KTM RC390 anybody ridden one yet?

[stevo as b4]

I'm just curious as while I was waiting for my washing at the laundrette I picked up an MCN (I'm not proud of it!) and it was raving about this new KTM, saying it was the best fun bike in the new 47bhp A2 category.

They went further though and said it's the spiritual successor to the old Yam 350LC, in that it's light and nimble and the power suddenly comes in with a bang at 7000rpm and fades away before 10k, making gearbox tap dancing relevant and fun!

Is this an accurate assumption of this new bike? And if so would I be right in thinking it's going to clean up in the A2 class, and be the darling Street triple of the category?

I'm expecting some downsides, price? parts? dealer service? But if not then have KTM simply created a fun new bike full of pure win?

[Quornholio]

It's £5k.

Don't get me wrong, I like it (somehow), but fuck paying £5k for it. Most second hand 600's could be had for the same money, and I'd rather have a CBR or similar.
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[rideslikean00...]

If I remember it right MCN had a review of both the 125 and 390 Dukes and both of them broke down while on test. Not impressive for bikes costing far more than their rivals in their respective classes. That was in an issue from about 3 or 4 months ago I think.

A good friend of mine, a biker with some 20+ years of experience including riding some of the bikes the 390 is supposed to be a successor to had nothing but praise for it, however. Some of his notes included saying it has one of the best power to weight ratios of any bike he's ridden, is an absolute doddle to corner with and reminds him of his old two stroke days but with the benefit of modern construction. He's more than capable of working on his own bikes (strip and rebuild type work on engines) so I assume the reliability issue wouldn't bother him as much especially as it would be a toy rather than anything else. He was talking about getting one and immediately changing a load of the parts for other KTM ones, I personally thought he'd end up spending enough for two bikes but then I don't know loads about it yet and it wasn't for me as a rookie to tell him what to do.

I'd personally love to try one but I can't see myself owning a KTM, they always seem overpriced for what they are just going by the spec sheets. And then there's that infamous incident where they flat out refused to give Charlie and Ewan a couple of adventure bikes for their Long Way Round trip, the way I interpreted that scene was it was KTM covertly and rudely admitting that their bikes wouldn't stand up to such a tough journey.
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Previous/Current Bikes
2013 Yamaha YBR-125ED -> 1997 Yamaha YZF-1000R Thunderace -> 2009 Yamaha XJ-6 Diversion -> 2007 Yamaha FZ6 Fazer S2

[MC]

[pig hog]

I've test ridden one. Had about an hour on it back at the beginning of December. Now I haven't got a very extensive biking history—I learnt on a YBR for an hour and an XJ6 for the rest of the time, then I went and bought my own XJ6—so I don't have very much to compare it to, so some of my comments might be obvious.... However:

I had a great time on it. The engine is really revvy and all the power is in the top half of the rev range. I spent most of the hour bouncing it off the limiter, probably as much by accident as on purpose.

Handling was good and fun through the bends, though I didn't push it too much because it was cold and damp. No trouble overtaking, except when I hit the limiter, not expecting to need to change up...

Ran in to some traffic and filtering was easy—it's narrower than the XJ6 so I found it easy to get through the smaller gaps.

Nice sound at low revs, too. My bike's quiet though, so I'm jealous of anything that makes more noise than me. I bet it sounds great with a slip-on can.

Couldn't see shit in the mirrors.

It was funny getting back on the XJ6 after, which has a lot more power at lower revs and is a bit easier to ride, in that sense.

I'd like an RC390 because it was a laugh. If I were buying myself an A2 bike again, I'd definitely consider one.
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A2 Licence: 18/10/2013
A Licence: 01/12/2015
'13 Yamaha XJ6N '15 Daytona 675R / '16 MT-07 dead / '17 MT-07 / '18 MT-10

[onefourk]

[MCN.]

It's a 4t single. How exactly is it a 21st century TZR or KR1? It'll be light and agile but the reasons people have such fond memories of the old bikes is because they were 2t's. Also having ridden most of the old 250's I can say with some authority the KTM will lose out purely because it's slow in a straight line.

[Albigularis]

[Quornholio]

[stevo as b4]

[MC]

[Albigularis]