They do things differently in Austria. Certainly, their national motorcycle brand, KTM, is not like any other bike-manufacturer in the world. I’m thinking most of the company is run by teenagers. It’s the only way one can explain the crazy appeal KTM’s latest crop of Learner-approved motorcycles have…
KTM 390 DUKE
You’re not yet 17-years-old. You’ve saved your lunch-money for a proper bike since kindergarten. You’d sooner eat your own liver than buy a Japanese bike to go with your new L-plate.
You don’t know what you don’t know, but in terms of cool, the 390 Duke is like an ice-block hanging out of a polar bear’s bum. This you do know and this is gonna get the girls, for sure. You may not be able to take them anywhere on the back, but you could if going to jail didn’t terrify you so much…
This is what was going through my head as I angled the 390 through the Royal National Park. I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun with something that weights 149kg.
And it is certainly an improvement over last year’s model, which paid for its coolness by quality and comfort issues, and a rear shock that would to surrender like a Frenchman to riders who’d eaten too many pies.
This year, the little Duke has grown up a lot. The finish is much better, and I am hopeful the annoying little problems the old one threw up have been sorted. Time will tell, but KTM has certainly made an effort to raise the bar.
The shock no longer screams when man-sized men approach. KTM says it spent a fair amount of time working on the suspension, and whatever spells it cast have certainly worked. What’s not to like about USD 43mm WP front forks? It’s not any more powerful than last year’s, but the new suspension and Bybre (By Brembo) brakes, with the four-piston front now clawing at a 320mm front disc (up from 300mm), give it a new feel in the corners – especially if you’re pushing on a bit.
Fuel capacity is up from 11 litres to 13.4 litres, you get adjustable levers and new handlebars, riding modes, a new bolt-on subframe (economically great if you crash it) and a 690-like lattice swingarm, a new two-piece seat that hates you far less than the old one (the riding position has also been improved and is more aggressive), that mad-evil headlight, and unique to its class, a big TFT full-colour dash with Bluetooth connectivity – yes, you will be able to pair your phone up to the bike and see calls coming in, etc.
The engine is hugely willing and kinda smooth and is happiest when you’re holding it between 6000 and 10,000rpm. It feels crazy light, but still sure-footed when you’re trying to string a few corners together. It’s not powerful enough to scare you, but there’s enough there to keep you puffing – especially if you’re in that age group that doesn’t know what it doesn’t know, as I said.
I do know, and I still liked the hell out of it.
This is certainly a class-leading LAMs bike and a substantial improvement over the last model.
SPECS
Engine: 373.2cc single-cylinder four-stroke
Power: 32kW at 9,000rpm
Torque: 37Nm at 7,000rpm
Frame: Steel trellis
Suspension: Front – 43mm WP USD fork / Rear – WP shock
Brakes: Front – Four-piston radially-mounted Bybre caliper, 320mm disc / Rear – Single-piston floating caliper, 230mm disc
Seat height: 830mm
Fuel capacity: 13.4 litres
Weight: 149kg dry
Colours: Orange with orange frame and wheels, and white.
KTM RC 390
As a child, I was always conflicted. Part of me wanted to race motorcycles and part of me wanted to grope girls. I was too young to realise the former would eventually lead to the latter, and certainly far too impatient to put in the hard yards I would need to put in to become a proper motorcycle racer. It was just as well. I was never to attain the uber-skills I would have needed to make a success of motorcycle racing.
But if you’re that way inclined, and you’re prepared to wait a bit and sacrifice a lot before you get your claws on them fine and fancy grid girls, then step this way, young man.
This is the RC 390. Mechanically, it’s almost the same as the little Duke. It weighs a mere two kg less, carries less petrol (10litres) and sits lower, both in terms of ground clearance and seat height, and it doesn’t have the wonderful TFT dash layout.
Where it also varies a bit is in the rake and trail – the Duke’s steering head angle is 65 degrees and its trail is 95mm. The RC runs 66.5 degrees at the steering head and 88mm of trail, so it steers a bit quicker.
Its ergos are all track, but not so much you can’t bang around town. Remember, this is not a bike aimed at those with arthritis.
It’s also pretty much the same as the outgoing RC model, albeit with a new ride-by-wire throttle which works pretty well, and makes me feel all gooey in the sweetmeats because it’s all about Euro4 emission standards and all the anti-pollution, polar-bear-loving stuff that goes with those rules. And those rules need to be complied with, so there it is.
This race-replica, for that is what the RC390 purports to be, was and maybe still is, the fastest sub-400cc supersports in the world – which is an important class for up-coming racers in Europe.
On the road and on the track, it’s directly aimed at Yamaha’s quite excellent R3.
So it handles really well, goes with an enthusiasm that belies its capacity – which is still more than any other bike in its class, and if you think that’s not important to a teenager, then you don’t know teenagers.
I’m thinking there are few teenagers running around KTM’s R and D building. They would have had some input into the design of the Duke, but it looks like they had the RC’s design brief all to themselves.
Stylistically, I thought it was a little awkward about the pointy end of the fairing, with the two recessed goggle-eyed headlights , but it’s profile is all MotoGP.
So I rode the street-oriented little Duke south of Sydney, had lunch, and then road the more track-oriented RC back north.
I arrived at KTM HQ conflicted. Like a teenager.
Both bikes were loads of fun to lash through bends. I liked the look and feel of the Duke, but I felt better pushing the RC harder, which has everything to do with the riding position.
Of course, ‘pushing’ and ‘harder’ are relative terms. Neither bike is going to terrify you with vicious acceleration. But both bikes will deliver the goods in terms of handling integrity.
What they will do is teach you throttle control, even more so than say an R6 – which is the king of Supersport and very much like a two-stroke in its power delivery.
You can brake deep and late on both of them, and the slipper-clutch feature works very well – letting you out of jail by opening the clutch a bit if the engine back-torque is too high and preventing back-wheel chatter under death-braking, and also increasing the clutch pressure under acceleration.
These salty little Austrian singles are all about keeping the revs up, and being smooth in your transitions on the seat as you’re putting the corners together – remember, they don’t weigh much, so if you’re riding like a ham-fisted hippopotamus, you’re not going to shine.
SPECS
Engine: 373.2cc single-cylinder four-stroke
Power: 32kW at 9,000rpm
Torque: 37Nm at 7,000rpm
Frame: Steel trellis
Suspension: Front – 43mm WP USD fork / Rear – WP shock
Brakes: Front – Four-piston radially-mounted Bybre caliper, 320mm disc / Rear – Single-piston floating caliper, 230mm disc
Seat height: 830mm
Fuel capacity: 10 litres
Weight: 147kg dry
Colours: Just the one – black-white, grey and orange with orange frame and wheels.
Words by Boris Mihailovic