Dutchbike Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Sometimes good things comes suddenly and when I was asked by a good friend to assist in delivering a KTM RC 390. I was more then happy to help. Since the RC was bought in Buriram and that friend lives in Chonburi province it means a 450 km trip so a good opportunity for a road test by Dutchbike Picked it up today and rode it from the dealer to my home ( 40 km's) First impressions:Nice thumper,good looks, it sure gets enough attention by other roadusers. Since it's brand new, I'm riding it extra cautious as it was my own bike. so don't expect a real roadtest, these are just my impressions. Max RPM for the first 1000 km are 7.5K and a nice feature is that you can set 2 different rpm's for the shift light. Dash is full of info ( maybe a bit to much) but not easy to read while riding, handles well, enough torque. I do like the styling matte black paint, the taillight, led running lights. and being Dutch I like ORANGE :-) Some plastic parts ( hugger, fender) are looking a bit cheap, also the clutch lever has a lot of play. Well tomorrow is the big (test) ride, leaving at first light so I'll have a few cool hours before the heat kicks in.Just ready with setting out a nice route passing through Pang Sida, Sa Kaeo.try to avoid long boring straight roads. Here a few pics, to be continued after I get back home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmegaRacer Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 It sure looks nice. Have a nice and safe trip and let us know how it performs. How does it compare power wise to other bikes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
English_M_in_Bkk Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 How much are they in Thailand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchbike Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 Too much :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowleys Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 List price from KTM site is bit under 300k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apetley Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Looks on the small side to me but a great looking bike all the same. How tall are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchbike Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 Looks on the small side to me but a great looking bike all the same. How tall are you? 1.86 It's quite narrow, I would say about the same size as my TZM, Smaller then a Ninja 250/300 ( as a better reference) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllanB Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Looks on the small side to me but a great looking bike all the same. How tall are you? 1.86 It's quite narrow, I would say about the same size as my TZM, Smaller then a Ninja 250/300 ( as a better reference) That's a shame, why are all these smaller cc bikes so small, surely people are getting bigger, in my day 6 foot was quite tall but not any more. All the bikes I have looked at are too small for me, apart from some of the dirt bikes, but they are no use for 2 up trips. With all the smaller cc cruisers gone, these small bikes are quite uncomfortable for me and would get cramped up after a half an hour. Plus I look a bit silly too, but that might just be me anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guzzi850m2 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Yes very nice, but Dutchbike's friend must want it real bad since he is willing to pay almost 300k baht for one, you can get a cbr650f for that, so I don't get it. I guess it you want something different and are willing to pay the price, this is an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullcave Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Seems a bit pricy for a thumper.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
English_M_in_Bkk Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 How are the brakes? A lot of the reviews I have read say the brakes are the only thing that lets the bike down, as they can be somewhat spongy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubberSideDown Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Is this the restricted 40hp A2 license version? If so, I can't see buying it- it's made to appeal to a particular market niche where choices are limited through government regulations- you can get a lot more bike for the money, imho. Price aside, I agree it looks like a nice bike- I saw one in the parking lot of a KTM dealership (I didn't sit on it) and quite like it from an appearance perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhys Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Nice bike... enjoy be safe.. what types of anti-thief devices, high tech or low tech are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joesanunu Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I sat on a 390. Small. The Duke 690 felt real good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullcave Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 How are the brakes? A lot of the reviews I have read say the brakes are the only thing that lets the bike down, as they can be somewhat spongy. I heard the foot pegs were too low.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyF Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Nice bike. Should be about 200k baht though. I hope KTM wake up to the Thai market like Triumph did. Great bikes but the Thai dealerships have got it all wrong. KTM are a great company IMO, hope they sort it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
English_M_in_Bkk Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Looking forward to updates on how you are getting on with the bike. Looks a cracker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchbike Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Part 2 of my impressions of the RC 390 The ride on Sunday went well and I really enjoyed it, taking the scenic route meant I rode almost 500km on a variety of roads. Starting from the flatlands of Buriram the 348 / 3486 / 3393 / 3485 ( Pang Sida) / 3462 to Sa Keao and there the less interesting 359 hooking up with the 304/331. The RC performed on all these roads pretty good but it's in its element on the smaller, twisty roads. It's turns well , feels very stable and gives the rider a safe feeling. Acceleration from lower rpm's is good , but there are some vibrations under 4K rpm, the real power comes around 7K rpm but since it' s brand new and not mine I did not go much higher, but it feels quite fast. Brakes feel good and responsive ABS can be switched off Built quality looks OK some (plastic) bits and pieces are looking a bit cheap but try not to forget this bike is much cheaper in the “normal” world. I like the styling because it’s different and stands out, the Thai seem to like it a lot since everywhere I stopped people stared at it, giving it the thumbs up and of course asking the usual: “ how much” On a 500 km ride it’s still reasonable comfortable I might be a bit too tall for this bike but riding it it didn’t felt small, after riding it awhile I did have to stretch my legs every now and then, but with the occasional stop for fuel / coffee/ water/ food/ cigarette, day rides of 400/600 km are doable. So overall I give this bike a big thumbs up, when I’m judging a bike I more go by my heart and don’t look too much at specs. I like: Styling, Handling, power band. Don’t like: Dash: too much info and hard to read, Mirrors; bad rear view. Would I want one YES! Would I buy one in Thailand: NO but if it was priced as in other countries I would definitely consider it as a potential new bike. I’m afraid we won’t see many in Thailand because of that high price, and that’s a pity. Big thanks to my friend who trusted me riding his brand new KTM. Here some more pics; 6:15 AM All geared up and ready to go. KTM I like the expression on mrs Dutchbikes face: take care, be safe :-) Time for some food Wide handlebars nice table Fuel stop near Sa Kaeo the ride back home :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoadWarrior Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 thanks for posting the review absolutely love the styling of the bike, would love to have one..... but the price too high for the power you get if this was same price as the new R3, it would be an easy choice, KTM all the way but with the R3 around 100k less, its really hard to justify the KTMs price just for the "cool" factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardog Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Too bad about the price should be the 690 duke for that price. I looked at them before I got my ER & it was just insane why I would pay that much more for a KTM. they are way cheaper in the states. The prices should be for a BMW just sayin.................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhys Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 seems like a good run Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankee99 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 How does it compare to your tzm/nsr in power, comfort and handling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAD Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Tomorrow there will be an official announcement of KTM price reductions. I am not clear if it's for limited models but this has come from a very reliable source. Hope it's huge reductions like Triumph have done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktm jeff Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 DILLIGAD , Nice one , that news is long long overdue . It needs to be 30% across the board . Lets see soon . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAD Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 DILLIGAD , Nice one , that news is long long overdue . It needs to be 30% across the board . Lets see soon .It came from a KTM dealer friend. He's very likely to post info on FB tomorrow then I will C&P here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchbike Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 DILLIGAD , Nice one , that news is long long overdue . It needs to be 30% across the board . Lets see soon . @ 200/210K I would seriously consider a RC 390, still have good memories about my ride with that 390. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAD Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 DILLIGAD , Nice one , that news is long long overdue . It needs to be 30% across the board . Lets see soon . @ 200/210K I would seriously consider a RC 390, still have good memories about my ride with that 390.I'll let you know the (hopefully) good news in 24 hrs, Bart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAD Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoadWarrior Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect1435712362.699838.jpg ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect1435712379.148637.jpg ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect1435712394.189332.jpg ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect1435712408.544199.jpg lol i just posted this in a new topic so people would see.... didnt realize you already posted here.... good news Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILLIGAD Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 No problem. I know OP is interested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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