AT A GLANCE
pack. Kawasaki’s Ninja 300 twin and the single-lunged Honda CBR300R will find it hard to see which way the KTM went once the RC390 is trucking along in the 6000-9500rpm zone where it gives its best. A suitably-muffled Moto3like rasp from the engine, and a six-speed gearbox that swaps ratios with instantaneous precision at the urging of a programmable shift light will maintain the illusion. As will the way the RC390 slices lines through corners. With a more raked front end, reduced trail dimensions, and a shorter wheelbase, the RC makes the handling of its $500-cheaper and already-agile Duke 390 streetbike sibling feel ponderous and uninspiring by comparison. Helping in this regard is the placement of more of the rider’s mass over the front tyre. The lower bars of the RC might be a turn-off for those who prefer to sit bolt upright while riding, but there’s little doubt of the dynamic advantage that they add.
Stiffer front springs and reduced wheel travel in the forks also enable the rider to glean a better impression of available front tyre traction. Said tyres are the same Metzeler M5 Sportec radials fitted to the Duke version of the 390. They’re grippy and informative to the point of almost tapping the rider’s shoulder when they’re about to let go, but I have a minor issue with the high-profile 150/60ZR17 rear. It’s that you’ll run the 110/70ZR17 front tyre right off its edges before you’ll clear the unused ‘chicken strips’ off the edges of the fat over-profiled rear. And how’s the younger target
Engine:
375cc liquid-cooled dohc 4-valve single with electronic fuel injection; 33kW (44bhp) at 9500rpm and 35Nm at 7250rpm.
Transmission:
6-speed gearbox, chain final drive
Steel-tube trellis frame with a cast alloy swingarm; nonadjustable 43mm WP telescopic front forks with 125mm of travel and a preload-adjustable WP rear monoshock also with 150mm of travel.
Frame: Price: $9999 Hot:
A $500 premium over the existing Duke 390 adds a fairing, upgrades the suspension and steering, and repositions rider weight to create a sportier riding dynamic; looks the part.
The intriguingly-named BYBRE brakes don’t perform to expectations of their high-brow designer, Brembo; rear shock needs more spring control; plank-like seat.
Not:
demo of this bike going to impress the opposite (or same) sex if they have ‘chicken strips’ on their tyres, KTM?
I should probably point the bone at the rear suspension and brakes of the RC390 instead, for the bike really is just another cheap commuter in these areas. The shock feels under-damped, especially on the rebound stroke, and the initial bite of the designedby Brembo, made-in-India front disc is so toothless that it negates the point of KTM fitting a hightech Bosch version.9 ABS system to the RC390. Oh, and while the bone is out, the rider’s seat is seemingly carved from teak, and the ‘mode’ and ‘set’ buttons next to the display require the rider to take their gloves off before operating them (not that this is an issue in India – where the RC390 is made byKTM majority shareholder, Bajaj).
Not that any of these niggles prevented me from fully enjoying the large envelope of fun that the RC390 delivers. The sportiest new ride for less than 10 grand has just arrived.