There is a lot of misunderstandings of what ABS is and what it does and more importantly, what it doesn't do. Let us discuss it with a listing of what I think are 3 facts and myths surrounding ABS and why it could save your life someday . ABS is Anti Brake-Locking System As the name implies, it prevents brake locks - the heart-stopping panicking moments of wheel locking up if we apply brake too suddenly. Brakes? Kinda are more important than the engine themselves. This can cause awesome skids which could be attractive if you are a stunt rider and are stunnting. Whereas, if you are trying to stop because you are riding head-on onto oncoming traffic; I have no clue why you would be; but that wouldn't spell good for you, so stopping the biking when you want it to stop is critical for riding. ABS is any system that prevents the wheel lock, by releasing the pressure on the brake disc, if it senses a wheel lock. This is done using motion sensors, which in turn
I am a proud owner of a KTM D390 since 2016 December and have been extensively riding it for long distance touring. Recently completed a 3300kms round trip from Chennai-Goa
Pic: @alamparai fort backwaters
With that as a credential, I write this article stating why some myths are just plain stupid.
Stay tuned for future posts on a detailed comparison between various bikes in its class, and also across classes.
To describe the D390; it is a middle-weight, sub-500cc class, nimble and a costly girlfriend who can ensure that you have a great time as long as you know to control yourself ;)! without further ado, lets jump into the myths!
Myth 1: Duke/RC is Light Weight
WTF is this assumption? Where does this come from? I suppose our folks would have heard some genius European/US moto-vlogger mention this. The thing is, those guys are used to superbikes which usually weigh a ton, compared to which D390 is light weight. But by Indian standards, D390 is a heavy machine. FYI Duke390 is heavier than Avenger 220 -go figure- I owned an Avenger before D390!
Myth 2: Bike Heats Up More than it Should!
This as well is an issue by Indian standards because we aren't used to bikes that of high compression engines so how do you know what is the normal heat emmision of an engine of 373cc capacity.?
Duke boasts a compresssion ratio of 12.6:1 whereas CBR250 has 10.6:1.
Any bike with higher compression ratio will emit large amounts of heat from the engine! It just is and nothing can be done unless you change the laws of physics.
Yes, the airflow could have been better, maybe it could be redirected towards to pillion or maybe there could have been an air conditioner? I know a friend who rode an Indian Chief once which almost melted the riding pants because of the heat! Deal with it. D390 is a hot machine, in all aspects.
Myth 3: It is an Accident Magnet!!
I could write an entire article explaining why it isn't, and definitely will link it over once I do. To explain, in short, any bike with sharp handling characteristics will be accident prone if the rider is not in control of himself.
Myth 4: D390 Neeeeeeds High Octane Petrol.
I was once on a ride with a co-rider who was also on a KTM machine. Beautiful ride it was until his bike began to run short of petrol. We rode through two petrol bunks and yet we could not find high octane petrol. And he refused to fill regular gas!?
What would you do if you are touring in some remote parts of India and need to refill?
High Octane Petrol is used to prevent engine knocking in high compression engines that run ridicously high compression ratios with multi-cylindered inline which heats up like hell.
Point being, I have been using regular petrol forever and the engine hasn't knocked even once.
Myth 5: D390 can't be used for Touring
Wow, there are so many long distance tourers around India who have been proving this to be incorrect over and over again. I use it primarily for touring, and yes the 10L tank feels constricting. But it isn't a big thing to complain about. Couple the 250kms range with a short refreshing break and its all gold!
Controversial opinions indeed, but these are myths that I have put to test and reasoned over extensively. Therefore I won't argue with anyone with who thinks otherwise, but am open for logical reasonings!
Next post would be on simple truths about the machine which people usually dont speak about- do subscribe if you dont want to miss it!.
Ride-on!
Good Information :)
ReplyDeleteThank you brother :)!
Delete:)
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI have some arguing about your article. I am owner of Duke 390 model of 2017 and I am from Europe. It is my first bike with more than 50cc engine and now i have ridden more than 17.000km with it.
Now were i disagree. Duke 390 it is light weight even for India, i know i am from europe here there are more bigger bikes etc, but in India you will see that last years you start to have bigger mikes more and more, so yes compared to the India average 390 weight is above, but still since the pie of the bigger ones changing there also, it goes in the light weight section. It feels lightweight also even compared to other bikes around 400cc.
As for myth 2, the heating. I use the bike mostly in highways, with speeds around 100km/h, now my experience with the bike is that it heats up if you go below 50km/h ass soon as you stop for few seconds if you are riding with high speed, the fan turns on and then the heat starts. As for the high compression engine and the heating, consider this Duke's 12.6:1 is comparable to the 11.6:1 of the 4 cylinder CB650R https://www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles/range/street/cb650r-neo-sports-cafe/specifications.html now this 4 cylinder bike, with 650cc is more comfortable to the user than the 390 and in days with hight temperature the fun doesn't work all the time and the legs do not get so much heat as the duke. To my model, it is a problem which mainly comes from the exhaust pipe on the left foot and not the engine itself, there are many references in the internet for this.
For the accident magnet, i will not argue with you here. I believe is the rider and not the bike, my BUT is that the bike brakes could be better, considered the bikes i' ve ridden from friends (KTM 990 Adventure, CBR1000RR, Transalp, TDM) they were much heavier bikes, much much more, but their brakes felt much more assuring than the 390.
No arguing about the high octane petrol, i believe that people think the engines need it, they actually don't. Also here i have to say my experience with high octanes, you see that the performance of the bike increases though, in case you don't want this (and i do not care about it) regular petrol is just fine.
For the touring i think that if you think a good touring a 390, then why not the 250 Duke? In case you can make a tour with a bigger one and run at speeds of 130Km/h with re rpms not at 8.000 but around 4.000 you would then re evaluate your opinion about this. The high revs on the engine to get speeds like 130 make me feel that the machine is just under its limits.
Thanks for your detailed comment, @Slink21. Yes I agree with you, the D390 is not a heavyweight bike per say.
DeleteWhat I meant was that it is a heavy bike in Indian standards. We are used to sub 200cc bikes mostly and suddenly everyone calls the 390 twins a light weight bike. And this is primarily just because European and Western journalists are calling it so, but in relative terms, as per Indian standards, I feel that calling the 390s as lightweight is simply unacceptable and could also be misguiding for new bikers who are starting to ride (in India).
With respect to Myth2, I agree that the machine heats up and there are a few niggles that could have been fine tuned. But I also want to emphasise that there are no machines that are completely 100% perfect. And that the 390 is not under performing the expectations. That is all. It is heating up as expected and you are correct, this is prominent in lower speeds.
With respect to the braking terms, I agree with you. The bite is not consistent from one ride to another within different 390s itself. Some feel assured and some feel spongy. I am going to go along with the thoughts that this is an effect of cost cutting. However, the 390s did out perform any of it's competitors during it's launch in the Indian market.
Actually, you are correct. With High Octane Petrol, you can feel a slight increase in the performance. But that is primarily because of being able to rev higher consistently even at higher engine temps without causing knocks.
However, what most people assume as increased performance with relation to high octane petrol, is more psychosomatic. I believe so.
Haha, yes the D250 is a solid contender for a good touring bike right now, in Indian roads. Because of the possibility of sitting in a good rev range at 80-120kmph speeds. It didn't have a mention in the article when it was written simply because it wasn't released back then :P And yes, I prefer to sit at mid range than high rpm. It is a matter of personal preference because most high rev engines are also short lived. Lower the revs, in my experiences I have seen the engines lasting longer.
Thanks for your time in penning down your thoughts!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the best blogs, I have ever come to notice. The information is quite good and useful. I would definitely suggest that this is an excellent blog.
Thanks
Varun KTM