Biker Banter Newbie - KTM RC390
Discussion
cwis said:
I test rode both and ended up with the 390 Duke. I just preferred it.
The 690 is awesome though. WHAT an engine!
I think once I've served the remaining 22 or so months on the RC I'll be sinking another £600 into doing my full big boy test and then looking into the options on an 899, or whatever equivalent Ducati have out at the time. I've wanted one for years (848, 1098, all variations, etc.) so although there's probably a comfier more practical option I can't really see myself getting anything else.The 690 is awesome though. WHAT an engine!
GT3-RS said:
once you've done with the 390 then you can progress to 690 Duke
I was told by many that the RC would be horrific to commute on but I'm not finding that at all. The only niggle is that the mirrors don't flick in and out, so if you have to pull them in to filter you have to completely re-adjust them again once out the other end.
lindrup119 said:
I think once I've served the remaining 22 or so months on the RC I'll be sinking another £600 into doing my full big boy test and then looking into the options on an 899, or whatever equivalent Ducati have out at the time. I've wanted one for years (848, 1098, all variations, etc.) so although there's probably a comfier more practical option I can't really see myself getting anything else.
I was told by many that the RC would be horrific to commute on but I'm not finding that at all. The only niggle is that the mirrors don't flick in and out, so if you have to pull them in to filter you have to completely re-adjust them again once out the other end.
RC8R, every time. Although it will probably terrify you. Brilliant if you have to ride one of those plastic things that people call a bike.I was told by many that the RC would be horrific to commute on but I'm not finding that at all. The only niggle is that the mirrors don't flick in and out, so if you have to pull them in to filter you have to completely re-adjust them again once out the other end.
lindrup119 said:
I was told by many that the RC would be horrific to commute on but I'm not finding that at all.
100%. My plan was to upgrade my 250 straight after my 2 year restriction was over but I'm not bored of it yet (95% of my riding is in traffic in the city). I'd love a 600 but given how cheap and reliable (and fun) the Ninja has been, I'm not in a rush to get rid of it.
I can imagine the 390 is even more fun with the extra power without being (much) larger. That 10l fuel tank must be a pain though...
Update:
Service
I finally got the bike to a KTM dealership despite some initial hiccups, and ended up all the way out at Premier Bikes in Didcot. Great guys and is a fantastic dealership and was great of them to cram me in at such short notice. (One of the techs at Croydon had a bike accident as far as I know - hopefully a speedy recovery.)
I think the bill for the first service came to around £180, but while I was there I obviously couldn't pass up buying some more bits, so came away with some R&G paddock stand bobbins which are yet to go on.
On to the pics..
Finally got the new screen on:
I haven't noticed any difference in terms of protection, but I think I prefer the looks of it so that's what counts
I'm now up to 2100 miles on the bike (in just under 3 months) and have picked up a couple of issues.
While sitting in traffic the other day a cabbie lent out of his window to let me know my back tyre was fubared courtesy of a nail:
I've been keeping an eye on the pressure and it's not losing any, but just for peace of mind I've started pricing up some Metzelers (which I think the bike should have had originally).
Over the last week or so I've noticed the stand getting loose. Had a rummage around and discovered that it's attached by two bolts.
One was completely missing, the other was hanging on in there for dear life.
So it's been a case of tightening it every day, but a package with two new bolts and washers (which weren't on there at all...
) arrived sharpish from Premier today:
In the meantime it's been leaning on the gear shifter which isn't great, and it's been knocking it into second while it's parked. Will get the new bolts fitted at the weekend anyway and get it sorted.
And perhaps due to the stand interfering with the gears I had my first drop yesterday. As I was pulling away in first, something locked the rear and as the feet were already up it was a very slow sideways fall
Somehow I survived any major damage, my leg perhaps acting as a cushion (but that also escaped damage). The brake pedal was bent in over the fairing but that was sorted with some elbow grease. I've taken the shine off the bar end and the hero blob but not too worried about that.
On to the randoms.
Is this an acceptable chicken strip for London riding?
Had to get one on somewhere.
Gratuitous pic:
And that's it for now, cheers for checking in.
Service
I finally got the bike to a KTM dealership despite some initial hiccups, and ended up all the way out at Premier Bikes in Didcot. Great guys and is a fantastic dealership and was great of them to cram me in at such short notice. (One of the techs at Croydon had a bike accident as far as I know - hopefully a speedy recovery.)
I think the bill for the first service came to around £180, but while I was there I obviously couldn't pass up buying some more bits, so came away with some R&G paddock stand bobbins which are yet to go on.
On to the pics..
Finally got the new screen on:
I haven't noticed any difference in terms of protection, but I think I prefer the looks of it so that's what counts
I'm now up to 2100 miles on the bike (in just under 3 months) and have picked up a couple of issues.
While sitting in traffic the other day a cabbie lent out of his window to let me know my back tyre was fubared courtesy of a nail:
I've been keeping an eye on the pressure and it's not losing any, but just for peace of mind I've started pricing up some Metzelers (which I think the bike should have had originally).
Over the last week or so I've noticed the stand getting loose. Had a rummage around and discovered that it's attached by two bolts.
One was completely missing, the other was hanging on in there for dear life.
So it's been a case of tightening it every day, but a package with two new bolts and washers (which weren't on there at all...
) arrived sharpish from Premier today:In the meantime it's been leaning on the gear shifter which isn't great, and it's been knocking it into second while it's parked. Will get the new bolts fitted at the weekend anyway and get it sorted.
And perhaps due to the stand interfering with the gears I had my first drop yesterday. As I was pulling away in first, something locked the rear and as the feet were already up it was a very slow sideways fall
Somehow I survived any major damage, my leg perhaps acting as a cushion (but that also escaped damage). The brake pedal was bent in over the fairing but that was sorted with some elbow grease. I've taken the shine off the bar end and the hero blob but not too worried about that.
On to the randoms.
Is this an acceptable chicken strip for London riding?
Had to get one on somewhere.
Gratuitous pic:
And that's it for now, cheers for checking in.
lindrup119 said:
I've been reading some of the reviews, can anyone here vouch for the Metz M7 over the M5, or are the differences marginal?
As I commute on it I fancy a tyre that has cracking wet use which it would appear all the Metzs do.
Havent got any experience with the m7, but the m5s are brilliant in the dry and I trust them once warm in the wet.As I commute on it I fancy a tyre that has cracking wet use which it would appear all the Metzs do.
I should also note that when its very cold they dont have much grip until warmed up.
(Brilliant tire after 5-10 mins of riding)
cat with a hat said:
lindrup119 said:
I've been reading some of the reviews, can anyone here vouch for the Metz M7 over the M5, or are the differences marginal?
As I commute on it I fancy a tyre that has cracking wet use which it would appear all the Metzs do.
Havent got any experience with the m7, but the m5s are brilliant in the dry and I trust them once warm in the wet.As I commute on it I fancy a tyre that has cracking wet use which it would appear all the Metzs do.
I should also note that when its very cold they dont have much grip until warmed up.
(Brilliant tire after 5-10 mins of riding)
If anyone can find it cheaper than £70 then please let me know.
lindrup119 said:
Over the last week or so I've noticed the stand getting loose. Had a rummage around and discovered that it's attached by two bolts.
One was completely missing, the other was hanging on in there for dear life.
In the meantime it's been leaning on the gear shifter which isn't great, and it's been knocking it into second while it's parked. Will get the new bolts fitted at the weekend anyway and get it sorted.
New bolts fitted, less than ten miles later one of them has unscrewed itself and fOne was completely missing, the other was hanging on in there for dear life.
In the meantime it's been leaning on the gear shifter which isn't great, and it's been knocking it into second while it's parked. Will get the new bolts fitted at the weekend anyway and get it sorted.
ked off!Rather than cock about with it myself again I gave Hyside a call who said immediately that I was being a penis and to send photos through so that they could get it all (even the side stand with road rash) replaced under warranty asap.
Warranty claim approved - now just need to get it booked in for that and a tyre fix/replacement.
Had a fun Friday night last weekend. Didn't lock the bike immediately after getting off it, cue two scrots walking off with it at 1am down the road while I watched with disbelief out of the window.
Lots of sprinting and shouting followed, end result they dropped the bike and scarpered. Snapped off the gear shifter and scrapes all over - luckily no other serious damage.
Fixed it up the following day, only to be mugged at an ATM later that evening! London life ey!
Had a fun Friday night last weekend. Didn't lock the bike immediately after getting off it, cue two scrots walking off with it at 1am down the road while I watched with disbelief out of the window.
Lots of sprinting and shouting followed, end result they dropped the bike and scarpered. Snapped off the gear shifter and scrapes all over - luckily no other serious damage.
Fixed it up the following day, only to be mugged at an ATM later that evening!
London life ey! 
Update:
Stand now replaced.
R/H mirror went wobbly and wouldn't stay put a week or so ago. Mentioned it to the guys at the dealership and was told as it was a sealed unit it'll be repaired under warranty, so picking that up tomorrow. Riding in London without that mirror has not been fun.
Up to just over 3000 miles on it now as well so will be looking to book it in for its next service sometime in the next month or so. Will then do a winter check (ACF 50, how much tread left etc, heated grips install)
I'll also be turning 24 shortly which allows me to level up to big boy A licence. Although I'm tied into this finance plan for another 20/21 months or so it hasn't stopped me yearning for something else. However the licence is another £600 (with a first time pass) and then I'll have the headache of sorting out the sale of the bike so will probably stay put for now as it does it's job very well.
I know I mentioned 899s and the like above, but something about these has got me going as I fancy a bit of touring in the future:
Stand now replaced.
R/H mirror went wobbly and wouldn't stay put a week or so ago. Mentioned it to the guys at the dealership and was told as it was a sealed unit it'll be repaired under warranty, so picking that up tomorrow. Riding in London without that mirror has not been fun.
Up to just over 3000 miles on it now as well so will be looking to book it in for its next service sometime in the next month or so. Will then do a winter check (ACF 50, how much tread left etc, heated grips install)
I'll also be turning 24 shortly which allows me to level up to big boy A licence. Although I'm tied into this finance plan for another 20/21 months or so it hasn't stopped me yearning for something else. However the licence is another £600 (with a first time pass) and then I'll have the headache of sorting out the sale of the bike so will probably stay put for now as it does it's job very well.
I know I mentioned 899s and the like above, but something about these has got me going as I fancy a bit of touring in the future:
Edited by lindrup119 on Friday 28th August 13:30
Don't know how you can laugh off scrotes trying to pinch your bike and then being mugged like that. I'd be shaking/fuming/venting/swearing probably all at the same time... Anyway, I'm sure you could swap the bike for a bigger one despite it still being financed. If you got the bigger bike from the same dealer I'm sure they would make it as easy as possible for you.
Sushifiend said:
Don't know how you can laugh off scrotes trying to pinch your bike and then being mugged like that. I'd be shaking/fuming/venting/swearing probably all at the same time... Anyway, I'm sure you could swap the bike for a bigger one despite it still being financed. If you got the bigger bike from the same dealer I'm sure they would make it as easy as possible for you.
I had all of the swearing/anger out of my system by the time I typed it up. At the time I was ready to send out a search party and lynch the fkers. I was fking apoplectic. The mugging was also s
t, but aside from a sore head I had the money refunded so have chalked it up to experience. I won't be such a dozy wker next time.Edited by lindrup119 on Friday 28th August 14:30
Edited by lindrup119 on Friday 5th February 13:46
Mirror replaced.
The stand developed another fault conveniently the day before I was due back at the dealership. There was a dodgy bracket that was setting off the warning light telling the bike the stand was down, and then cutting the engine mid drive. Pretty annoying but it turns out it was an easy fix.
I read a fair bit about KTM 390 reliability issues before buying into this bike and within 3 months of ownership I've already had 2 warranty claims... Fingers crossed there aren't any more problems in the foreseeable future as I'd rather not be messing around with the bike during the winter months - I just want it to work solidly for 6 months now. Regardless the guys at Hyside are repeatedly great and always very helpful - recommended.
The stand developed another fault conveniently the day before I was due back at the dealership. There was a dodgy bracket that was setting off the warning light telling the bike the stand was down, and then cutting the engine mid drive. Pretty annoying but it turns out it was an easy fix.
I read a fair bit about KTM 390 reliability issues before buying into this bike and within 3 months of ownership I've already had 2 warranty claims... Fingers crossed there aren't any more problems in the foreseeable future as I'd rather not be messing around with the bike during the winter months - I just want it to work solidly for 6 months now. Regardless the guys at Hyside are repeatedly great and always very helpful - recommended.
Sushifiend said:
lindrup119 said:
Regardless the guys at Hyside are repeatedly great and always very helpful - recommended.
Funny that a motorcycle dealer has the same name as a type of motorcycle crash, even if they spell it differently. Would you buy a bike from a dealer called "SMIDSEE" 
? Last time I was there a young guy on an RC125 left the dealership on a brand new tyre. Gave the throttle a rip as he was leaving and had a very low speed highside.
He ended up sticking around for about another hour replacing a few bits and bobs unfortunately.
Update:
Service
The bike went in for it's second service (4500 miles) over the weekend and some more side stand related warranty work.
This time the bike had been telling me off and on that the side stand was down when it obviously wasn't. This worsened to the point where it would cut the bike out mid ride every 10 mins, or every 2 mins, or every 30 secs.
Making it impossible to ride. Somehow I managed to nurse it to the dealership and touch wood it all seems to be resolved.
It also needs a new rear tyre soon (I had the current one repaired) as it's close to the markers but also needs a sprocket and chain set too apparently. So I may go through the PowerParts catalogue again and end up adding some more tarty st. As for the tyre, I know that M5s/7s have a great rep as a wet tyre, but as I commute on it and use it daily I was thinking of getting something more "chunky" and wet-orientated rather than a tyre that happens to also be good in the wet. Necessary? Or should I just get a Metz?
Lastly, as it was my birthday earlier this month, all my presents were of course geared towards riding.
From the family, Dainese Gore Tex! Admittedly I actually ordered it myself so I knew what was coming. (Thanks to SASTom at GetGeared for the PH discount.)
I went for the Carve Master Jacket, matching Travelguard trousers and the Scout gloves.
Jacket and gloves fit... well like a glove. Trousers were waaaaaay too small so are already on their way back.
I also got given a GetGeared voucher to splash as well from the OH which was perfect. I managed to squeeze some heated grips, a tail bag (so small it's almost pointless - looks great though and it has interchangeable colour inserts to match your bike *gimp*) and a neckwarmer in for under a ton, result.
Around the same time I flogged my old Box helmet on Gumtree and picked up a brand new half-price Shark Raw. It's not exactly what I was planning on getting (wanted a full face colourful lid - was torn between a Rossi/Martin AGV K3 SV) but I couldn't resist. Within 24 hours it had a new visor too.
It won't be my main helmet but will be used for back up/pillion duties.
And that's about it for now. Will be giving it a good clean next weekend and will coat it in ACF50 ready for the cold. Hopefully my new trousers will get here as soon as possible and then I'll be battling it through the winter.
Some random pictures below from when I went hunting for a good B road north of the M25 a month or so ago.
Cheers for checking in.
Service
The bike went in for it's second service (4500 miles) over the weekend and some more side stand related warranty work.
This time the bike had been telling me off and on that the side stand was down when it obviously wasn't. This worsened to the point where it would cut the bike out mid ride every 10 mins, or every 2 mins, or every 30 secs.
Making it impossible to ride. Somehow I managed to nurse it to the dealership and touch wood it all seems to be resolved. It also needs a new rear tyre soon (I had the current one repaired) as it's close to the markers but also needs a sprocket and chain set too apparently. So I may go through the PowerParts catalogue again and end up adding some more tarty s
t. As for the tyre, I know that M5s/7s have a great rep as a wet tyre, but as I commute on it and use it daily I was thinking of getting something more "chunky" and wet-orientated rather than a tyre that happens to also be good in the wet. Necessary? Or should I just get a Metz?Lastly, as it was my birthday earlier this month, all my presents were of course geared towards riding.
From the family, Dainese Gore Tex! Admittedly I actually ordered it myself so I knew what was coming. (Thanks to SASTom at GetGeared for the PH discount.)
I went for the Carve Master Jacket, matching Travelguard trousers and the Scout gloves.
Jacket and gloves fit... well like a glove. Trousers were waaaaaay too small so are already on their way back.
I also got given a GetGeared voucher to splash as well from the OH which was perfect. I managed to squeeze some heated grips, a tail bag (so small it's almost pointless - looks great though and it has interchangeable colour inserts to match your bike *gimp*) and a neckwarmer in for under a ton, result.
Around the same time I flogged my old Box helmet on Gumtree and picked up a brand new half-price Shark Raw. It's not exactly what I was planning on getting (wanted a full face colourful lid - was torn between a Rossi/Martin AGV K3 SV) but I couldn't resist. Within 24 hours it had a new visor too.
It won't be my main helmet but will be used for back up/pillion duties.
And that's about it for now. Will be giving it a good clean next weekend and will coat it in ACF50 ready for the cold. Hopefully my new trousers will get here as soon as possible and then I'll be battling it through the winter.
Some random pictures below from when I went hunting for a good B road north of the M25 a month or so ago.
Cheers for checking in.
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