The KTM RC390 thread

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Flywheel said:
What, posts you don't like? That poster seemed to be pretty level about his experience:

--Headlights look bad (they do), but I think he means they illuminate poorly.
--Couldn't get used to the vibrations (understandable with a 400cc single and the 690 also has a reputation for numbing hands).
--Engine wouldn't start/run properly when cold and the dealer was unable to fix the problem.
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Well, none of that is mentioned in any reviews I've read or watched. Can't put too much faith in one guy posting on the interweb. Hard to imagine a dealer cannot fix a stalling issue.

$5499 is on the money, that's on-par with the R3. It's looks like Yamaha is not putting ABS on NA R3s, only Europe.
 
Shaman said:
Exactly. Imagine having to replace the whole frame for a minor crash, or send the bike to a machine shop to have it re-bent or cut and welded. Any way you look at it, it's not a good thing for racing. Replacing a whole frame is probably an 8 hour job for two people.
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Keep in mind this is a >40hp , light bike, so there will not be huge crash forces. I'm picturing a few hours with 2X4s and the special frame tool...

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Brian P said:
Besides ... for crash sturdiness, I would take a steel trellis frame over a welded-pressed-aluminum one any day, and *especially* over one of the newfangled thin-wall cast subframes that some bikes are using. The steel frame will take quite a bit of abuse and still be serviceable. Cast aluminum will crack easily.
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The KTM frame is a mild steel trellis, which means you can bend it back , re-weld it.
I really don't understand this complaint when there are $40K track bikes with aluminum subframes that are in the trash after even minor deformations. This is a <$6K bike, you can spend $6K in one low speed crash on a S1000.
 
CafeRay said:
Well, none of that is mentioned in any reviews I've read or watched. Can't put too much faith in one guy posting on the interweb. Hard to imagine a dealer cannot fix a stalling issue.
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I wouldn't put too much stock in a review on a Kawasaki forum either, but the Duke 390 forum is worth a read. A number of posts from owners list a few common recurring issues which I expect would be shared with the RC390. Engine cutting out randomly, head gasket weeping, sloppy tolerances on the levers, and the gauge cluster frequently resetting.
 
Being an MCN review, I'm surprised a Triumph Street Triple wasn't crowned as the winner. Brilliant bike, really.

Crummy brakes street or track, eh? Wonder how bad they are, especially given the context of bargain-basement, parts-bin-to-your-right motorcycles.

Interesting how well the cbr300 scored, especially with the distant-last reputation it's spec sheet has left it with.
 
They are not premium, but far better than a lot of bikes in that price range. The bike is about corner speed from not so high straight line speed ... I can't imagine you will working the brakes very hard ... street or track.
 
Flywheel said:
Interesting how well the cbr300 scored, especially with the distant-last reputation it's spec sheet has left it with.
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They cannot deny Honda quality and finish. I was surprised that they admitted that the CBR300 was best at the track for corners (but still slowest).
So the RC needs new pads or lines or something, I was more concerned about the fact that in two tests on different bikes they complained about the RC jumping out of gear.

The tire test was weird, Pirelli was 1.5 sec faster with one guy, 2 seconds slower with another guy. Conclusions ..uh..no conclusion.

I've seen some Indian reviews on the RC and Duke that claim brake feel goes way up when you turn ABS off. I don't think MCN knew they could turn off the ABS, and which bikes had ABS or not.
Also, they left out the R3.
 
mxs said:
They are not premium, but far better than a lot of bikes in that price range. The bike is about corner speed from not so high straight line speed ... I can't imagine you will working the brakes very hard ... street or track.
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On any track with a decent straight, you will still be coming down from about 180. The RC has a weight advantage over the other bikes.
 
No Motoamerica RC390 race ready version coming to Canada.

Lots of offers to take a deposit on the RC390 street but no one that can tell you the price yet.

Really starting to think about maybe the R3.
 
CafeRay said:
On any track with a decent straight, you will still be coming down from about 180. The RC has a weight advantage over the other bikes.
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It's a thumper, it will have notable engine braking effect, once you bang down the gears ... DRZ400 was slower top end obviously, but the stock brakes were never something I would complain about, because I simply didn't them whole lot. Every reviewer nowadays is used to top notch Brembo 4 piston setup .... so when they test average brake setup on price-point bike, they complain and whine nowadays a lot ...
 
The brakes are technically Brembo, or their off-branded "ByBre" (stupid). Given that pads can make a huge difference, this might be a trivial fix.

Light-up handlebar controls..FINALLY.
 
Roomie said:
This is something I never understood why we haven't had all along.
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Because it was unreliable in the past with tiny incandescents, but now it's like 15 cents to do this with LEDs.

It seems some reviewers don't like the KTM's 6000km valve service interval. How hard could that be on a single?
 
CafeRay said:
Because it was unreliable in the past with tiny incandescents, but now it's like 15 cents to do this with LEDs.

It seems some reviewers don't like the KTM's 6000km valve service interval. How hard could that be on a single?
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Probably have to take half the bike apart first
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