Youtube user Ride with Rahul recently brought his view over the 2017 KTM RC390 by riding the same over a course of 300 kilometers. In his video, he can be seen speeding, braking, cornering and listing down the changes that he noticed in the new model. The 150 kilometer single side highway stretch was enough to notice that the extra money charged on the 2017 version is worth every rupee. The winning point out of his review was the use of ride by wire while the worst was the presence of high vibrations at triple digit speeds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmcN7EWdqL4
2017 KTM RC 390 Ride Review (300 kms) by Rahul Mazumder
Rahul first mentioned a feature named 'actual fuel economy', which acts as a real time mileage indicator on the 2017 version. It shows how the mileage figure increases when the rider switched to a bigger gear while driving. It is actually a very confusing figure if seen regularly as it can show anything between 20-40 kilometers, sensing the amount of throttle through the its new system and the gear in which the rider is riding. Few new features include 320 mm larger disc brake, new paint with UV protection and side mounted exhaust.
KTM RC 390 now comes with a higher-placed belly pan, helping the rider keep his bike safe on rough roads. However, the effect will go down with the pillion being seated on the back seat. The motorcycle even offers a slipper clutch and dual-channel ABS as standard. The inclusion of ride by ride-by-wire throttle has helped KTM achieve smooth power delivery and the least amount of engine braking on the 2017 model. This even makes cornering more comfortable. KTM's new exhaust produces better sound than the underbelly unit on the older variant.
2017 RC390 had a louder radiator fan and it worked more often than the older model. Rahul thinks that it could be this way because the bike was new and engine needs some time to get into full action. He still feels that vibrations are very high when driving aggressively while the tyres took more time to heat up (personally felt the same) and inspired lesser confidence on the 2017 variant. The 12 mm of added padding was very practical as he felt more upright and relaxed after riding the motorcycle on such long stretch.
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