When KTM introduced the 390 Duke in India back in 2013, it completely redefined the meaning of what affordable performance meant. The motorcycle set a new benchmark not only in terms of performance but also with respect to motorcycle dynamics, technology, features and design. It's a motorcycle that made premium equipment and potent performance accessible to Indian motorcyclists. And let’s not forget the ability to keep up with motorcycles that are twice its displacement.
Now after a decade and two iterations, KTM has revamped the 390 Duke entirely, taking up the ante by a few notches. The 2024 390 Duke hosts a plethora of upgrades mechanically, electronically and also on the design front. In a way, everything except the bike’s name is all-new with this KTM. Having said that, we got to spend some saddle time with the new and improved Duke at Bajaj’s test track and then out in the real world to find out, how different the new Duke is over its predecessor and does it justify the price tag it now carries?
The Duke has always been a motorcycle with intimidating looks and the third generation continues to follow that theme with a rather menacing design. The motorcycle looks even more aggressive and edgier now, with the shape lines and contours. The new Duke draws most of its design inspiration from the flagship Super Duke that KTM sells in the international markets. The bike now looks and feels more premium by a significant margin thanks to the new multi-layered wet-painted plastics wherein the graphics are now under the paint instead of over it. The seat is all-new with a different shape and contours, and while the saddle height is now set at 800 mm, the height is now adjustable to 820 mm by opting for a different seat. The headlamp unit is brand new, featuring an external LED DRL construction that surrounds the main LED headlamp.
Coming to the tech on the 390 Duke, the motorcycle gets a new 5-inch TFT colour display with a new rider-centric interface that’s easier to read thanks to the pictograms. The switchgear blocks are also new which add a sense of premium feel to the motorcycle. The new 390 Duke for the first time gets three riding modes – Street, Rain and Track. While Rain offers a more relaxed power delivery and more intrusive rider safety feature settings, Street and Track offer the same power and torque delivery graph, but with lesser intervention of the rider aids in the latter. Additionally, the Track mode comes with a more technical race-focused layout and launch control option as standard. Besides that, the bike continues to come with dual-channel ABS (with SuperMoto option), traction control, and a bidirectional quickshifter that now works perfectly.
The 2024 390 Duke can be opted for in two colour options, the Atlantic Blue, like the bike in these images, is a combination of blue, orange and white. The second one is called Electric Orange, featuring a black and orange dua-tone livery. On the colour option, even the rider seat is draped in orange, which, in my opinion, was going a bit overboard with the orange theme.
However, the new 390 Duke feels more premium and fresh thanks to the overall fit and finish, the quality of the materials and the tech offered. The bike’s design has a lot going for it, and in this department, should be well accepted by aspiring buyers.
The 2024 390 Duke gets a brand new mill that now displaces 399 cc with a bigger bore and stroke. The DOHC head and 6-speed gearbox are new while the airbox is now larger with the intake now located at the steering head. While the engine feels more refined and more composed from the moment you thumb the ignition, it now also delivers better low-end torque, which has been a concern with the previous mill. The unit now registers 44.2 bhp of max power and 39 Nm of peak torque. A slight increase in power and torque figures, but it’s the acceleration that has improved by a noticeable margin.
Going hand in hand with that brand-new mill is a completely redesigned and reworked steel trellis frame and bolted to it is a die-cast aluminium subframe that is light and looks radical. The new chassis is suspended by a 43mm WP Apex inverted fork setup at the front and a now offset-mounted monoshock at the rear bolted to a new aluminium swingarm. The important aspect here is that the suspension is now fully-adjustable right from the factory as standard. You get a 5-step rebound and compression setting at the front, and a 5-step rebound and 10-step preload adjustment at the rear. Completing the package is a set of new 5-spoke lightweight alloy wheels with a hollow hub and lighter rotors, which combined have shaved off 3.5 kilograms of unsprung weight. Overall, the new 390 Duke has a kerb weight of 168 kg, which is four kilograms less than the previous generation.
While we couldn’t cross-verify the new Duke’s acceleration, KTM claims that the motorcycle is capable of doing 0-60 kmph in 2.4 seconds and 0-100 kmph in 5.9 seconds. Meanwhile, at the test track, we managed to clock a top speed of 164 kmph. We also got to test the launch control function which does one heck of a job in putting all that torque onto the tarmac and darting ahead without wheeling or stalling, but only fierce acceleration.
The 390 Duke or any other iteration of the Duke sold in India have also been excellent motorcycles when it comes to riding dynamics. And with the new motor and chassis, it has turned out to be nothing less than an absolute delight to ride the new Duke at the test track. From hard braking to aggressive lean angles to high-speed runs, the motorcycle takes all of it in its stride with ease while inspiring confidence to push more. It feels completely at home at the test track, is more agile, eager to tip into corners and fluid through corner transitions.
The 390 Duke always had a sporty stance with the rear-set footpegs, forward-inclined seat and wide single-piece handlebar, and while that works perfectly for a track day, out in the real world, you’ll not be left complaining either. Also, it is the street which is the actual playground for the 390 Duke, and the bike is nothing but an absolute blast to ride. The motor is a lot more tractable at slow speeds while the vibrations have reduced which used to be a bothersome issue, especially when doing longer rides. The adjustable suspension allows one to tweak the rebound and damping setting to achieve the intended ride quality. Over bad roads and undulations, the ride quality doesn’t get bad enough to rob away the bike’s riding pleasure. The brakes on the 390 Duke have always been a talking point and have only gotten better with more bite along with good progression and ample feedback to modulate the braking force applied.
Compared to the second generation 390 Duke which retailed at Rs 2.97 lakh (ex-showroom), the new 390 is priced at Rs 3.11 lakh (ex-showroom), a premium of Rs 13,045 over the previous model. While the sticker price might be on the higher side, for the level of equipment on offer, the premium and eventually the overall price now feels justified with this version.
On the competition front, the 2024 KTM 390 Duke locks horns with the recently launched TVS Apache RTR 310, Triumph’s most affordable and accessible bike, the Speed 400 and the BMW G 310 R.
When the 390 Duke was introduced, it set an example in the Indian two-wheeler market and for manufacturers to sit up and take note of what could be achieved in this segment. In 10 years, where the competition was coping up to match the levels of the 390 Duke, the third generation of it, raises the bar even higher, with fantastic refinement levels, better equipment and features that you’ll end up using regularly.
After a day of riding at the track and then out on the street, the new 390 Duke manages to maintain its dominance in its segment. It is nothing less than a proper hoot, as it now does everything that it could do earlier, but now, even better with all the new equipment and tools.
In the end, it still is that hooligan bike that you’ll get excited to ride every time you swing a leg over, but in a mature fashion now.
