The KTM 390 Duke has received a significant update in the form of a new chassis, powertrain, features and more. How much better is it now? And is it worth the asking price?
Introduction
The 2024 390 Duke hosts a plethora of upgrades mechanically, electronically and also on the design front. In a way, everything except the bike’s name is all-new with this KTM.
Design & Features
Coming to the tech on the 390 Duke, the motorcycle gets a new 5-inch TFT colour display and for the first time gets three riding modes – Street, Rain and Track. Besides that, the bike continues to come with dual-channel ABS (with SuperMoto option), traction control, and a bidirectional quickshifter that now works perfectly.
Engine & Performance
The 2024 390 Duke gets a brand-new mill that now displaces 399 cc with a bigger bore and stroke. The DOHC head and 6-speed gearbox are new. The unit now registers 44.2 bhp of max power and 39 Nm of peak torque. A slight increase in power and torque figures, but it’s the acceleration that has improved by a noticeable margin.
Ride & Handling
It feels completely at home at the test track, is more agile, eager to tip into corners and fluid through corner transitions. The motor is a lot more tractable at slow speeds while the vibrations have reduced which used to be a bothersome issue, especially when doing longer rides. The brakes on the 390 Duke have only gotten better with more bite along with good progression and ample feedback.
Pricing
The new 390 is priced at ₹ 3.11 lakh (ex-showroom), a premium of ₹ 13,045 over the previous model. While the sticker price might be on the higher side, for the level of equipment on offer, the premium and eventually the overall price now feels justified with this version.
Verdict
The new 390 Duke manages to maintain its dominance in its segment. It is nothing less than a proper hoot, as it now does everything that it could do earlier, but now, even better. It is a motorcycle that you’ll get excited to ride every time you swing a leg over, but in a mature fashion now.