The KTM RC390 thread

Forum Sponsor
Flywheel said:
What about bulk? A battery sized unit isn't that big of a deal in a car. I'm curious more than anything else, since nothing really gets explained these days, just: AWESOME NEW REVOLUTIONARY ACRONYM!
Click to expand...

Are you talking about a gasoline direct injection pump? The gasoline DI pumps are very compact, there is not much to them. Most of them are just a spring-loaded plunger that is operated by an extra cam lobe somewhere, they're built into the cylinder head. There is a pressure regulator, and pipes taking the fuel to the injectors. The injectors go straight into the head, usually between the two intake valves, instead of into the intake runner. Doesn't really take up appreciably more space than a standard low-pressure port injection system ... but it certainly costs more, and I'm not aware of any DI systems that are capable of functioning at much higher revs than car engines see (say, 8000-ish).

The diesel common-rail pumps are bigger, and are generally a complete unit unto themselves, not something screwed into the cylinder head. But they run at much higher pressure and need to be a lot more robust because of that. Standard gasoline port injection runs at around 3 bar pressure. Gasoline direct injection, around 200 bar. Diesel common-rail, around 2000 bar.
 
mxs said:
Aren't you gonna spring for 500 bucks Corbin? .... LOL .... the list is getting longer, eh? ....

- ****** front end design
- concerns over trellis one piece frame
- too short valve adjustment intervals (half of a bike has to go apart)
- stock brakes are soft
- missing small led or ring where the ignition is
- seat will crumble due to soft foam

I am sure you guys can come up with more ...
Click to expand...

I have never seen a steering wheel foam crumble, except maybe in 30 year old cars left in the sun.
Trellis bad, except when Ducati and Kawasaki H2 does it, then its totally worth $25K.
People are losing sight that this is a $6K bike, that is better than anything Japan has in this range. I hope they sell a ton of them to wake up the competition.
Honda is set on the idea that 300s are commuter bikes.
Yamaha is not putting ABS in the R3, but likely will for 2016, which will kill the value of 2015s.

Brian has some good points, and why the future of bikes is going to be more complex heavier and expensive due to Euro laws, and the market in North America is now too small to consider specific bikes for this market (not like the days when Canada got better models than the US).

Says to me that ICE bikes are getting heaver, more expensive, more complex, while electrics are getting more powerful, lighter, and inherently less complex, and cheaper. We could be just a few years from the tipping point.
 
Flywheel said:
More teasing MXS than anything else on the tailsection. Video makes It look like a closed-cell foam, like you'd find in certain anti-fatigue mats. Mind you, Corbin & Co exist mainly because manufactuers don't take seats seriously.
Click to expand...

I am sure that they will sell you a race cover for the rear end. I would be shocked if a seat would be an item frequently bothersome enough to be dealt with. This bike will see track and short hops most of the time.

Flywheel said:
I'm sure the RC will do fine, despite the sharp corners it may have. The Japanese were pretty unapologetic about offering genuinely terrible bikes in the past and they still sold in droves. The RC seems like a more serious attempt right out of the crate and that can only lead to pressure on the competition.
Click to expand...

Absolutely.
 
CafeRay said:
I have never seen a steering wheel foam crumble, except maybe in 30 year old cars left in the sun...Says to me that ICE bikes are getting heaver, more expensive, more complex, while electrics are getting more powerful, lighter, and inherently less complex, and cheaper. We could be just a few years from the tipping point.
Click to expand...

Started at year nine on my "Honda Fit & Finish, Made In Canada" car. Mind you, hands/feet are pretty rough on products in general.

Electrics are AT the tipping point in many urban markets. I could easily live with a Nissan Leaf (2nd generation is remarkably good, recently released in Norway) or Zero DS when usage is considered, even in winter.

It's the perceived up-front cost that's problematic now. $20K sticker + $15K of maintenance (which everyone underestimates/ignores) over 10 years sounds better than $30K sticker + $5k maintenance. If you stand back, buying a nicer car and spending less time/money at the garage is a smarter choice, as long as that equation really levels out. Insurance and model trim muddle the waters a bit though.
 
Just got confirmation of the price of the RC390 in Canada (well, at least at Apex Cycle in KW).
$5999.
 
Let's not get again into the single vs. parallel twin upcharge for more cylinders than one .... Kawasaki Ninja 300 is 5799$, without ABS I believe, so KTM should feel pretty good.
 
R3 at $4999 without ABS

mxs said:
Let's not get again into the single vs. parallel twin upcharge for more cylinders than one .... Kawasaki Ninja 300 is 5799$, without ABS I believe, so KTM should feel pretty good.
Click to expand...
 
Roomie said:
I guess I'll be the minority but I don't see 6k plus tax a great deal on a single 390. :dontknow:
Click to expand...

You can't value a bike by its engine alone. Is there a $6000 bike, with ABS, that out-performs the RC390? The next level up is the FZ07, $1300 more, and no ABS (in North America, as per Yamaha's FU Canada/US policy).
It's faster and lighter than any of the 300s.
It's in a unique class between the 300s and the SFV650/FZ07, and priced accordingly.

The Ninja 300 is $5700 with ABS, but is heavier and not as powerful (but has a nice transmission and slipper clutch). The R3 is $5000, but you get what you pay for.
The closest bike is the CBR500R, now $5500. The CBR is heavier, but it is very well finished and likely a better highway bike. Have yet to see an RC390 up close.

Be nice if Honda made the CBR500R in Repsol colors...

10067.jpg
 
Roomie said:
I guess I'll be the minority but I don't see 6k plus tax a great deal on a single 390. :dontknow:
Click to expand...

Every mx bike is a terrible deal eh? They should all have inline 4
 
Roomie said:
That's not at all what I said now is it? Sorry your command of the English language isn't very good this evening. Try again another time.
Click to expand...

Huh? 250cc mx bikes are more than $6000. I know you said 390. 390 single - no good but 250 single - good? Your point remains the same
 
kellen said:
Huh? 250cc mx bikes are more than $6000. I know you said 390. 390 single - no good but 250 single - good? Your point remains the same
Click to expand...
There's a drastic difference between dirt bikes and road bikes. Do I think dirt bikes are way overpriced? Yes. Do they have anything to do with this segment of motorcycling? No. I said I think 6 grand plus for a small bike isn't that great of a bargain.
 
Roomie said:
There's a drastic difference between dirt bikes and road bikes. Do I think dirt bikes are way overpriced? Yes. Do they have anything to do with this segment of motorcycling? No. I said I think 6 grand plus for a small bike isn't that great of a bargain.
Click to expand...

You remarked about the motor specifically. So I thought we were talking about motors. Are we talking about the physical size of the bike now?
 
Roomie said:
There's a drastic difference between dirt bikes and road bikes. Do I think dirt bikes are way overpriced? Yes. Do they have anything to do with this segment of motorcycling? No. I said I think 6 grand plus for a small bike isn't that great of a bargain.
Click to expand...

RS125 was over $9k when it came out. They still sold quite well. There is some moronic dealer in Ottawa that still has a new one that's been sitting since 09. They won't drop it below $9k and that doesn't include the street kit which is another $1500 or so.
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom