bike!

Yamaha site says the R3 is 169 kg wet. That's 380 lbs.
If the naked version is 10 lbs less, then 370 lbs.
I think the 390 is about 330 lbs full of fuel.

I think I'll just give it some more time, ride one, and talk to 390 owners. The 390 is what pressed my buttons in the first place. The bigger single with beefier specs and lighter weight are what interests me. Otherwise, I can pass.

added: The EU site says 169 kg. The US site says 368 lbs.

I hear that. I don't know if they're trying to sell skinny jeans, energy drinks, motorcycles, or what.

Lots of hyperbole in this thread but this ^ is 100 percent on point. Oh, how I miss the days when Honda made interesting bikes... ( cue the rock throwing session..)

FWIW, I was tempted to add a 390 Duke to the mix, ostensibly for my daughter to ride but bought an '08 690 Duke instead. Oh man, how I love that bike...

Ain't that the truth.

A great deal of wailing and gnashing of teeth about quality coming from people who've barely even seen the bike in real life, still less ridden or lived with one.

The internet. T'was ever thus.

368/369, whatever. The naked will probably be within 5lbs anyway. The skin doesn't weigh much on it.

Just safe yourself the grief and sumoto a EXC thumper. If I didn't want the passenger pad that would be my street bike.

Haha ... see post #18 on this very thread http://advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=26913158&postcount=18

bm

Bah. You've only had your 390 for almost two years. Surely you know less about the bikes than the internet experts posting here.

Yeah, I hope your luck continues.

Guys in the USA have been having big issues with 390s within a few hours of riding them. I'd guess it depends on a few things. Your use of the bike, your expectations and whether or not a 7 year old was paid in stale candy to assemble the wiring harness.

I'd venture a guess these are wildly different from a guy in India and a guy in the USA, (and no idea where Badger is from, not a direct reference to him). Thus, the two different quality control standards. That still cracks me up!

These are people you know? How many?

Also, from what I've read on the internet, some problems with the bikes may have had something to do with poor dealer prep. Surely you're not including those samples as evidence of bad Indian quality control?

As you seem to have so much time and enthusiasm for dissing this 390, why not quit the snide and provide some meaningful evidence? At least some links, photos, sources, etc. It would be more persuasive.

My wife has a deposit on one and it doesn't look like it will be in for at least a month. She can easily back out, so you might actually be able to abort a real sale.

I hope she buys it and enjoys it!

If you knew me better you'd know I was the biggest fan of this bike being built, until I understood how much Bajaj had to do with it and the issues they were having.

Read the 390 specific forums, I did and decided to pass on it this year. I had the same frustrations as the OP. I hope I regret not getting one, but without my KTM dirt dealer, who I know for over twenty years /35 bike sales and doesn't carry the street line backing me up, no thanks!

I hope you have a great dealer.

Thanks. I don't think my wife has ever wanted a bike so bad. A perfect fit, hopefully it works out.

I do believe the dealer here is very good and fairly close. Until recently I lived in Westchester County, NY. FWIW the nearest KTM dealer in Danbury had a really bad rep.

I'm over the river and have Town n Country in Hamburg, NJ. My KTM/Husaberg 570 was a nightmare of mystery issues and fuel pumps and they helped me a lot over the years, 65sx frame cracked, wheel on SX exploded on second hour of riding, this n that. A dealer that gives a shit is very nice when you have problems, and I'd expect to have them with the 390, but that's probably obvious!

If they carried the 390 I'd probably have bought one. It still would be a roll of the dice IMO, being its held up at best as "good for the price". So far my R3 has been better than I expected for the price.

I also ride pretty, um, spirited? Motocross background. If I puttered on my Ninja 300 it probably would have been much happier.

The demands on the 390 would be low. Mostly for puttering on local mountain roads around speed limit. No high spirited. She's got other bikes for longer rides and dirt.