Are you engaged in crossing off the dates on that mundane calendar? Do you get deeply engrossed in any thread/post that has “Duke 390” in it’s title ? Or have you shot atleast one “anxious” mail to Bajaj-KTM, on when the “True Hooligan” is gonna make it’s way to that snugness between your legs?
Then fikaar not….you are not alone ! Bike-enthusiasts in about 76 nations ( Oh yeah…you read it right ! ) are waiting with bated breaths for the Duke 390’s roll-out.
Some of our counterparts have been luckier, one in Australia has even got their hands on it. The D-Day ( You can read it as Duke-Day if you like ! ) is a good month or two away, someday in June-July, if reports are to be believed.
Trawling the web will lead you to a barrage of pictures, posts and pre-conceived notions about the Duke 390. Here’s what you may barge head-long into!!
On a casual glance, there might not appear any significant differences in the design and styling cues from it’s sibling Duke 200. The tell-tale signs are the boldly highlited frame, missing rear tyre hugger and a different colour combo. But does this lull you into thinking that it carries a bore-and-stroke-job version of the old mill as well ?? Read on to know what sets apart “One for all” from “A powerful initiation”, and do have a look at the “Naked Bike” tab at KTM’s website, incase you started scratching your chin.
True, the slug inside the mill that goes up-and-down-then-up-again has increased in diameter from 72mm to 89mm. It also travels a greater distance up-and-down, now 60mm from an earlier 49mm. But that’s not where the changes end, as the piston in the D390 is a forged one, not a cast unit like that of the D200. Forged pistons handle high-temperatures better than cast ones, allowing the Duke 390 to whip up more.
Air-fuel molecules in the cylinder will now be more hard-pressed for space, as the Duke 390’s piston on it’s way up pushes them to occupy nearly one-thirteenth of the space they took while it was at the bottom. Here’s a dekko for spec-chart mavens, 11.3 : 1 for the D200 and a surprising 12.9 : 1 for the D390. What does this translate into for the rider ?? Well, a greater compression ratio enables higher combustion temperature for a smaller amount of air-fuel mixture, thus increasing fuel efficiency and decreasing emissions all-the-while allowing the engine to churn out more horses.
The fuel injection system from Bosch has evolved, with the throttle bodies now a thicker 46mm from the earlier 38mm. The cogs on the Duke 390 have been tweaked too, with 120 kmph being achievable at a cake-walk-like 6500 rpm, and 100 kph is a stroll-in-the-park at 5000 rpm. It’s rumored that Bajaj-KTM might alter the gear ratios of the Duke 200, with the addition of a much-taller sixth one to munch those highway miles without breaking a sweat.
We always have something or the other for our “Spec-Chart Mavens”. Here’s a quick peek:-
- Peak power of 44 PS arrives at 9500 rpm, 500 revs earlier than the Duke 200
- Peak torque of 35 Nm also follows suit, going full-bang at 7250 rpm
- 0-100 sprint might take a measly 5 secs, with a top whack of 171 kph
- Despite all this stub-nosed-artillery, it stays pocket-friendly at 30 kmpl !!!!
The Duke 390 is more than just what meets the eye. It demands some serious, really serious respect!
-Bishakh
Source: Money Control
