2024 KTM 390 Duke Road Test Review

Our last short stint with the new 390 Duke left us quite impressed…but what happens when it’s put through the daily grind?

We found the 2024 KTM 390 Duke to be a much better bike than its predecessor in almost every way the first time we rode it earlier this year. But then there’s only so much that 6 hours and about 100km of riding can tell you about a new bike, right? So we took the new 390 Duke and put it through the daily grind for a couple of days to find out more about its everyday mannerisms and its improvements in the real world. 

So here are a couple of things about what it’s like to live with the new 390 Duke. And if our first ride review made you consider this as your next bike, we’d advise you to quickly go through these points, for these would definitely help you make that decision. 

It’ll Grab Everyone’s Attention

I know we’ve talked about the bike’s looks before, but it is a proper attention magnet in the city and people will turn around to check it out. Funnily, even us journos can’t help checking out other 2024 390 Dukes on the road. The tank extensions and sharp face combine to make the Duke look like a much bigger bike, like something that’s aggressive and ready to pounce on its prey.

Now, this time around, our test bike was the blue one and that, in my opinion, is the better looking colour of the two. The orange colour scheme is “too orange,” with as many as three shades of orange right around the tank and seat region. This blue colour, on the other hand, is elegant, while still being quite catchy. So if you like your bike to grab eyeballs, there aren’t a lot of bikes in this segment that can beat the new 390 Duke. 

Feels Like A Yamaha MT-15!

Get on the Duke and ride it around for a while, and you’ll feel all that bulk disappear. The bike feels extremely light and narrow between your legs, even more so when you ride it. Direction changes are delightfully easy and putting it through narrow gaps and cutting through traffic is a real joy. Whatever it may be on paper, the new 390 Duke feels like a Yamaha MT-15 in terms of weight. Heck, even moving it around in the parking lot feels incredibly easy. So in terms of weight balance, KTM has truly hit it out of the park.  

What An Engine! 

And what makes it even better in the city is the brilliant new engine. It’s no longer the whining, rev-hungry thing in the city, something that the older 373cc mill was. This new 399cc engine has a better spread of torque. You can feel the engine slowly coming to life  right from around 3500rpm, and post around 5000rpm, it starts going berserk. 

So while with the older bike you had to be in the right gear to get it going, this one allows a bit more leeway, letting you be a gear higher in most situations without compromising on the drive you get. So the moment you see an empty gap, open the throttle wide and the 390 Duke will respond happily. Again, of course it’s not an outright torquey engine like most of the Royal Enfield bikes, but this is definitely the easiest 390 Duke to live with. Fewer gear shifts also means less work for the engine which results in better fuel economy. The 390 Duke delivered 25.26kmpl in the city and  29.64kmpl out on the highway, respectable figures given the kind of performance the bike has on offer. 

And bringing all of that firepower to a halt are the brakes that have a sharp initial bite and a lot of feel and feedback too. Even the previous-gen 390 Duke had really good brakes, and this one gave us no reason to complain either. 

And if you’re still not sold on the 390 Duke’s new-found commuting abilities, the quickshifter will definitely do the job. Anything above around 3000rpm and it upshifts without any hesitation. The downshifts can be slightly notchy but it’s still very nice to use. And the more the revs rise, the better it is to use. 

It’s Comfortable! 

Adjustable suspension can do wonders to your riding experience and the new 390 Duke is testament to that. Now, funnily, the stock setting worked very well for all of the boys at BikeDekho. And by that, I am talking about riders in the range of 65kg-95kg. So while it does have adjustable suspension, KTM has tuned the stock setup very, very nicely. 

But if it doesn’t suit you, you have compression and rebound adjustability at the front and rebound and preload adjustability at the rear. And what’s really nice is there’s 5 steps of adjustability for the front rebound and compression, and 5 steps of rebound at the rear. So finding a setup that suits you through trial-and-error will take a lot less time than you would on suspension that has 10 or 15 steps of adjustability. 

It’s ‘Cooler’ Too 

Okay okay, I am not going to drool over its looks any more. The bike is now cooler… quite literally. While the second-gen 390 Duke was notorious for heating up a fair bit in traffic, this one dissipates heat a whole lot better. I mean yes, there’s still some warmth to deal with. After all, the 390 Duke is a performance-oriented bike and such engines heat up, there’s no escaping that. But this one has improved significantly over its predecessor and won’t cook your legs as much, and that’s a very nice thing. 

The Vibrations Though…

The 390 Duke has improved in almost all aspects except one: vibrations. They’re felt lower down the revs and yes, they do smoothen out as the revs build, but at city speeds you will definitely feel the tingling at the handlebar and footpegs. What works for it, though, is the fact that the 390 Duke demands so much of your attention because of the sheer performance on offer, you might end up not paying much attention to the vibrations. 

Thinking About Buying One? Wait…

The 390 Duke is a much better bike than its predecessor in almost every way and what’s even better is that it comes at just a Rs 13,045 premium. So at Rs 3,10,520 (ex-showroom Delhi), the 390 Duke is excellent value for money and that might make a lot of you want to buy it right now. I understand the urge, but just hear me out.  

With all the updates, the 2024 KTM 390 Duke is effortlessly quick, though the downside is that it’s even easier to get into trouble with it now. Open the throttle and before you know it, you could be doing speeds that are way beyond what you can handle. So before you hastily put your money down for it, just factor in the fact that the 390 Duke is DEFINITELY NOT a bike for beginners or even relatively inexperienced riders.

So if you’re someone more experienced, someone who will give this bike the respect it demands, the new 390 Duke will keep you very happy. But if you’re someone less experienced, we suggest you have a look at the 2024 KTM 250 Duke instead. It’s exciting and sporty but in a much more manageable package.